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Job outlook for senior user experience designers in the United States
Senior user experience designer job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected senior user experience designer job growth rate is 3% from 2018-2028.
About 6,800 new jobs for senior user experience designers are projected over the next decade.
Senior user experience designer salaries have increased 12% for senior user experience designers in the last 5 years.
There are over 7,883 senior user experience designers currently employed in the United States.
There are 52,582 active senior user experience designer job openings in the US.
The average senior user experience designer salary is $111,933.
Are senior user experience designer jobs in demand?
Senior User Experience Designer job and salary trends over time
Senior User Experience Designer jobs over time
Senior User Experience Designer job growth rate over time
| Year | # Of Jobs | % Of Population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 7,883 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 7,777 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 8,305 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 8,907 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 8,774 | 0.00% |
Average senior user experience designer salary over time
Senior User Experience Designer salary by year
| Year | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $111,933 | $53.81 | +2.4% |
| 2024 | $109,270 | $52.53 | +3.5% |
| 2023 | $105,621 | $50.78 | +3.4% |
| 2022 | $102,120 | $49.10 | +2.2% |
| 2021 | $99,897 | $48.03 | +1.6% |
Senior User Experience Designer jobs by state
Most common states for senior user experience designers
| Rank | State | Population | # of Jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 272 | 39% |
| 2 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 1,063 | 14% |
| 3 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 800 | 12% |
| 4 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 512 | 12% |
| 5 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 833 | 10% |
| 6 | California | 39,536,653 | 3,618 | 9% |
| 7 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 266 | 9% |
| 8 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 116 | 9% |
| 9 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 96 | 9% |
| 10 | Vermont | 623,657 | 54 | 9% |
| 11 | New York | 19,849,399 | 1,514 | 8% |
| 12 | Georgia | 10,429,379 | 870 | 8% |
| 13 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 464 | 8% |
| 14 | Illinois | 12,802,023 | 907 | 7% |
| 15 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 427 | 7% |
| 16 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 415 | 7% |
| 17 | Wisconsin | 5,795,483 | 379 | 7% |
| 18 | Delaware | 961,939 | 66 | 7% |
| 19 | Pennsylvania | 12,805,537 | 788 | 6% |
| 20 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 204 | 6% |
Most common cities for senior user experience designers
| Rank | City | # of Jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Annapolis | 13 | 33% | $97,976 |
| 2 | Dover | 10 | 26% | $91,528 |
| 3 | Lansing | 12 | 10% | $90,299 |
| 4 | Hartford | 10 | 8% | $101,597 |
| 5 | Springfield | 9 | 8% | $89,733 |
| 6 | Tallahassee | 14 | 7% | $86,292 |
| 7 | Boston | 31 | 5% | $116,790 |
| 8 | Atlanta | 24 | 5% | $86,097 |
| 9 | Baton Rouge | 11 | 5% | $81,430 |
| 10 | Des Moines | 10 | 5% | $81,288 |
| 11 | Little Rock | 9 | 5% | $82,785 |
| 12 | Indianapolis | 15 | 2% | $78,708 |
| 13 | Washington | 14 | 2% | $112,868 |
| 14 | Denver | 13 | 2% | $92,367 |
| 15 | Sacramento | 12 | 2% | $148,156 |
| 16 | Chicago | 20 | 1% | $92,097 |
| 17 | Phoenix | 14 | 1% | $101,481 |
| 18 | Los Angeles | 9 | 0% | $135,868 |
Senior User Experience Designer job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of senior user experience designer experts
Arcadia University
Memphis College of Art
Boise State University
Pennsylvania College of Technology
University of Akron
Louisiana State University at Shreveport
Arkansas State University
The Illinois Institute of Art-Schaumburg
Merrimack College
Louisiana Tech University
San Francisco State University
Columbia University in the City of New York
New York Institute of Technology
Texas Christian University
Foothill College
University Of Nevada, Las Vegas
University of Northern Iowa
Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology
What Senior User Experience Designer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Tiffany Prater: Never stop learning because life never stops teaching. This quote by Kirill Korshikov rings true for new designers, who must know the latest trends and tools to be uniquely creative, improve their skills, and land a better design job. Knowledge and inspiration can come from anywhere and everywhere in our daily lives.
What general advice would you give to a Senior User Experience Designer?
Christian Patchell: There is a ton of opportunity and burgeoning markets opening up every day. We discuss this in my classes. The landscape of the arts changes at a faster pace than ever, but change doesn’t happen in a vacuum. With each new evolution there comes new opportunities. For example, many of my students find themselves interested in UX/UI. This is an area with a lot of opportunity for a new Designer but only if there is a passion for the Market. Even though this is a field first identified in the early 90s, I’d say that in the last decade or so it really has hit the Design World hard. This doesn’t mean that designing for print has to take a back seat. Print is more popular than ever in terms of designing and creating objects (books, packaging, etc.) that many of us refer to as art objects, interactive objects, or objects of influence. Telling a good story through the design of an object is pushing Graphic Design into wonderful areas and is really starting to connect with audiences on entirely new levels. Don’t let the articles listing the “Top 10 Majors at Universities” or the “25 Most Popular Jobs” fool you, Art and Design are more relevant and more important than ever before.
What Senior User Experience Designer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Christian Patchell: A Graphic Designer will do a number of things every day. Often, there may be a beginning of the week meeting, this could be a team meeting or a one-on-one with the Art Director, Art Manager, or Senior Designer. So many of my students are finding remote employment, that makes these meetings (via Zoom or Skype) even more important. Also, there is now an added importance to Designers being good communicators, not just to other creative individuals but to additional areas outside of Design, such as Marketing, Sales, etc. Designers need to be able to speak to and/or hear input from various areas as they move through designing for a brief. Usually these meetings will sum up the week behind and the week ahead. A good Director will also be able to see where a team member might need assistance to finish something or is awaiting approval. When I worked in the Greeting Card industry these meetings not only mapped out the weeks’ worth of card design but also determined the larger picture such as planning a line of cards or an ad campaign. As a Designer, it was useful to see the smaller picture and the bigger picture as we moved forward as a team. A day to day an entry level Designer may be asked to assist in many areas with different skill sets for each. They could be proofing copy, laying out text, correcting bad links on a site or app. as well as designing an entire project from the ground up. It all depends on their area of expertise or the market in which they find themselves. My advice to those starting in Graphic Design is to “have many legs under the table of their career,” meaning: it’s a good idea to know a lot about multiple aspects of the Design Market. This is especially helpful for someone starting out, as it keeps many avenues open on the journey ahead as well as allowing for changes in the market or technology that may redirect one’s trajectory.
What will help Senior User Experience Designers increase their earning potential?
Christian Patchell: Oddly, what most people like and dislike are the same thing. Designers many times stand at a starting point, the line where technology and art merge into something beautiful and engaging. We are early adopters, curious where the digital and traditional merge into something new or different. Making something “new” and “different” over and over again can be a difficult climb. But if you are someone with a wealth of ideas and likes to solve problems creatively, the challenge of Graphic Design may be right for you. The other side of that coin is technology. A Graphic Designer needs to stay current on emerging technologies while maintaining an eye on trends and changes in the culture. While in school it is quite easy to stay up to date on programs that are the industry standards (Adobe Publishing Suite, Figma, etc.) it can be more difficult to do this once you have graduated. As a teaching professional I try to keep my skill set current on an annual basis (sometimes shorter) so I can be of service to my students and relevant in my field. As a Graphic Designer if you do your job right, no one may really see it. However, if you do it wrong in even the slightest way, everyone might see it. At the end of the day though there is nothing quite like seeing your design out in the wild. Whether part of a team or as an individual, a Graphic Designer is given an opportunity to share their work, their art, with an extremely large audience and instigate change while creating something personal and telling a good story. That feeling of accomplishment, for me at least, outweighs any cons there might be in this creative field.
What will help Senior User Experience Designers increase their earning potential?
Lucas Charles: In the ever-changing field of graphic design, adaptability, digital fluency, and understanding user experience are becoming more crucial. Embracing new and emerging technologies, prioritizing empathy, and fostering a mindset of lifelong learning are paramount for success.
What general advice would you give to a Senior User Experience Designer?
Kristin Snopkowski: Within a degree in Anthropology, there are a wide variety of career opportunities. This can be both a benefit and a challenge - it allows you to pursue many different careers and if you find you don't like one particular job, there are a lot of other areas of employment that you would be qualified for, but at the same time, it makes it harder to decide which employment opportunities to pursue. Further, the onus is on you to explain how your anthropology degree prepares you for a particular job, given that many people do not know or understand the skills gained with a degree in anthropology.
What Senior User Experience Designer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Kristin Snopkowski: We know that the world is becoming more data driven, so developing skills in quantitative and qualitative methods will likely give you an advantage when it comes to applying for jobs. Anthropologists have always been good at qualitative methodologies and combining it with quantitative methods makes you a particularly attractive applicant. The recent AI revolution also means that key skills like critical thinking, oral and written communication, and teamwork are going to be some of the most important skills that cannot be replaced by an AI bot.
What will help Senior User Experience Designers increase their earning potential?
Kristin Snopkowski: There are some areas of anthropology that have better monetary compensation than others. The field of User Experience is a particularly high paying area for anthropology majors, which utilizes qualitative methods to help companies develop products and services that better respond to human needs. Within archaeology, many students opt to pursue a master's degree to maximize their compensation and gain advancement opportunities.
What Senior User Experience Designer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Kathryn Anderson: A Graphic Designer’s work-life is rather sedentary and repetitive. However, any astute employer will encourage a bit of exercise and play throughout the course of the day to keep their team focused and happy. Other downsides might be: fast deadlines or short turn-arounds, insufficient communication from a client, and mandatory overtime hours. Mostly, the benefits out-weight the negatives. In today’s virtual world, more designers can and do work remotely or in hybrid environments—which is a plus for those who have child-care or other familial responsibilities.
What will help Senior User Experience Designers increase their earning potential?
Kathryn Anderson: With the advent of AI, graphic designers must be valued for their technical and critical thinking skills. Graphic Designers of today provide more than just what the client wants or envisions, but rather a uniquely hyper-focused solution that can stand the test of time because of the insightful research and intense amount of processing and editing that is embedded in the design.
What general advice would you give to a Senior User Experience Designer?
David Flynn: Everything that you see has been touched by a designer. The field is expanding with technology, but basic communication design principals remain paramount. It doesn’t matter if it’s a newspaper ad or a social post, you must have a professional that knows how to communicate a message, move the viewer's eye, and make the point. Designers work in every company and in every industry, worldwide.
What will help Senior User Experience Designers increase their earning potential?
Allen Garcie MFA: On the technical side, software is always evolving so skills related to this are always important. However, I think keeping up with advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) is going to be most important for designers over the next 3 to 5 years. This is an area that's already changing the design field as companies like Adobe and others continue to integrate AI into their software. On the other hand, being a designer isn't all about developing technology-related skills though. I also think developing non-technical skills like creativity, collaboration, and adaptability are extremely important for any designer.
What will help Senior User Experience Designers increase their earning potential?
Jason Bronner: With an increasing number of tools including Artificial Intelligence, interpersonal skills will grow in importance for designers. Connecting with the client is already integral and will remain so.
What will help Senior User Experience Designers increase their earning potential?
Nikki Arnell MFA: People like that being a graphic designer allows them to be creative for a living, with regular pay and benefits. However, the constant revisions and critiques on creative work can be challenging, and designers must learn to balance their artistic vision with client feedback and project objectives.
What general advice would you give to a Senior User Experience Designer?
Nikki Arnell MFA: Generally, a graphic designer is a visual problem-solver and liaison between client and consumer. They spend most of their day creating designs, attending meetings, and organizing and communicating with team members. Each day is dynamic and exciting in the graphic design field.
Eric Benson
Associate Professor and Chair of Graphic Design and Design for Responsible InnovationThe Illinois Institute of Art-Schaumburg
Graphic Communications
What general advice would you give to a Senior User Experience Designer?
Eric Benson: You have to work your way up to maximize your potential. However, to begin, take a look at the salary guides for the cities you want to live in, so you have an idea of the possibilities. The more technology and skills you know/have, the more money could come your way.
What Senior User Experience Designer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Eric Benson: Take advantage of your network you created and already exists at your University/college. Your friends and faculty know people, so ask them for help connecting with others in your area of graphic design interest. In addition, be humble, but confident in yourself. Be nice to everyone and open to new conversations and opportunities you weren't planning on.
What will help Senior User Experience Designers increase their earning potential?
Eric Benson: As I'm answering this now, I'd have to acknowledge that AI tools will become more prevalent in graphic design. We should explore them in order to take ownership of them, so we don't lose our relevancy. In addition, sustainability within the field will continue to grow and be increasingly more important to have a knowledgebase in.
What general advice would you give to a Senior User Experience Designer?
Nancy Wynn: The foundational knowledge of Design is constant, but the technology changes at a fast-pace-one can love or hate that aspect. Additionally, some people love and hate aspects of working in the business environment. Since Design is interdisciplinary, it is best to approach the profession understanding that one needs to learn many things well, which requires continued learning and research; you need to embrace collaboration; and you need to learn how to articulate your ideas in writing and orally to small and large groups of people.
What will help Senior User Experience Designers increase their earning potential?
Nancy Wynn: There are many different ways to intersect the creative field of graphic design or Design. You can enter utilizing production skills centered on working with an Art Director-you produce their designs with various handwork and software platforms. If you enter as a junior graphic designer-you collaborate with an Art Director and brainstorm concepts / designs for projects. You may intersect working in the service industry where you help customers produce their designs. Day-to-day tasks can be specific if you work at a very large company, or more comprehensive if you work at a smaller agency. They can range from meetings with Art Directors or marketing people; collaboration with fellow designers or other team members based on the project components; brainstorming, research, and ideation for projects; learning new technology by producing designs and client presentations; meetings with focus groups or testing of projects; and finally debrief sessions on projects results.
Tom Futrell
Associate ProfessorLouisiana Tech University
Design And Applied Arts
What will help Senior User Experience Designers increase their earning potential?
Tom Futrell: Building a killer portfolio is the baseline for students entering the design field. However, to boost earning potential, designers must go beyond the basics and set themselves apart from their competition. This may involve showcasing additional interests and skills, emphasizing design systems thinking, or excelling in presentation abilities. Successful designers won't settle for mastering software alone or consider themselves artists - they will be dedicated problem solvers and visual communicators, capable of connecting diverse ideas with diverse audiences.
What Senior User Experience Designer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Tom Futrell: I firmly believe that the most successful designers will have the skills to navigate various devices and platforms. In our interconnected world, designers who can create experiences across print, digital, social, and emerging technologies for culturally diverse audiences will always be desirable.
What will help Senior User Experience Designers increase their earning potential?
Saskia Van Kampen: This question is impossible for me to answer as what one likes or dislikes about graphic design will be very individual.
Pilar Newton
Program Director of Electronic Design and Multimedia programColumbia University in the City of New York
Fine And Studio Arts
What Senior User Experience Designer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Pilar Newton: Look into what industry you are interested in pursuing and research what the salary range is for positions that you are interested in especially entry level.
Research what studios are looking for. Even if a studio is not hiring reach out to them to set up informational interviews with studios that you are interested in. Often studio art directors will generously spend time on the phone, zoom or even an in person meeting to talk to you and tell you what the studio is looking for in potential artists that work for them.
Keep sharp! Keep practicing and staying on time of the latest versions of software and keep building your skills.
What Senior User Experience Designer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Michael Hosenfeld: Technical skills and life-long learning are critical to job safety and advancement. Visual design and functionality of the product are equally important. But salaries in technology-driven environments are higher in the average. The ability to actually execute an idea to become a successful product including various digital media formats is highly valued. Design is as much inspired by technology, as it depends on it.
What will help Senior User Experience Designers increase their earning potential?
Michael Hosenfeld: The ability to actually execute an idea to become a successful product including various digital media formats is highly valued. Design is as much inspired by technology, as it depends on it.
Jan Ballard
Senior InstructorTexas Christian University
Design And Applied Arts
What general advice would you give to a Senior User Experience Designer?
Jan Ballard: Entry-level design students can leverage industry data like AIGA to start their careers with competitive salaries for effective job searching. Our alumni network provides valuable insights into market trends from high-profile employers.
Carolyn Brown
ProfessorFoothill College
Graphic Communications
What general advice would you give to a Senior User Experience Designer?
Carolyn Brown: If you are looking to be hired by a creative agency or a creative department in a large company, invest your time in preparing a strong portfolio that aligns with the kind of projects you want to work on, and apply to agencies that do those kinds of projects. If you want to start your own business, or freelance for a variety of clients, preparing a portfolio that shows the range of projects you are capable of delivering.
