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The differences between user interaction designers and visual 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 user interaction designer, becoming a visual designer takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a visual designer has an average salary of $86,495, which is higher than the $82,651 average annual salary of a user interaction designer.
The top three skills for a user interaction designer include UI, sketch and UX. The most important skills for a visual designer are sketch, visual design, and graphic design.
| User Interaction Designer | Visual Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $82,651 | $86,495 |
| Hourly rate | $39.74 | $41.58 |
| Growth rate | 13% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 54,146 | 46,815 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Average age | 37 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 12 |
A User Interaction Designer works with product management to develop and implement innovative solutions for product direction and visuals. They execute all visual design stages.
A visual designer is someone who creates designs for a variety of platforms such as Internet and intranet sites, games, and wearables. The duties of visual designers depend on the specific project or industry in which they are working. Duties include creating user-centered interaction models, working with information technology and business teams to resolve complex issues, and designing logos, icons, and infographics. The qualifications to become a visual designer include possessing strong problem-solving, communication, and negotiation skills and obtaining a bachelor's degree in design.
User interaction designers and visual designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| User Interaction Designer | Visual Designer | |
| Average salary | $82,651 | $86,495 |
| Salary range | Between $59,000 And $114,000 | Between $51,000 And $143,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Bruno, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | ByteDance | |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Start-up |
There are a few differences between a user interaction designer and a visual designer in terms of educational background:
| User Interaction Designer | Visual Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between user interaction designers' and visual designers' demographics:
| User Interaction Designer | Visual Designer | |
| Average age | 37 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 66.7% Female, 33.3% | Male, 53.1% Female, 46.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.5% Unknown, 6.5% Hispanic or Latino, 12.0% Asian, 16.0% White, 58.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | 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 | 9% | 13% |