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The differences between senior user experience designers and lead designers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a senior user experience designer and a lead designer. Additionally, a senior user experience designer has an average salary of $111,933, which is higher than the $110,001 average annual salary of a lead designer.
The top three skills for a senior user experience designer include sketch, user experience and user research. The most important skills for a lead designer are sketch, user experience, and architecture.
| Senior User Experience Designer | Lead Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $111,933 | $110,001 |
| Hourly rate | $53.81 | $52.89 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 52,582 | 45,423 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
A Senior User Experience Designer is responsible for creating a friendly and intuitive user experience architecture. They collaborate with designers, product managers, and product engineers.
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 user experience designers and lead designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior User Experience Designer | Lead Designer | |
| Average salary | $111,933 | $110,001 |
| Salary range | Between $81,000 And $153,000 | Between $78,000 And $154,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | Netflix | Airbnb |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Start-up |
There are a few differences between a senior user experience designer and a lead designer in terms of educational background:
| Senior User Experience Designer | Lead Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between senior user experience designers' and lead designers' demographics:
| Senior User Experience Designer | Lead Designer | |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 72.5% Female, 27.5% | Male, 73.2% Female, 26.8% |
| Race ratio | 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% | 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 | 13% | 13% |