How to hire a user interface designer

How to hire a user interface designer, step by step

Here's a step-by-step user interface designer hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a user interface designer job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new user interface designer
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a user interface designer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your user interface designer job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a user interface designer for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect user interface designer also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   The following list breaks down different types of user interface designers and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of User Interface Designer	Description	Hourly rate
   User Interface Designer	Graphic designers create visual concepts, using computer software or by hand, to communicate ideas that inspire, inform, and captivate consumers. They develop the overall layout and production design for various applications such as advertisements, brochures, magazines, and corporate reports.	$30-62
   Design Internship	As the name entails, graphic design interns learn about the career in graphic design in a hands-on setting. They have varied tasks and duties, including taking part in every meeting of the design team, conducting client research, assisting with social media and design projects, and working closely with experienced designers... Show more	$15-30
   Designer	A designer is someone who creates a master plan of the look or workings of something before it will be made. It could be tangible or intangible objects, products, procedures, laws, events, games, graphics, services, and even experiences... Show more	$21-46

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Invision
   • Interactive Prototypes
   • UI
   • Sketch
   • User Experience
   • Graphic Design
   • Html Css
   • JavaScript
   • UX
   • Visual Design
   • HTML
   • CSS
   • Prototyping
   • User Interface Design

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage prototype content in wireframes when necessary.
   • Introduce utilization of mock-up screens, CSS, and style guides to create a consistent look across product screens.
   • Perform rapid HTML prototyping for intranets and online applications.
   • Analyze the business requirement and conceptualize UI design patterns through paper prototyping.
   • Modify the styling of the existing web pages using CSS3.
   • Test new designs on mobile device such as apple and android.

   More user interface designer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your user interface designer job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A user interface designer salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a user interface designer in Kentucky may be lower than in Washington, and an entry-level user interface designer usually earns less than a senior-level user interface designer. Additionally, a user interface designer with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average user interface designer salary

   $92,247yearly

   $44.35 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level user interface designer salary

   $64,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

   Average user interface designer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$120,733	$58
   2	Washington	$120,131	$58
   3	District of Columbia	$95,576	$46
   4	New York	$91,252	$44
   5	Massachusetts	$87,048	$42
   6	Texas	$79,964	$38
   7	Colorado	$78,163	$38
   8	Minnesota	$76,718	$37
   9	Illinois	$74,227	$36
   10	Connecticut	$73,991	$36
   11	Pennsylvania	$72,508	$35
   12	North Carolina	$72,082	$35
   13	Ohio	$71,558	$34
   14	Michigan	$68,827	$33
   15	Georgia	$64,454	$31
   16	Indiana	$64,284	$31

   Average user interface designer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Airbnb	$150,366	$72.29
   2	Netflix	$147,561	$70.94	12
   3	Yelp	$141,915	$68.23
   4	Apple	$140,722	$67.65	35
   5	Google	$140,148	$67.38	172
   6	StubHub	$137,334	$66.03	8
   7	PayPal	$136,846	$65.79	10
   8	eBay	$134,151	$64.50	2
   9	Twitter	$130,972	$62.97	3
   10	Survios	$129,388	$62.21
   11	Amazon	$125,852	$60.51	246
   12	Optimizely	$122,367	$58.83	1
   13	Shutterfly	$117,965	$56.71	2
   14	Automattic	$114,230	$54.92	1
   15	Salesforce	$113,569	$54.60	26
   16	Archipelago Learning	$113,554	$54.59
   17	Blackboard	$110,335	$53.05
   18	Fuhu	$109,726	$52.75
   19	Autodesk	$107,930	$51.89	17
   20	Nokia	$106,095	$51.01	1

4. Writing a user interface designer job description

   A good user interface designer job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a user interface designer job description:

   User interface designer job description example

   Barbaricum is a rapidly growing government contractor providing leading-edge support to federal customers, with a particular focus on Defense and National Security mission sets. We leverage more than 14 years of support to stakeholders across the federal government, with established and growing capabilities across Intelligence, Analytics, Engineering, Mission Support, and Communications disciplines. Founded in 2008, our mission is to transform the way our customers approach constantly changing and complex problem sets by bringing to bear the latest in technology and the highest caliber of talent.
   
   Headquartered in Washington, DC's historic Dupont Circle neighborhood, Barbaricum also has a corporate presence in Tampa, FL and Dayton, OH, with team members across the United States and around the world. As a leader in our space, we partner with firms in the private sector, academic institutions, and industry associations with a goal of continually building our expertise and capabilities for the benefit of our employees and the customers we support. Through all of this, we have built a vibrant corporate culture diverse in expertise and perspectives with a focus on collaboration and innovation. Our teams are at the frontier of the Nation's most complex and rewarding challenges. Join us.
   
   Barbaricum is seeking a Web and Digital Interface Designer to provide support to an active USSTRATCOM program at Offutt Air Force Base near Omaha, Nebraska.
   
   This individual will support the Command's need for responsive and effective graphic development and design support. The individual will work collaboratively with STRATCOM's Intelligence Directorate analysts to understand requirements and further enhance and convey analytic thoughts and assessments by developing graphic and layout solutions. Furthermore, this designer will work with a team of data professionals building and enabling advanced threat warning systems for Intelligence Community customers.
   
   ResponsibilitiesProvide user experience and user interface expertise to the Government for development of interactive graphics and web products by building wireframes and storyboards to conceptualize design Define visual elements, product elements, and overall design Evaluate and set best practices and standards Work with Government managers and team to define user flows and sitemaps Measure human-computer interaction (HCI) element of a design Perform and implement user research for surveys and feedback Create and implement interaction models and user interface specifications Collaborate on scenarios, end-to-end experiences, and screen designs Conduct user testing of applications, software, and websites Work and support engineering, front-end, and back-end developers as needed Utilize Government-specified technology to produce graphic design, cartographic products, and interactive graphical content, video content, analytic product templates, and marketing content
   
   QualificationsActive DoD Top Secret clearance required (SCI eligibility strongly preferred)8+ years of experience providing the following: user experience and user interface expertise for development of interactive graphics and web products; building wireframes and storyboards to conceptualize design; determine timeline and deliverables; defining visual elements, product elements, and overall design; evaluating and set best practices and standards; working with leadership and teams to define user flows and sitemaps; measuring human-computer interaction (HCI) element of a design; performing and implementing user research for surveys and feedback; creating and implementing interaction models and user interface specifications; collaborating on scenarios, end-to-end experiences, and screen designs; conducting user testing of applications, software, and websites; and working with front-end and back-end developers8+ years of experience using technology to produce graphic design, cartographic products, and interactive graphical content, video content, analytic product templates, and marketing content Experience using analytical concepts and statistical techniques
   , please visit our website at www.barbaricum.com. We will contact candidates directly to schedule interviews. No phone calls please.

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5. Post your job

   To find user interface designers for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any user interface designers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level user interface designers with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your user interface designer job on Zippia to find and recruit user interface designer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with user interface designer candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new user interface designer

   Once you've selected the best user interface designer candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new user interface designer. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a user interface designer?