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The differences between user experience researchers and researchers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a user experience researcher, becoming a researcher takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a user experience researcher has an average salary of $99,849, which is higher than the $67,145 average annual salary of a researcher.
The top three skills for a user experience researcher include user research, user experience and research methods. The most important skills for a researcher are python, lab equipment, and C++.
| User Experience Researcher | Researcher | |
| Yearly salary | $99,849 | $67,145 |
| Hourly rate | $48.00 | $32.28 |
| Growth rate | 19% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 24,148 | 30,498 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Average age | 37 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
A user experience (UX) researcher is an individual who is responsible for analyzing actual consumer behavior and needs to design products and services that may have an impact on business companies. User experience researchers provide informed insights and then work with product managers to turn these insights into consumer-centric results that resonate with customers. They are required to conduct in-depth and advanced research both in qualitative and quantitative methods to identify user needs and goals and provide recommendations for improvement. User experience researchers are also required to participate in the recruitment activities for user research.
A researcher is responsible for collating, organizing, and verifying necessary information for a specific subject. Researchers' duties include analyzing data, gathering and comparing resources, ensuring facts, sharing findings with the whole research team, adhering to required methodologies, performing fieldwork as needed, and keeping critical information confidential. Researchers must be knowledgeable about the current market trends and align findings with the research goals. A researcher must show strong communication skills, as well as strong attention to detail and time-management skills to meet deadlines under minimal supervision.
User experience researchers and researchers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| User Experience Researcher | Researcher | |
| Average salary | $99,849 | $67,145 |
| Salary range | Between $73,000 And $135,000 | Between $37,000 And $119,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Newark, NJ |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | Meta | Renaissance Learning |
| Best paying industry | Start-up | - |
There are a few differences between a user experience researcher and a researcher in terms of educational background:
| User Experience Researcher | Researcher | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Biology |
| Most common college | University of Maryland - College Park | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between user experience researchers' and researchers' demographics:
| User Experience Researcher | Researcher | |
| Average age | 37 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 44.2% Female, 55.8% | Male, 50.9% Female, 49.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.8% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.4% Asian, 14.4% White, 64.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.6% Asian, 26.4% White, 53.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 8% |