The common UX designer’s wage hovers proper round $114,000 within the US. The low finish of the wage vary is round $84,000 and the highest vary is $160,000.
Many elements can impression precise salaries, like geographical location, {industry}, and basic market situations. One other issue is the talent set a UX designer brings to the desk. The extra distinctive the talents and experience, the extra in-demand a candidate shall be. Extremely certified candidates, even these within the early profession stage, command greater than common salaries.
Wait–Are UX Designer Salaries Going Down?
When you heard that UX designer salaries are happening–or that the profession selection is a dead-end today–don’t think about that info in a vacuum.
Many UX designer jobs as we speak are typically within the tech {industry}. There have been traditionally excessive lay-offs on this sector over the previous few years. This flooded the market with job seekers and put the ball firmly within the employer’s court docket.
Likewise, corporations usually have been tightening belts in response to the difficult financial surroundings. This impacts artistic businesses–one other supply for well-paying UX design jobs. Much less work means layoffs there, too.
This all coincided with a flood of latest expertise into the UX design pool. Plenty of these job seekers jumped in with restricted talent units.
These elements–mass tech layoffs, a troublesome economic system, and a flood of latest job seekers–mixed to make the UX design world a extra unstable and doubtlessly lower-paying area to get into. However is it?
Firms are nonetheless hiring for UX designer roles, and providing aggressive salaries which might be within the ranges famous above. It’s simply more durable to search out these unicorns. Once you do, it’s equally difficult to make your self heard by means of the noise of 1000’s of different candidates.
Whether or not you might be on the lookout for an entry-level position in ecommerce or one other space, to land a coveted UX designer position with an above common wage–or no less than get an interview–it’s good to stand out.
How To Max Out A UX Designer Wage Supply in 8 Steps
Getting observed today takes much more than brushing up your resume with key phrases within the hopes of getting previous the recruiting software program. When you’re aiming for an above-average wage as a junior UX designer, listed below are some methods to begin proper now.
1. Reverse engineer the specified UX design talent set
Lists like this are an excellent start line in your quest for the above-average paying UX design job, particularly if you’re simply beginning out. However the actual meat and potatoes is present in precise, reside job posts.
Discover the businesses promoting open, entry-level UX design roles with salaries above $95,000. Why so excessive? As a result of the businesses providing roles that cap out for lower than which might be sometimes on the lookout for a unique applicant and skillset than corporations providing the upper salaries for entry stage roles.
One tip. These adverts have a tendency to come back from the identical subset of corporations–these which might be in excessive cost-of-living areas and/or are UX mature. So begin your search in coastal areas like Seattle, San Jose, or New York, and search for corporations with recognizable names.
As soon as you discover these job posts, it’s time to work backwards. Scrutinize the talents and tasks listed. Maintain observe of this info in a spreadsheet or different doc. You need to have the ability to rapidly synthesize the information you acquire.
Your aim is to determine developments and recurring themes. Understanding this info will enable you body your present expertise to finest match these necessities. It’s going to additionally enable you pinpoint any gaps you might need. It is best to concentrate on closing these gaps earlier than sending out your resume for these jobs.
2. Perceive design idea and software
A number of years in the past the market was scorching and favored job seekers. Even these with little to no expertise and simply getting began on the profession ladder had an excellent probability of touchdown a high-paying UX design position. In these days, it was sufficient to know how you can use a easy design device and never way more.
In the present day that primary information isn’t sufficient to make it by means of the resume screening course of. You have to exhibit that you’ve got an understanding of the “why” behind good design. This doesn’t imply you want a university diploma in graphic design or info structure. You don’t (though it most likely doesn’t damage).
If you’re missing in a foundational information of design idea and software, there are certifications and programs that may assist spherical out your experience. The UX Certification program from Nielsen Norman Group is one. UX-focused organizations just like the Interactive Design Foundation additionally supply programs plus a community of native meet-ups and on-line boards to assist construct your skilled community.
You must also devour as a lot written info as you may. Books are an inexpensive funding and stay in your bookshelf as lifelong skilled sources. Some to think about embrace:
Don’t restrict your self to books, although.
There are a lot of nice {industry} blogs and publications, like UX Magazine, UXPA Magazine, Boxes and Arrows (now not lively however with an amazing archive), UX Movement, and extra. Some are free, some require membership, and others are paid subscriptions. All present invaluable info to UX designers, particularly these simply beginning out.
3. Keep on high of {industry} developments
UX design depends on tried-and-true ideas about consumer habits, however it’s equally tied to technological evolution. One of the best ways to remain on high of the newest developments is to plug into skilled teams, be a part of industry-specific communities, and comply with high UX designers. This places you forward of the curve when new developments and developments seem on the horizon.
