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The differences between directors of user experience and planning directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 8-10 years to become both a director of user experience and a planning director. Additionally, a director of user experience has an average salary of $133,732, which is higher than the $131,978 average annual salary of a planning director.
The top three skills for a director of user experience include user experience, sketch and human centered design. The most important skills for a planning director are project management, financial analysis, and business planning.
| Director Of User Experience | Planning Director | |
| Yearly salary | $133,732 | $131,978 |
| Hourly rate | $64.29 | $63.45 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 43,631 | 51,861 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 10 | 10 |
A user experience director is responsible for evaluating and studying reports of the users' experience regarding the organizations' products and services. User experience directors facilitate surveys and address the users' concerns by reviewing the operational processes and procedures, ensuring that the team provides the best user experience and customer satisfaction. They also coordinate with the clients for progress updates, as well as informing them of adjustments as needed to improve the outputs. A user experience director must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially on analyzing the current industry trends to meet client demands and public interests.
Planning Directors are members of the executive team or the top management of a company. They oversee the company's plans and the strategies involved in reaching company goals. They manage the resources of the company by reviewing the budget and by overseeing human resources activities. They ensure that the company works toward its goals and that the company follows through with its plans. That being said, Planning Directors do not necessarily police the company's actions, especially if it deviates from the original plans. Instead, they steer the company towards the fulfillment of such plans. If the plan is no longer viable, they should be flexible enough to pursue new plans to achieve their goals still.
Directors of user experience and planning directors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Director Of User Experience | Planning Director | |
| Average salary | $133,732 | $131,978 |
| Salary range | Between $88,000 And $201,000 | Between $90,000 And $192,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Rhode Island | New York |
| Best paying company | Roku | Exelixis |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Professional |
There are a few differences between a director of user experience and a planning director in terms of educational background:
| Director Of User Experience | Planning Director | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Business |
| Most common college | University of Wisconsin - Madison | University of Georgia |
Here are the differences between directors of user experience' and planning directors' demographics:
| Director Of User Experience | Planning Director | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 69.7% Female, 30.3% | Male, 66.7% Female, 33.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 74.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 3.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 74.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |