Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between web developers and user experience 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 web developer, becoming a user experience designer takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a user experience designer has an average salary of $91,159, which is higher than the $78,975 average annual salary of a web developer.
The top three skills for a web developer include javascript, html css and HTML. The most important skills for a user experience designer are sketch, UI, and user research.
| Web Developer | User Experience Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $78,975 | $91,159 |
| Hourly rate | $37.97 | $43.83 |
| Growth rate | 13% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 227,881 | 52,582 |
| Job satisfaction | 3 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Average age | 37 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 12 |
A web developer is responsible for designing and maintaining a website to attract customers and direct web traffic. Web developers' duty also includes analyzing software and database to develop new applications. A web developer must have extensive knowledge of programming languages and technology solutions to provide the best web design services for the clients, following their specifications, and submitting projects on or before the deadline. Web developers should have excellent time-management and decision-making skills to do tasks efficiently and accurately.
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.
Web developers and user experience designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Web Developer | User Experience Designer | |
| Average salary | $78,975 | $91,159 |
| Salary range | Between $60,000 And $103,000 | Between $65,000 And $127,000 |
| Highest paying City | Bothell, WA | San Bruno, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Washington |
| Best paying company | BitGo | |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Start-up |
There are a few differences between a web developer and a user experience designer in terms of educational background:
| Web Developer | User Experience Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between web developers' and user experience designers' demographics:
| Web Developer | User Experience Designer | |
| Average age | 37 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 78.2% Female, 21.8% | Male, 59.6% Female, 40.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 6.5% Hispanic or Latino, 12.0% Asian, 15.9% White, 58.8% 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% |