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The differences between product design managers and product managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 8-10 years to become both a product design manager and a product manager. Additionally, a product design manager has an average salary of $133,190, which is higher than the $111,729 average annual salary of a product manager.
The top three skills for a product design manager include product design, user research and sketch. The most important skills for a product manager are product management, QA, and product strategy.
| Product Design Manager | Product Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $133,190 | $111,729 |
| Hourly rate | $64.03 | $53.72 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 146,576 | 125,678 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 10 | 10 |
A product design manager typically works with engineers and specialists in the joint effort to develop high-quality standard products. As a product design manager, they are responsible for managing product design teams, understanding and identifying a project's needs, performing research and analysis, setting objectives and guidelines, liaising with external parties, and presenting prototypes for client approval. Moreover, as a manager, it is essential to lead and encourage staff to reach product goals while enforcing the company's policies and regulations.
A product manager is responsible for ensuring product development, providing the best marketing strategies, and effectively handling the sales and marketing team. Product managers' duties include monitoring the market trends and conditions, identifying business opportunities and plan initiatives, and collaborating the product launch process with the appropriate departments. A product manager is also responsible for generating ideas on improving product features, determining timetables and reasonable pricing, and analyzing product sales. A product manager must have excellent strategic and decision-making skills to contribute to its growth and profitability.
Product design managers and product managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Product Design Manager | Product Manager | |
| Average salary | $133,190 | $111,729 |
| Salary range | Between $91,000 And $193,000 | Between $81,000 And $152,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Retail |
There are a few differences between a product design manager and a product manager in terms of educational background:
| Product Design Manager | Product Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Business |
| Most common college | University of Wisconsin - Madison | University of Georgia |
Here are the differences between product design managers' and product managers' demographics:
| Product Design Manager | Product Manager | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 66.2% Female, 33.8% | Male, 65.3% Female, 34.7% |
| 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% |