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The differences between user experience researchers and user experience designers 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 user experience designer takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a user experience researcher has an average salary of $99,849, which is higher than the $91,159 average annual salary of a user experience designer.
The top three skills for a user experience researcher include user research, user experience and research methods. The most important skills for a user experience designer are sketch, UI, and user research.
| User Experience Researcher | User Experience Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $99,849 | $91,159 |
| Hourly rate | $48.00 | $43.83 |
| Growth rate | 19% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 24,148 | 52,582 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Average age | 37 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 12 |
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 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.
User experience researchers and user experience designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| User Experience Researcher | User Experience Designer | |
| Average salary | $99,849 | $91,159 |
| Salary range | Between $73,000 And $135,000 | Between $65,000 And $127,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Bruno, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Washington |
| Best paying company | Meta | BitGo |
| Best paying industry | Start-up | Start-up |
There are a few differences between a user experience researcher and a user experience designer in terms of educational background:
| User Experience Researcher | User Experience Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | University of Maryland - College Park | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between user experience researchers' and user experience designers' demographics:
| User Experience Researcher | User Experience Designer | |
| Average age | 37 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 44.2% Female, 55.8% | Male, 59.6% Female, 40.4% |
| 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, 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 | 10% | 13% |