A few of the finest skilled teams for UX designers embrace the User Experience Professionals Association (UXPA), AIGA: The Professional Association for Design, and the Interaction Design Foundation. All supply skilled growth sources and communities to hitch.
There are Discord channels and Reddit sub-groups devoted to UX design, too. Be a part of these to get recommendation from friends, find out about creating developments, and commerce {industry} information.
Following high UX design professionals is one other option to hold your finger on the heartbeat of the {industry}. Folks like David Dylan Thomas, Stephen Krug, and Irene Au are just some who repeatedly write about UX design and their observations concerning the subsequent step within the {industry}’s evolution.
4. Brush up your technical abilities
The deeper your technical information, the extra versatile you might be as a UX designer. Your versatility, together with different elements, helps catapult you to the highest of any interviewer’s brief checklist.
AI isn’t going away anytime quickly. No matter how you are feeling about it, understanding how you can leverage generative AI into your skillset is a brilliant transfer. Take a look at programs on LinkedIn Learning and different sources to get began.
Achieve a working information of the instruments UX designers have a tendency to make use of. You don’t need to get to pro-level standing with issues like AdobeHD, Figma, or Sketch, however some familiarity with instruments like that is important. The extra design instruments you perceive, the extra interesting you might be to a greater diversity of future employers.
Study primary coding abilities. You don’t need to turn out to be an internet developer, however you’ll probably must work with these professionals sooner or later in your design profession. Chances are you’ll by no means write a line of code in your life, however you should have the vocabulary and information to speak with builders throughout the product growth course of. Take a look at on-line studying platforms like Coursera and Udemy Academy, the place a mixture of free and paid programs may help you get began.
5. Don’t overlook about mushy abilities
A giant a part of your skilled success as a UX designer is your capability to interact with folks in a optimistic method. Designers put on many hats, from researcher to mission supervisor to advocate. Additionally they work with inner and exterior teams.
The flexibility to obviously talk is only one essential skill it’s good to achieve success. Downside fixing, management, collaboration, and significant pondering are additionally abilities you should grasp if you wish to land a high-paying job as a UX designer.
Chances are you’ll already be a pure on this space, but when not there’s excellent news. Mushy abilities will be discovered with apply. There are courses to offer you a foundational information. Then you may put that information into motion. Be a part of skilled organizations, volunteer, or get extra concerned in extracurricular actions at your present office or college.
Show your mushy abilities acumen to a potential employer, and also you’ll normally be moved to the highest of the brief checklist of candidates–with a wage that displays your capabilities.
6. Assume past the tech giants
The attract of touchdown a profitable job with Amazon, Meta, or Google is tough to withstand. However these roles are extraordinarily aggressive, and your possibilities of success are slim. And with increasingly more corporations shifting away from fully-remote work, it should normally require you to reside in a excessive price of dwelling space.
It pays to assume outdoors the field in your job search. When you’re not geographically constrained, think about trying in areas away from the coasts. A $96,000 annual wage goes a lot additional within the midwest than it does in Seattle or New York Metropolis.
If in case you have a background in a specialised area like healthcare, schooling, or legislation, you may parlay your experience into a distinct segment UX design position for corporations in that {industry}. Combining your design information with industry-specific experience is a combination not each UX designer brings to the desk. The extra distinctive your skillset, the upper a wage you command.
7. Get some expertise below your belt
When you’re a junior designer simply getting began, touchdown a high-paying job would possibly really feel unattainable. One option to overcome the impediment of being the brand new child on the block is to construct a portfolio that demonstrates your abilities.
The work you showcase can come from quite a lot of sources. The “the place” doesn’t matter almost as a lot because the “how” if you’re simply beginning out. You possibly can volunteer, share initiatives you accomplished in class, and create designs in your personal free time.
You possibly can even take a decrease paying UX design position to construct your portfolio and hone your abilities. Consider this as a stepping stone to your final aim.
The result is to have a physique of design work you may share together with your dream employer if you land the interview for that six-figure position.
8. Community, Community, Community
With 1000’s of purposes making use of for every job posting today, touchdown a job (and even an interview) by submitting your resume alone is fairly slim. Networking has at all times been the simplest option to uncover alternatives and stand out from the gang.
There are Slack communities dedicated to UX design, web sites like Dribbble the place you may have interaction with different designers and browse a job board, and even a User Experience LinkedIn group you may be a part of.
The purpose is to place your self on the market, develop skilled relationships, and get your work seen. It’s a tried-and-true option to land a brand new job, no matter {industry} you’re in.
