Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between software specialists and user experience designers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a software specialist, 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 $84,009 average annual salary of a software specialist.
The top three skills for a software specialist include C++, C # and database. The most important skills for a user experience designer are sketch, UI, and user research.
| Software Specialist | User Experience Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $84,009 | $91,159 |
| Hourly rate | $40.39 | $43.83 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 264,307 | 52,582 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Average age | 39 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 12 |
Software Specialist designs and develops computer software and operating systems, establishing policies and protocols to ensure quality and data security. They function as a member of a company or an organization's information technology department. They also utilize their expertise by assessing and reviewing existing software, identifying its strengths and weaknesses, implementing solutions against vulnerable areas. Most of the time, a software specialist directly communicates with clients to determine their software needs and preferences, regularly coordinating to ensure client satisfaction and smooth workflow.
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.
Software specialists and user experience designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Software Specialist | User Experience Designer | |
| Average salary | $84,009 | $91,159 |
| Salary range | Between $60,000 And $115,000 | Between $65,000 And $127,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | San Bruno, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | Washington |
| Best paying company | American Express | BitGo |
| Best paying industry | Telecommunication | Start-up |
There are a few differences between a software specialist and a user experience designer in terms of educational background:
| Software Specialist | User Experience Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between software specialists' and user experience designers' demographics:
| Software Specialist | User Experience Designer | |
| Average age | 39 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 67.2% Female, 32.8% | Male, 59.6% Female, 40.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.4% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.1% Asian, 30.0% White, 52.5% 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 | 8% | 13% |