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The differences between program developers and user experience designers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-8 years to become a program developer, becoming a user experience designer takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a user experience designer has an average salary of $91,159, which is higher than the $74,749 average annual salary of a program developer.
The top three skills for a program developer include development programs, community outreach and project management. The most important skills for a user experience designer are sketch, UI, and user research.
| Program Developer | User Experience Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $74,749 | $91,159 |
| Hourly rate | $35.94 | $43.83 |
| Growth rate | -7% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 128,488 | 52,582 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Average age | 47 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 8 | 12 |
A software developer is mostly responsible for the development, implementation, and design of new or modified software products or current business projects. They typically work within the IT department of a company and will be involved in coordinating with the business analysts and development managers to guarantee software projects meet standard requirements. They do complex tasks from testing to evaluating new program design, modification of existing programs, and subsequently developing these modifications. In addition, deploying software tools, maintaining and upgrading existing systems are also part of their responsibilities.
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.
Program developers and user experience designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Program Developer | User Experience Designer | |
| Average salary | $74,749 | $91,159 |
| Salary range | Between $47,000 And $118,000 | Between $65,000 And $127,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Bruno, CA |
| Highest paying state | Oregon | Washington |
| Best paying company | Western Digital | BitGo |
| Best paying industry | - | Start-up |
There are a few differences between a program developer and a user experience designer in terms of educational background:
| Program Developer | User Experience Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Most common major | Business | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between program developers' and user experience designers' demographics:
| Program Developer | User Experience Designer | |
| Average age | 47 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 42.6% Female, 57.4% | Male, 59.6% Female, 40.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 5.0% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 15.0% White, 66.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | 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 | 11% | 13% |