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What is a user experience designer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
Quoted expert
Abby Guido
introduction image

A user experience designer designs digital products, such as websites or mobile apps, to ensure they are easy and intuitive for users to interact with. They focus on understanding the needs and behaviors of users to create interfaces that meet those needs. Their goal is to create a seamless and enjoyable user journey. A user experience designer is responsible for making sure that a product is user-friendly and meets the needs of its audience.

What general advice would you give to a user experience designer?

We've all heard the buzz about networking, and there is so much buzz because it works. Make sure your LinkedIn profile is both up to date and active. Connect with all of your past professors, classmates, and anyone and everyone you meet in a professional setting. I often tell students to get into the habit of searching for any classroom guests, or guest lecturers, to connect, thank them for their time, and build their network. Share content. Write articles, or reshare those you find interesting.

Every job I have ever received in my career has been through someone else I know. I share this with students to help them see the value in relationships. I always remember the students that took the time to write a handwritten thank-you note. And I think of them when I get an email asking if I know any students are looking for work.
ScoreUser Experience DesignerUS Average
Salary
7.1

Avg. Salary $91,159

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
4.2

Growth rate 3%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
4.5
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.37%

Asian 10.42%

Black or African American 3.42%

Hispanic or Latino 10.63%

Unknown 4.99%

White 70.17%

Gender

female 40.43%

male 59.57%

Age - 37
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 37
Stress level
4.2

Stress level is moderate

7.1 - high

Complexity level
8.5

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance
3.9

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a user experience designer?

Pros

  • High demand and job security

  • Chance to work on a variety of projects

  • Competitive salary and benefits

  • Ability to make a real impact on users' experiences

  • Constantly evolving field with room for growth

Cons

  • Can be stressful and deadline-driven

  • Can involve frequent changes and revisions

  • May require long hours or overtime work

  • Requires keeping up with constantly changing technology and design trends

  • Can be difficult to quantify and measure success

User experience designer career paths

Key steps to become a user experience designer

  1. Explore user experience designer education requirements

    Most common user experience designer degrees

    Bachelor's

    71.4 %

    Master's

    17.3 %

    Associate

    6.8 %

  2. Start to develop specific user experience designer skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Sketch17.62%
    UI6.88%
    User Research6.46%
    Visual Design5.58%
    Invision4.46%
    Show more

  3. Complete relevant user experience designer training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New user experience designers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a user experience designer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real user experience designer resumes.

  4. Gain additional user experience designer certifications

    User experience designer certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific user experience designer certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

    The most common certifications for user experience designers include Certified User Experience Professional (CUXP) and Master Certified Web Professional - Designer (CWP).

    More About Certifications

  5. Research user experience designer duties and responsibilities

    • Lead Ektron CMS implementations and content migration projects.
    • Lead UX/UI design, personas research and emphatic analysis, participate in user story creation.
    • Lead and administrate the creative direction of WorkFusion crowd computing platform and its iOS apps.
    • Lead design working sessions, create storyboards and a Visio wireframe library for all project elements.

  6. Prepare your user experience designer resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your user experience designer resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a user experience designer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable user experience designer resume templates

    Build a professional user experience designer resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your user experience designer resume.
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  7. Apply for user experience designer jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a user experience designer job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first user experience designer job

Debarashmi RoyDebarashmi Roy LinkedIn profile

User Experience Designer, Info Edge India Ltd.

Coming from a family historically focused on STEM academia, delving into design was an unexpected turn. However, my father, a Professor in Engineering Design, encouraged me to follow my dream, emphasizing how design could also be a fulfilling pursuit. After graduating high school, I pursued a Bachelor's Degree in Fashion Design from the National Institute of Fashion Technology to learn more about manifold design fields and comprehend the sheer scope of what sits at the intersection of creativity and science.My undergraduate program, interspersed with freelance design work with several design and marketing agencies, helped me evolve into a well-rounded graphic designer, going above and beyond the quintessential path of fashion design. Particularly in my sophomore year, I unearthed a newfound passion for digital media and an eagerness for design thinking and research. In my senior years, my grades started to reflect my progress, landing in the top 10 percentile of the class. I was increasingly known among peers and faculty for my distinctive talent in conceiving and connecting ideas. The final semester of my senior year took an unexpected turn with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the global lockdown ushered in the opportunity to explore the User Experience domain in depth, even while I continued my freelancing gigs. Quarantined at home, I took this opportunity to immerse myself in understanding Interaction Design and applying to jobs in similar domains. My portfolio helped me land my initial stint with an EdTech startup, Infosolz Consultancy Services Pvt. Ltd., as their sole UI/UX Designer. I quickly learned the business of curating academic web portals, Learner management systems, and digital interfaces for studios while refining my skills in design. I moved on to Engati, a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) product. Here, I played an instrumental role in designing the digital product from ideation to execution, which was based on Customer Experience and driven by Conversational Automation & Intelligence, providing end-to-end solutions for varied features to combine chatbots and live chat while making the user journey smooth. My ideation sessions with Product Managers and Software Developers allowed me to articulate my views while understanding theirs. At this point, I transitioned to Simplilearn, an EdTech company based in Bangalore, India, where I was responsible for designing their Intellectual Property. It entailed maintaining a database of a

Average user experience designer salary

The average user experience designer salary in the United States is $91,159 per year or $44 per hour. User experience designer salaries range between $65,000 and $127,000 per year.

Average user experience designer salary
$91,159 Yearly
$43.83 hourly
More user experience designer salary info

What am I worth?

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How do user experience designers rate their job?

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User experience designer reviews

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A zippia user wrote a review on Dec 2019
Pros

It is something I enjoy! Something I’m good at! Something I could do as hobby and get paid for

profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2019
Pros

The opportunity to learn about a client's business needs and create design solutions that can be tested and measured.

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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