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The differences between lead user experience designers and senior designers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a lead user experience designer and a senior designer. Additionally, a lead user experience designer has an average salary of $115,214, which is higher than the $102,058 average annual salary of a senior designer.
The top three skills for a lead user experience designer include sketch, user experience and UI. The most important skills for a senior designer are sketch, graphic design, and human centered design.
| Lead User Experience Designer | Senior Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $115,214 | $102,058 |
| Hourly rate | $55.39 | $49.07 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 53,712 | 47,503 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 1 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
Lead User Experience Designers are responsible for providing strategy and direction in designing a user's experience for a digital product or service. They work with cross-functional teams such as user researchers, product design teams, and project managers to deliver a specified timeline. Their duties include developing information architecture, designing wireframes, prototyping, creating content, and performing usability testing of system interaction. Lead user experience designers must know Adobe Suites and specialist wireframing and prototyping design tools such as Axure, Marvel, Invision to translate the design to product. They also liaise with clients regularly to ensure the design meets the business goal.
Senior designers are typically in charge of realizing design solutions that adhere to the business goals and marketing strategies of an organization. They should be comfortable managing graphics designers and making decisions. They must have extensive knowledge of styles, layout techniques, and graphic design while also managing projects and people effectively. Senior designers have a variety of duties, which include delegating tasks to junior designers, maintaining high-quality standards, and collaborating to improve digital creativity standards.
Lead user experience designers and senior designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Lead User Experience Designer | Senior Designer | |
| Average salary | $115,214 | $102,058 |
| Salary range | Between $83,000 And $158,000 | Between $72,000 And $143,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | Airbnb | Lyft |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Media |
There are a few differences between a lead user experience designer and a senior designer in terms of educational background:
| Lead User Experience Designer | Senior Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between lead user experience designers' and senior designers' demographics:
| Lead User Experience Designer | Senior Designer | |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 74.5% Female, 25.5% | Male, 71.0% Female, 29.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.4% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.6% Asian, 10.4% White, 70.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 3.4% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.6% Asian, 10.4% White, 70.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 13% | 13% |