What Senior User Experience Designer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Carolyn Brown: A great way to maximize your salary potential is to start with an internship with a large tech company and be impressive enough to get invited to become an employee. However, that might compromise other aspects of your life, in my opinion it is better to balance your quality of life with your salary potential than to maximize your salary potential.
Dak Kopec Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Coordinator, BA Interior Architecture and Design and Master of Design ProgramUniversity Of Nevada, Las Vegas
School of Architecture
What general advice would you give to a Senior User Experience Designer?
Dak Kopec Ph.D.: Two things to keep in mind; the first is that you must keep up with your computer skills. Software and technology, especially AI, are rapidly advancing. It’s important to stay in the know and to continue learning as new things come to the market. The second is to be as versatile as you can. The job markets are getting tougher, and you need to be able to cast a wide net when looking for work. You shouldn’t worry too much about finding a specialization until you're in your mid-career.
What Senior User Experience Designer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dak Kopec Ph.D.: 1. have a great portfolio demonstrating your design skills’ diversity of design abilities. I.e., show you how you can create designs that are historic, contemporary, and cutting-edge. 2. Demonstrate your ability to think critically and apply information. While AI will soon be able to take over the graphical representation of the design, it is unlikely that it will be able to use critical thinking and deductive reasoning. 3. Use your interview to show your employer you have skills they don’t have in the office and those skills will get them clients. I would research their projects and website, identify a weakness, and then demonstrate in your portfolio that I have the skills to help address existing weaknesses. Once an employer sees that what you bring to the table has value, you’ll be in a better negotiation position.
Elizabeth Sutton
Department Head, Professor of Art HistoryUniversity of Northern Iowa
Department of Art
What skills stand out on Senior User Experience Designer resumes?
Elizabeth Sutton: What really stands out is the quality of the student's portfolios and that they have client-based real-world experience.
What soft skills should all Senior User Experience Designers possess?
Elizabeth Sutton: There are many--the ability to collaborate and communicate effectively is absolutely necessary. The ability to ask for feedback and be able to take that feedback and incorporate it into a process is very important. Of course, meeting deadlines is also very important.
Mary Miller
InstructorOklahoma State University Institute of Technology
Graphic Design Faculty
What skills stand out on Senior User Experience Designer resumes?
Mary Miller: Employers generally want to hire graphic designers who show conceptual, problem-solving ability and have solid skills in the basics: design, typography, use of color...but candidates who have motion graphics and video editing, photography/videography, and illustration skill will rise to the top of the list. It's expected that a designer will know multiple Adobe Creative Cloud programs like InDesign, Photoshop, and Illustrator, but they must also know After Effects, Premiere, XD, and Acrobat Pro, among others. Designers who can design for 3D objects like packaging and environmental graphics bring extra skill to the table as well.
What soft skills should all Senior User Experience Designers possess?
Mary Miller: Graphic designers are crucial to a business' success because they identify the brand's core values and personality and create the visual language that expresses those values and personality. So graphic designers must have strong research skills and be able to analyze and interpret them to know how to design ads and designs that will resonate with the target audience. Designers must be empathetic to understand what the target audience values and wants. Graphic designers must collaborate with their creative team and clients to develop strategies, so they must have excellent communication and teamwork skills. Excellent writing skills are a huge part of the necessary communication skills. Salesmanship and the ability to articulate the design rationale are requirements also. If a designer cannot articulate their concept to their art director or creative director first, they won't get the chance to present it to the client. Speaking and presentation skills are a part of a designer's career as well. When presenting to a client, they have to create the atmosphere for the client and reveal the solution in a way that explains, educates, and convinces the client that the solution will work. Campaigns are monitored, and the data is analyzed for effectiveness, tested, and tweaked. Graphic design is not about decorating pages but is much more cerebral...it is strategic art.
What hard/technical skills are most important for Senior User Experience Designers?
Mary Miller: The hard/technical skills needed daily for graphic designers are primarily software-based, but they also have to understand the technical aspects of print production, broadcast, websites, and social media. They have to search for technical information, learn as they go, and create the design and marketing pieces for their clients as technology changes, constantly evolving. A designer will need to understand and use the software that business uses too, such as Excel. Some designers specialize in data visual infographics, where they take statistical data and design it in a format that can be more easily understood because it's in a visual format.