Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between senior product designers and senior design engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a senior product designer and a senior design engineer. Additionally, a senior product designer has an average salary of $120,587, which is higher than the $104,698 average annual salary of a senior design engineer.
The top three skills for a senior product designer include sketch, user research and user experience. The most important skills for a senior design engineer are CAD, project management, and RF.
| Senior Product Designer | Senior Design Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $120,587 | $104,698 |
| Hourly rate | $57.97 | $50.34 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 121,037 | 127,035 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
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 senior design engineer is responsible for creating mechanical and electrical designs for machines and systems, following clients' specifications and business guidelines. Senior design engineers also assist junior design engineers with their tasks, sharing best practices and techniques, and suggesting adjustments as needed. They also oversee the manufacturing process, inspect possible inconsistencies, and revise plans without exceeding the agreed budget or compromising the quality. A senior design engineer must be keen with details and highly organizational, especially on meeting deadlines with the highest client satisfaction.
Senior product designers and senior design engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Product Designer | Senior Design Engineer | |
| Average salary | $120,587 | $104,698 |
| Salary range | Between $87,000 And $165,000 | Between $80,000 And $136,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Cupertino, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | ByteDance | |
| Best paying industry | Start-up | Technology |
There are a few differences between a senior product designer and a senior design engineer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Product Designer | Senior Design Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Carnegie Mellon University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between senior product designers' and senior design engineers' demographics:
| Senior Product Designer | Senior Design Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 81.4% Female, 18.6% | Male, 91.8% Female, 8.2% |
| 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, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 17.1% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |