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User interface developer vs user interaction designer

The differences between user interface developers and user interaction designers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a user interface developer and a user interaction designer. Additionally, a user interaction designer has an average salary of $82,651, which is higher than the $69,061 average annual salary of a user interface developer.

The top three skills for a user interface developer include javascript, user experience and C #. The most important skills for a user interaction designer are UI, sketch, and UX.

User interface developer vs user interaction designer overview

User Interface DeveloperUser Interaction Designer
Yearly salary$69,061$82,651
Hourly rate$33.20$39.74
Growth rate13%13%
Number of jobs162,15554,146
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 76%Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Average age3737
Years of experience44

What does a user interface developer do?

A user interface (UI) developer is a computer system professional who combines programming, psychology, and creative design to create intuitive controls for software and hardware. UI developers must develop the user interface and navigation for the whole web application using technologies like HTML, XML, and CSS2. They are required to attend daily software development meetings to discuss the design and work progress. UI developers must also create computer-generated images and animations using CGI for digital marketing web applications.

What does a user interaction designer do?

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.

User interface developer vs user interaction designer salary

User interface developers and user interaction designers have different pay scales, as shown below.

User Interface DeveloperUser Interaction Designer
Average salary$69,061$82,651
Salary rangeBetween $56,000 And $84,000Between $59,000 And $114,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateWashingtonCalifornia
Best paying companyThe CitadelGoogle
Best paying industryFinanceAutomotive

Differences between user interface developer and user interaction designer education

There are a few differences between a user interface developer and a user interaction designer in terms of educational background:

User Interface DeveloperUser Interaction Designer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 76%Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Most common majorComputer ScienceGraphic Design
Most common collegeStanford UniversityUniversity of Pennsylvania

User interface developer vs user interaction designer demographics

Here are the differences between user interface developers' and user interaction designers' demographics:

User Interface DeveloperUser Interaction Designer
Average age3737
Gender ratioMale, 72.7% Female, 27.3%Male, 66.7% Female, 33.3%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 6.5% Hispanic or Latino, 11.9% Asian, 15.8% White, 58.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%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%
LGBT Percentage9%9%

Differences between user interface developer and user interaction designer duties and responsibilities

User interface developer example responsibilities.

  • Manage multiple web and database servers in multiple locations to ensure constant availability, functionality, synchronization and security.
  • Work as a Java UI developer for the intranet web application BART which are developed using Java and J2EE technologies.
  • Used JQUERY and AJAX code for the single page availability of HTML page.
  • Integrate and test a Java services API across ERP for product and services taxation purposes.
  • Execute user interface designs from product requirements and UI specification.
  • Follow scrum procedure for regular updates.
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User interaction designer example responsibilities.

  • Manage and implement all code changes via SVN.
  • Work closely with ASP.NET developer to attain refine results.
  • Used CSS3 media queries to achieve the responsiveness of the user interface.
  • Lead a remote team of web designers and developers to redesign brands and websites for local small businesses.
  • Manage few mobile iPhone App projects on iOS6 and iOS7, some of which seamlessly complement desktop applications.
  • Used SVN as source control management giving a huge speed advantage on centralize systems that have to communicate with a server.
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User interface developer vs user interaction designer skills

Common user interface developer skills
  • JavaScript, 12%
  • User Experience, 11%
  • C #, 8%
  • Java, 8%
  • Ruby, 8%
  • Web Services, 6%
Common user interaction designer skills
  • UI, 16%
  • Sketch, 14%
  • UX, 6%
  • Html Css, 4%
  • User Experience, 4%
  • Visual Design, 4%

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