Post job

What does a director of user experience do?

Updated January 8, 2025
8 min read

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.

On this page

Director of user experience responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real director of user experience resumes:

  • Manage front-end developers as UI design is implemented; rework and refine usability throughout product development.
  • Design and develop custom WordPress themes for clients using PHP, MySQL, HTML, and CSS.
  • Use HTML, CSS, PHP and JavaScript knowledge to fine tune layout, functionality, micro-interactions and development.
  • Supervise social media campaigns to grow Facebook fan base.
  • Launch the CFO's performance dashboard - inclusive of critical-to-quality KPIs.
  • Support the business development team's efforts by quickly prototyping product concepts.
  • Analyze industry trends and establish KPIs for new mobile and tablet initiatives.
  • Develop well-? execute social media strategies and plans as a conversion tactic that drives brand/client ROI.
  • Book advertising on industry web sites, as well as developed targeting and deployment of Facebook ads.
  • Establish digital standards for the firm and overhaul reporting to focus on ROI and align with strategic imperatives of the business.
  • Deliver all UI wire-frames necessary to communicate the user-interaction model.
  • Recruit to assimilate newly acquire UX company personnel into over-all engineering teams.
  • Provide marketing automation expertise to clients with the use of Marketo and Salesforce implementations.
  • Span UX designers effectively across multiple sprint teams resulting in timely delivery and communication of all design needs.
  • Direct the identification and development of reporting and analytics packages measuring sales and marketing outcomes against state business goals and metrics.

Director of user experience skills and personality traits

We calculated that 9% of Directors Of User Experience are proficient in User Experience, Sketch, and Human Centered Design. They’re also known for soft skills such as Organizational skills, Analytical skills, and Communication skills.

We break down the percentage of Directors Of User Experience that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • User Experience, 9%

    Conducted extensive user experience research, including early exploratory field research and low to medium fidelity prototype testing.

  • Sketch, 8%

    Established continuity across sketch, design and implementation phases through constructing style guides.

  • Human Centered Design, 7%

    Served as corporate liaison for the University of WA Human Centered Design & Engineering (HCDE) dept.

  • UI, 6%

    Directed creative design team in producing graphics for TV UI, hardware industrial design including remote control, set-top-box.

  • User Research, 5%

    Performed user research and examined current implementations.

  • Customer Service, 4%

    Unified the delivery of customer service across Chicago Cubs functions to increase customer satisfaction metrics across-the-board and advance business strategy.

Most directors of user experience use their skills in "user experience," "sketch," and "human centered design" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential director of user experience responsibilities here:

Organizational skills. One of the key soft skills for a director of user experience to have is organizational skills. You can see how this relates to what directors of user experience do because "advertising, promotions, and marketing managers must manage their time and budget efficiently while directing and motivating staff members." Additionally, a director of user experience resume shows how directors of user experience use organizational skills: "developed and implemented ux practice managed multidisciplinary creative teams developed and implemented creative organizational structures and competency models"

Analytical skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling director of user experience duties is analytical skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "advertising, promotions, and marketing managers must be able to analyze industry trends to determine the most promising strategies for their organization." According to a director of user experience resume, here's how directors of user experience can utilize analytical skills in their job responsibilities: "perform in-depth quantitative/qualitative analysis/testing to improve engagement, conversion and the customer experience utilizing varied techniques such as a/b testing. "

Communication skills. directors of user experience are also known for communication skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to director of user experience responsibilities, because "managers must be able to communicate effectively with a broad-based team made up of other managers or staff members during the advertising, promotions, and marketing process." A director of user experience resume example shows how communication skills is used in the workplace: "mentored pms and consultants on project management, client management, and communication. "

Creativity. director of user experience responsibilities often require "creativity." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "advertising, promotions, and marketing managers must be able to generate new and imaginative ideas." This resume example shows what directors of user experience do with creativity on a typical day: "collaborated with creative, business and technical teams to define project requirements, success metrics and overall user experience. "

All director of user experience skills

Choose from 10+ customizable director of user experience resume templates

Build a professional director of user experience resume in minutes. Our AI resume writing assistant will guide you through every step of the process, and you can choose from 10+ resume templates to create your director of user experience resume.
Director Of User Experience Resume
Director Of User Experience Resume
Director Of User Experience Resume
Director Of User Experience Resume
Director Of User Experience Resume
Director Of User Experience Resume
Director Of User Experience Resume
Director Of User Experience Resume
Director Of User Experience Resume
Director Of User Experience Resume
Director Of User Experience Resume
Director Of User Experience Resume
Director Of User Experience Resume
Director Of User Experience Resume
Director Of User Experience Resume
Director Of User Experience Resume

Compare different directors of user experience

Director of user experience vs. Sales and marketing manager

Marketing managers are experts in marketing a product or business. They take charge of a lot of responsibilities in the business. These include the integration of budgets and estimates for marketing campaigns, involvement in negotiations, and collaboration with advertising agencies. It is their job to research and develop marketing opportunities. They perform managerial duties in line with the company's operational goals. Also, they plan and implement new plans for the sales of the company.

The annual salary of sales and marketing managers is $51,779 lower than the average salary of directors of user experience.While the two careers have a salary gap, they share some of the same responsibilities. Employees in both director of user experience and sales and marketing manager positions are skilled in customer service, digital marketing, and product development.

There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, director of user experience responsibilities require skills like "user experience," "sketch," "human centered design," and "ui." Meanwhile a typical sales and marketing manager has skills in areas such as "sales process," "sales growth," "trade shows," and "sales strategies." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.

Sales and marketing managers tend to make the most money working in the technology industry, where they earn an average salary of $89,761. In contrast, directors of user experience make the biggest average salary, $129,811, in the technology industry.sales and marketing managers tend to reach similar levels of education than directors of user experience. In fact, sales and marketing managers are 4.2% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 2.0% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.

Director of user experience vs. Marketing manager

Marketing managers are experienced employees who oversee the marketing department of the organization. They manage activities such as marketing campaigns, social media postings, company branding, and other strategic marketing activities. They provide strategic direction and come up with departmental goals. They also provide proper training for employees in the department to ensure that they have a deep understanding of its marketing tools. Marketing managers should be creative, should have good interpersonal skills, and should be flexible.

Marketing manager positions earn lower pay than director of user experience roles. They earn a $29,182 lower salary than directors of user experience per year.While the salary may differ for these jobs, they share a few skills needed to perform their duties. Based on resume data, both directors of user experience and marketing managers have skills such as "customer service," "digital marketing," and "project management. "

In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, director of user experience responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "user experience," "sketch," "human centered design," and "ui." Meanwhile, a marketing manager has duties that require skills in areas such as "marketing campaigns," "b2b marketing," "powerpoint," and "email campaigns." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.

On average, marketing managers earn a lower salary than directors of user experience. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, marketing managers earn the most pay in the technology industry with an average salary of $115,553. Whereas directors of user experience have higher pay in the technology industry, with an average salary of $129,811.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Marketing managers tend to reach similar levels of education than directors of user experience. In fact, they're 2.4% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 2.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Director of user experience vs. Social media manager

Social media managers are responsible for representing the company's business through social media channels. They help the company grow by enhancing its presence via social networks. Primarily, they need to implement marketing plans and identify their target clients and create a content schedule. Their duties include implementing and strategizing digital marketing campaigns. They support the development of brand identity and promotional strategies. Candidates for the job must be excellent in communication skills, have in-depth knowledge of how social platforms work, and easily understand the target audience.

On average scale, social media managers bring in lower salaries than directors of user experience. In fact, they earn a $63,445 lower salary per year.directors of user experience and social media managers both have job responsibilities that require similar skill sets. These similarities include skills such as "customer service," "digital marketing," and "b testing," but they differ when it comes to other required skills.

Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from director of user experience resumes include skills like "user experience," "sketch," "human centered design," and "ui," whereas a social media manager is more likely to list skills in "instagram," "twitter," "social media marketing," and "facebook insights. "

Social media managers earn the highest salary when working in the technology industry, where they receive an average salary of $82,546. Comparatively, directors of user experience have the highest earning potential in the technology industry, with an average salary of $129,811.social media managers typically earn lower educational levels compared to directors of user experience. Specifically, they're 8.1% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 2.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Director of user experience vs. Business development manager

A business development manager's duties include identifying business opportunities, developing effective models and strategies to improve business performance, searching for potential clients to generate income and attract partnerships. A business development manager must have extensive knowledge of the market trends and adjust strategies as needed to meet the needs of the client. Excellent communication, decision-making, critical thinking, and leadership skills are just some of the key factors that business development managers should possess to communicate and negotiate with the clients.

Business development managers average a lower salary than the annual salary of directors of user experience. The difference is about $32,963 per year.According to resumes from directors of user experience and business development managers, some of the skills necessary to complete the responsibilities of each role are similar. These skills include "customer service," "project management," and "product development. "While some skills are required in each professionacirc;euro;trade;s responsibilities, there are some differences to note. "user experience," "sketch," "human centered design," and "ui" are skills that commonly show up on director of user experience resumes. On the other hand, business development managers use skills like healthcare, business relationships, customer relationships, and bdm on their resumes.business development managers enjoy the best pay in the finance industry, with an average salary of $103,515. For comparison, directors of user experience earn the highest salary in the technology industry.business development managers reach similar levels of education compared to directors of user experience, in general. The difference is that they're 1.3% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 1.5% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of director of user experience

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Browse executive management jobs