🎨UX Careers: A Comprehensive Guide on Salaries and Roles

Imagine navigating a website effortlessly and finding exactly what you need with minimal frustration. When that happens, that’s the magic of UX design. These designers balance visuals, interactions, and functionality to craft experiences that not only meet but exceed user expectations.

In recent years, the demand for UX professionals has skyrocketed. In 2020, companies hired five times more UX designers than they did in 2019, and that trend is continuing. As our lives become increasingly digital, so does the need for skilled individuals who can ensure that innovation aligns seamlessly with user needs.

In this guide, we delve into the multifaceted world of UX careers, exploring the diverse roles, shedding light on the salaries and compensation they enjoy, and explaining the career paths they follow. Whether you’re a seasoned professional seeking new horizons or a newcomer intrigued by the realm of UX, this guide will help you find out what you want to know. 

Exploring the Realm of UX Careers

UX design roles extend far beyond the realm of technology, infiltrating sectors as varied as healthcare, finance, and entertainment. Let’s have a look at the kinds of jobs you can find.

UX Designer

UX Designers are the architects of products, crafting interfaces that seamlessly blend aesthetics with functionality. Utilizing user-centric design methodologies, they make sure that every click, scroll, and interaction is an intuitive journey for the user.

Skills Required

To thrive in this role, a UX Designer must be well-versed in user research to understand the target audience’s needs and preferences. Proficiency in wireframing and prototyping is also crucial because it enables the translation of ideas into tangible, interactive designs. Usability testing is another key skill, allowing designers to refine and optimize interfaces based on real user feedback.

Average Salary

Compensation for UX designers varies depending on where you are, what level you’re at, and what industry you’re working in. However, taking into account both the lowest and highest earners in the country, the average salary for UX designers in the United States ranges between $74,000 and $122,000. 

Career Growth Path

Starting as a junior UX designer, you can ascend the ranks to become a seasoned professional. With experience and expertise, doors open to roles such as UX design manager, overseeing the strategic aspects of design projects, and eventually, reaching the pinnacle as the head of design, a role responsible for steering the overall design direction of an organization. 

UI Designer

UI Designers are artists who breathe life and logic into interfaces. Their expertise lies in transforming complex concepts into visually stunning and user-friendly designs, elevating the overall aesthetics and usability of digital products.

Skills Required

A UI Designer’s toolkit includes proficiency in graphic design, allowing them to create visually compelling elements that resonate with the brand identity. Mastery of interaction design is essential for ensuring that the visual elements seamlessly integrate with user interactions. Visual communication skills also play a pivotal role in conveying information effectively through design elements and perfecting the readability of icons.

Average Salary

UI designers make between $76,000 and $129,000 in the United States.

Career Growth Path

After you’ve spent a few years developing your skills, advancing to the role of a senior UI designer brings greater responsibilities and opportunities to mentor junior designers. Alternatively, you can also transition to a UI/UX design lead position, where the focus broadens to overseeing both the visual and experiential aspects of design projects.

Interaction Designer

Interaction designers are experts in crafting interfaces that not only look good but also respond intuitively to user actions, creating a fluid and engaging user experience.

Skills Required

​​Interaction Designers possess a deep understanding of interaction design principles, enabling them to conceptualize and implement interfaces that resonate with users. Proficiency in wireframing and prototyping is crucial, as it allows you to visualize and test different interaction scenarios. This role demands a keen eye for detail, ensuring that every click, swipe, and transition enhances the overall user journey.

Average Salary

Interaction designers make between $95,000 and $143,000 per year in the United States.

Career Growth Path

Progressing to the role of a senior interaction designer involves mastering complex design challenges and mentoring junior designers. If you’re interested in driving the strategic direction of interaction design, you might aim to become a head of interaction design. In this role, professionals shape the overarching vision for how users engage with digital interfaces and lead the teams that will implement it.

Information Architect

Information architects structure content at the beginning of a project to create intuitive and user-friendly experiences. Their expertise lies in designing the blueprint of information flow, ensuring that users can effortlessly find what they seek within the product.

Skills Required

Information architects wield a unique set of skills, including the ability to organize information effectively. Proficiency in user research is crucial, so you can understand how users seek and process information. A strong grasp of content strategy also ensures that the information architecture aligns seamlessly with the overall goals of a digital product.

Average Salary

Information architects make between $139,000 and $210,000 annually in the United States.

