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The differences between senior product designers and lead designers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a senior product designer, becoming a lead designer takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a senior product designer has an average salary of $120,587, which is higher than the $110,001 average annual salary of a lead designer.
The top three skills for a senior product designer include sketch, user research and user experience. The most important skills for a lead designer are sketch, user experience, and architecture.
| Senior Product Designer | Lead Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $120,587 | $110,001 |
| Hourly rate | $57.97 | $52.89 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 121,037 | 45,423 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 41 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 12 |
A senior product designer is responsible for coordinating with clients to identify their requirements and specifications for the development of new products and services that also comply with the company's regulations and functions. Senior product designers work with a whole project management team to identify opportunities that would generate more revenue resources by analyzing public demands on industry trends. They handle the allocation of materials and must be able to utilize digital tools and equipment to create content for brand awareness on different media platforms. A senior product designer reviews consumers' reviews to facilitate any adjustments with the product's features.
A lead designer is responsible for addressing the clients' needs of digital content and coordinating with the design team for the planning and innovation of the visual design and concept. Lead designers conduct the initial layout of frameworks and collaborate with the art staff for the specifications and outputs using various software applications and digital boards. They regularly update the client of the project's status, including adjustment and design recommendations, ensuring that the plan meets the client's budget goals. A lead designer must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially on running diagnostic tests to improve optimal performance.
Senior product designers and lead designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Product Designer | Lead Designer | |
| Average salary | $120,587 | $110,001 |
| Salary range | Between $87,000 And $165,000 | Between $78,000 And $154,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | ByteDance | Airbnb |
| Best paying industry | Start-up | Start-up |
There are a few differences between a senior product designer and a lead designer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Product Designer | Lead Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | Carnegie Mellon University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between senior product designers' and lead designers' demographics:
| Senior Product Designer | Lead Designer | |
| Average age | 41 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 81.4% Female, 18.6% | Male, 73.2% Female, 26.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 10.3% White, 72.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | 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 | 5% | 13% |