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The differences between usability engineers and senior software development engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a usability engineer and a senior software development engineer. Additionally, a senior software development engineer has an average salary of $116,926, which is higher than the $98,689 average annual salary of a usability engineer.
The top three skills for a usability engineer include user experience, UI and user research. The most important skills for a senior software development engineer are java, software development, and python.
| Usability Engineer | Senior Software Development Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $98,689 | $116,926 |
| Hourly rate | $47.45 | $56.21 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 242,166 | 346,833 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A usability engineer conducts studies to ensure a user can easily access all features of a product. They design questionnaires, interview-based studies, and tests. They also design and prototype user interfaces in HTML. They usually have a narrow area of specialization.
A senior software development engineer specializes in leading the efforts in designing and developing software and information systems, ensuring efficiency and smooth workflow. Their responsibilities typically revolve around installing and repairing existing computer systems, conducting regular maintenance checks, troubleshooting, testing new designs, and performing research and analysis to identify the strengths and weaknesses of operations, improving them to achieve optimal performance. Furthermore, as a senior software development engineer, it is essential to monitor and encourage the team, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
Usability engineers and senior software development engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Usability Engineer | Senior Software Development Engineer | |
| Average salary | $98,689 | $116,926 |
| Salary range | Between $67,000 And $145,000 | Between $87,000 And $156,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Oregon | Washington |
| Best paying company | Varian Medical Systems | Roku |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a usability engineer and a senior software development engineer in terms of educational background:
| Usability Engineer | Senior Software Development Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Computer Science |
| Most common college | University of Maryland - College Park | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between usability engineers' and senior software development engineers' demographics:
| Usability Engineer | Senior Software Development Engineer | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 54.3% Female, 45.7% | Male, 83.9% Female, 16.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.0% Asian, 29.1% White, 53.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.0% Asian, 30.6% White, 52.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |