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The differences between operating system designers and user experience designers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both an operating system designer and a user experience designer. Additionally, a user experience designer has an average salary of $91,159, which is higher than the $58,414 average annual salary of an operating system designer.
The top three skills for an operating system designer include co-op, CAD and facebook. The most important skills for a user experience designer are sketch, UI, and user research.
| Operating System Designer | User Experience Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $58,414 | $91,159 |
| Hourly rate | $28.08 | $43.83 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 68,084 | 52,582 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
OS Designers are responsible for creating and developing customized operating systems geared to cater to a specific task type. These tasks may range from business management to medical-related applications to government and military defense systems. An operating system is the foundation and soul of any computer-based program, so OS designers apply computer science and analysis to develop these operating systems for efficiency and functionality. A typical OS Designer earns an average of $47,865 per year.
A User Experience (UX) designer is an individual who measures and optimizes applications to improve the experience of end-users. His/Her or her duties and responsibilities include considering a design's human-computer interaction element, defining interaction models, and working with creative directors and designers. The key skills for UX designers include strong mathematical and problem-solving skills and excellent information technology and programming skills. Having a bachelor's degree in a design or computing-related subject is an advantage to qualify for the UX designer position.
Operating system designers and user experience designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Operating System Designer | User Experience Designer | |
| Average salary | $58,414 | $91,159 |
| Salary range | Between $34,000 And $98,000 | Between $65,000 And $127,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | San Bruno, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | Washington |
| Best paying company | - | BitGo |
| Best paying industry | - | Start-up |
There are a few differences between an operating system designer and a user experience designer in terms of educational background:
| Operating System Designer | User Experience Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | Carnegie Mellon University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between operating system designers' and user experience designers' demographics:
| Operating System Designer | User Experience Designer | |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 72.9% Female, 27.1% | Male, 59.6% Female, 40.4% |
| 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% |