Career Growth Path

The journey of an information architect involves transitioning into more strategic roles. Advancing to the position of senior information architect requires a deep understanding of complex information structures and a knack for solving intricate design challenges. If you want to lead UX strategy on a broader scale, your career path may lead to becoming a lead UX strategist. This role involves shaping the broader vision for how information is organized and presented across various digital platforms

User Researcher

The role of user researcher is a little bit like being a detective, delving into the why and how of user interactions to inform design decisions and create products that resonate with users.

Skills Required

User Researchers possess a keen understanding of research methodologies. From conducting user testing to diving into qualitative and quantitative research, they employ a spectrum of techniques to gather valuable insights. Analytical skills are paramount, so you can distill complex data into actionable design recommendations.

Average Salary

The average salary of a user researcher in the United States is between $80,000 and $127,000.

Career Growth Path

To become a senior user researcher, you need to master advanced research techniques and mentor junior researchers. If you want to climb the ladder even further, you can also aim for the head of user research. In this role, you work with stakeholders to discuss and develop how user research aligns with the broader goals of product development, making sure the needs of the user are never left behind.

Visual Designer

Visual design is all about the aesthetic—bringing excitement to products through a symphony of color, imagery, and typography. The role goes beyond functionality, shaping digital experiences into visually captivating journeys that resonate with the audience.

Skills Required

Proficiency in visual communication ensures that the design not only looks good but also effectively communicates the intended message. A strong understanding of branding is essential, allowing visual designers to align their creations seamlessly with the brand identity.

Average Salary

Visual designers make between $70,000 and $113,000 on average in the United States.

Career Growth Path

Starting with a junior role, most visual designers will transition into a senior or team lead role after a few years. If you want to get involved with leading the creative vision, you can work toward becoming a creative director, making sure all your teams are producing work that aligns with your creative goals.

UX Writer

UX writers strategically use language to enhance user interactions and create a cohesive narrative within the product. They collaborate with designers and researchers to integrate language into the product, aligning with UX principles and user preferences.

Skills Required

UX writers are adept at copywriting and crafting language that is not just informative but also engaging. Their role demands a deep understanding of user research, ensuring that the words chosen resonate with the target audience. This balance of linguistic skill and UX expertise allows them to create a narrative that elevates the overall user experience.

Average Salary

UX writers earn a salary of around $69,000 to $124,000 in the United States on average.

Career Growth Path

UX writers can start out in a range of writing positions before transitioning into a UX-focused role and eventually earning a senior title. In terms of leadership roles, if you want to help drive overall content strategy, you might work towards a role like the head of content strategy. 

UX Analyst 

A UX analyst specializes in analyzing user interactions and data to assess and improve the overall user experience of digital products. They utilize data analytics, conduct user testing, and apply usability heuristics to gather insights into user behavior. Their ultimate aim is to provide valuable information that informs design decisions, optimizing interfaces for enhanced user satisfaction and usability.

Skills Required

UX analysts are proficient in data analytics, utilizing quantitative and qualitative data to decipher user behavior. Their toolkit includes expertise in user testing, allowing them to validate hypotheses and refine designs based on real-world usage. Mastery of usability heuristics is essential to identify potential pain points and areas of improvement within digital interfaces.

Average Salary

UX analysts can earn anywhere from $67,000 to $117,000 a year based on experience and location in the United States.

Career Growth Path

UX analysts can start out in other analytical roles before moving into UX and gaining a senior title. Leadership roles you can work towards include UX research manager, where you’ll collaborate with other departments to fit UX research into the product development process in the most effective way.

FAQs About UX Careers

We’ve got the answers to your most frequently asked questions.

Wrapping Up

In the ever-evolving landscape of digital experiences, the world of UX design only stands to grow larger and larger. As we’ve navigated through the diverse roles and career paths within this field, it’s easy to see that UX professionals play a pivotal role in shaping the way we interact with technology.

As technology advances, the need for intuitive, user-friendly designs becomes more crucial than ever, creating a wealth of opportunities for those passionate about the intersection of creativity and technology.

If you’re interested in UX design, now is the perfect time to have a look at the UX bootcamps available. Whether you’re a seasoned professional looking to upskill or someone taking the first steps into this exciting field, continuous learning is the key to staying at the forefront of UX design.

Explore top UX courses, build your skills, and get yourself ready to become a part of the dynamic community that’s shaping the future of digital experiences.

Since you’re here…
Interested in a career in UX design? Rise to the top of the CV pile when you enroll in our UX Bootcamp—you’ll get a UX job or your tuition money back. Take a look at our student reviews and test out our free UX course to get a feel for our style and results. TL;DR: average starting salaries for our students = $85,440. Let’s do this.