Table of Contents
What is UX or User Experience?
User Experience (UX) is defined as how a person feels about interacting with a product. A product can be a website, an app or even a physical product. So when a person is using a product, what are their thoughts and emotions? Are they happy and delighted with the product or are they frustrated? These are the issues that a User Experience (UX) Designer strives to address.
What is A UX Design?
A UX Design strives to ensure that a user of a product have a delightful experience while they are using the product and it meets the user’s needs. A good UX Design has the following attributes:
- Usability: The application must be easy to use. A user should not have a stressful time figuring out how to use the app or how to navigate to desired places.
- Equitable: The design must cater to a wide range of people from diverse backgrounds and with different capabilities.
- Enjoyable: The design must ensure the customer has a pleasant experience while using the application. A user will be delighted if the product exceeds expectations.
- Useful: The design must solve a real problem that a user has or meet a user’s needs.
Roles or Job Descriptions in UX
What is a UX Researcher?
In order to provide good user experience, UX designers must understand the user first. Therefore a UX researcher explores the world of the users and how they interact with products in order to gain a deeper understanding of users needs, their emotions when using a particular product and their pain points. UX research often involves personally observing users as they use a product. These studies are also done through:
- Surveys
- Interviews
- Remote research
- Usability Tests
UX Researcher Salaries in 2021
- Payscale reports the average UX researcher salary at $87,558 per year.
- Glassdoor has the average salary UX researcher at $123,054 per year.
- Zippia found the average salary at $93,000 per year.
- Salary.com calculated the average at $86,972 per year.
What is A UX Writer?
User Experience writers focus on the language that is used throughout a digital product. They aim to create communication that is clear to the user. Another goal is to write in a manner that is consistent with a company’s brand voice. Furthermore UX writers want to strike a tonne with users that is friendly and to ensure users do not get confused by the poor choice of words.
UX Writer Salary in 2021
- Glassdoor states that the average salary for UX writers is $107,417.
- UX writing hub found an average salary of $65,000 from their survey of 757 people.
- talent.com estimates the average salary for UX writers to be $129,350 in the US.
What is An Interaction Designer?
An interaction designer specializes on how a digital product is supposed to function. For example, if a user presses a button on an app what should happen? Interaction design aims to answer such questions. It also aims to craft the path or the series of steps that a user takes in order to complete a task. This also involves designing how a user navigates through an application. Interaction designers aim to ensure that an application functions as expected and is usable.
Interaction Designer Salary in 2021
- Glassdoor states that the average salary in the US for interaction designers in $117,433.
- Payscale calculated the average salary for interaction designers to be $78,963.
- salary.com estimates the average salary to be $79,532.
- Zippia has average of $79,000 for interaction designers in the US.
What is A Visual Designer?
Visual designers focus on the appearance of the product. They are responsible for designing logos, icons, images and illustrations. In addition, they also decide the layout of the application, fonts and colors. Usually they work within the boundaries of a brand identity so that their designs foster brand awareness and trust. Their goal is to make the digital product pleasing to look at and engaging to use.
Visual Designer Salary
- Glassdoor estimates that the average salary in the US for visual designers in $74,540.
- Payscale states that the average salary is $65,530.
- salary.com calculates the average salary to be $63,656.
- Zippia has average of $81,740 for interaction designers in the US.
What is A Motion Designer?
A motion designer is responsible for smooth transitions between the pages of an application. This involves animations that assist users to visualize the progression of their tasks.
Motion Designer Salary in 2021
- Glassdoor estimates the average salary in the US for motion designers to be $64,000.
- Payscale computes the average salary to be $59,939.
- talent.com calculates the average salary to be $115,200.
- Zippia gives an average salary of $59,000 for motion designers in the US.
What is A UX Engineer?
UX Engineers are responsible for translating the UX design into a functioning product. They ensure that the UX designs can be actually created with current technology. As such they are a bridge between design and development of the app or website. During the phases of UX design, engineers will be working closely with other UX professionals to ensure that design ideas can be made a reality.
UX Engineer Salary in 2021
- Glassdoor estimates the average salary for UX engineers in the US to be $120,052.
- Payscale evaluated the average salary to be $84,400 for UX engineers.
- Zip Recruiter states that the average salary is $95,176 for UX engineers.
What is A UX Program Manager?
UX program managers ensure that a UX design project is successful from start to finish. They plan, set goals and allocate resources for the project. Also, they ensure that there is clear and timely communication between the teams or individuals working on the UX project.
UX Program Manager Salary in 2021
- Glassdoor states that the average salary for UX program managers is $93,494 in the US.
- Payscale has an the average salary of $78,614 for UX program managers.
- salary.com computes the average salary to be $111,538.
- Zippia estimates an average salary of $116,000.
