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The differences between product designers and requirements engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a product designer and a requirements engineer. Additionally, a product designer has an average salary of $102,033, which is higher than the $87,170 average annual salary of a requirements engineer.
The top three skills for a product designer include sketch, visual design and UI. The most important skills for a requirements engineer are java, software development, and powerpoint.
| Product Designer | Requirements Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $102,033 | $87,170 |
| Hourly rate | $49.05 | $41.91 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 98,465 | 166,444 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 40 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A product designer's key responsibilities are to perform design research, selecting the best materials, and develop user storyboards for the client and users' best interest. Product designers usually work with a whole design team, documenting suggestions to deliver high-quality outputs or improve existing products to match the market trends. They must also communicate with other skilled professionals to enhance their ideas and consult clients for any necessary adjustments that would affect the total user experience. A product designer should also have extensive knowledge of the consumer's preference to make the design more appealing and engaging.
Requirements engineers are responsible for the analysis, documentation, coordination, and management of requirements regarding new software projects. They identify and understand the customer's project-specific demands and document them in a clear and binding way. Their duties and responsibilities also include preparing well-written and detailed documentation of the project and ensuring the project is designed and built within the legal parameters.
Product designers and requirements engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Product Designer | Requirements Engineer | |
| Average salary | $102,033 | $87,170 |
| Salary range | Between $68,000 And $152,000 | Between $62,000 And $120,000 |
| Highest paying City | Sacramento, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | Netflix | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a product designer and a requirements engineer in terms of educational background:
| Product Designer | Requirements Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Carnegie Mellon University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between product designers' and requirements engineers' demographics:
| Product Designer | Requirements Engineer | |
| Average age | 40 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 74.2% Female, 25.8% | Male, 64.5% Female, 35.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 1.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.3% Asian, 10.1% White, 76.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 4.6% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.3% Asian, 29.8% White, 52.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |