Are you interested in UX Design, but have no prior experience or an idea of where to start? You’ve come to the right place!
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The goal of a UX designer is to make digital products as user-friendly as possible. They apply UX research and user-centered design principles to ensure products are intuitive to navigate and use with minimal friction for target users. Here’s what to know about a UX designer’s salary, needed skills and how to become one.
UX designers are responsible for designing user-friendly products and services. By conducting user research and product testing, UX designers are able to create the most viable product for users that helps them solve problems.
UX designers perform a variety of tasks to ensure their organization’s website or mobile app is easy and enjoyable to use.
UX designers may also be known by titles such as interaction designer, product designer or service designer, but these roles all have similar responsibilities. UX designers that develop a speciality in a particular industry of field of study are UX subject matter experts.
UX designers typically work within product development or design teams. If a company has a department dedicated to UX research, they may be placed there too. UX designers collaborate closely with UX researchers, engineers and other product team members.
UX designers advocate for users by applying their user research findings to the design of various digital products. Without an empathic and thorough UX designer, companies will not be able to provide their users with products that meet their needs and wants.
There isn’t one prescribed way to become a UX designer, although many UX designers hold bachelor’s degrees in graphic design, software engineering, human-computer interaction or a related field.
Building a portfolio of work that focuses on user research and UX design is essential to breaking into a UX designer role. Utilizing opportunities like internships and volunteering to run projects for college groups, small businesses and non-profit organizations is a great way to start building a portfolio of work.
It’s common for UX designers to have come from graphic design and UX research backgrounds before beginning their journey as a designer. Many UX designers go on to become subject matter experts, product managers or director of user experience.
UX designers and related careers are expected to be in demand over the next several years. The U.S. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that digital designers — a role similar to UX design — will have a 23 percent growth rate through 2031.
The full compensation package for a UX designer depends on a variety of factors, including but not limited to the candidate’s experience and geographic location. See below for detailed information on the average UX designer salary.
Besides a four-year bachelor’s degree, aspiring UX designers must demonstrate essential skills by taking on projects and entry-level roles.
In most cases, UX designers begin their careers by earning a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field, such as graphic design, marketing, computer science or analytics. However, many UX designers will have earned a degree in psychology, English or another humanities field to develop their researching abilities before further honing their skills through a UX design bootcamp or course from the likes of Udemy and Udacity.
When entering into the UX field, professionals should expect to begin by applying for roles as a junior UX designer to gain one or two years of experience that will be necessary for taking on more detailed UX projects down the line and mastering basic design principles. Once designers prove themselves to be reliable workers, they can look forward to shedding the ‘junior’ label and earning more responsibilities as seasoned UX designers.
The field of UX design continues to grow, so UX designers in the U.S. can expect an average base salary of $91,654.
Due to the increasing value of UX design, Built In’s salary tool lists the average base salary of UX designers in the U.S. as $91,654. However, with an average of $6,186 in additional cash compensation, the average total compensation for U.S.-based UX designers grows to $97,840. Some junior-level UX designers may start out in the field earning $45K, but as experience grows, UX designers at the highest level can earn as much as $300K. Built In collects salary figures from responses submitted by anonymous UX designers in the United States, with salary data updated in real-time.
UX designers must master many technical concepts and a suite of digital tools that support UX activities to craft exceptional user experiences.
To design intuitive products, UX designers must know how to navigate various stages of the production process. Conducting user and target audience research, creating wireframes and prototypes, and understanding UI design are all critical skills. Most importantly, however, UX designers must ensure that the user’s objectives and needs remain top-of-mind at every production step. These abilities give UX designers the knowledge to develop intuitive products that continue to grow in importance in a distracted world.
Having experience with industry-standard design and research tools is also crucial for carrying out UX processes. UX designers should have a strong working knowledge of software like Sketch, InVision Studio, Adobe XD, Figma, Illustrator and other common technologies. Blending this knowledge with a flexible mindset and other soft skills will allow UX designers to become key contributors in guiding research-backed products to market.
Become a more well-rounded professional by learning in-demand UX and design skills through Udemy’s online courses.
Take the next major leap in your career by achieving UX and design certifications with Udacity.