How To Push Your Starting UX Designer Salary Over $95K
The average UX designer’s salary hovers right around $114,000 in the US. The low end of the salary range is around $84,000 and the top range is $160,000.
Many factors can impact actual salaries, like geographical location, industry, and general market conditions. Another factor is the skill set a UX designer brings to the table. The more unique the skills and expertise, the more in-demand a candidate will be. Highly qualified candidates, even those in the early career stage, command higher than average salaries.
Wait–Are UX Designer Salaries Going Down?
If you heard that UX designer salaries are going down–or that the career choice is a dead-end these days–don’t consider that information in a vacuum.
Many UX designer jobs today tend to be in the tech industry. There were historically high lay-offs in this sector over the past few years. This flooded the market with job seekers and put the ball firmly in the employer’s court.
Likewise, companies in general have been tightening belts in response to the challenging economic environment. This impacts creative agencies–another source for well-paying UX design jobs. Less work means layoffs there, too.
This all coincided with a flood of new talent into the UX design pool. A lot of these job seekers jumped in with limited skill sets.
These factors–mass tech layoffs, a tough economy, and a flood of new job seekers–combined to make the UX design world a more volatile and potentially lower-paying field to get into. But is it?
Companies are still hiring for UX designer roles, and offering competitive salaries that are in the ranges noted above. It’s just harder to find these unicorns. When you do, it’s equally challenging to make yourself heard through the noise of thousands of other applicants.
Whether you are looking for an entry-level role in ecommerce or another area, to land a coveted UX designer role with an above average salary–or at least get an interview–you need to stand out.
How To Max Out A UX Designer Salary Offer in 8 Steps
Getting noticed these days takes a lot more than brushing up your resume with keywords in the hopes of getting past the recruiting software. If you’re aiming for an above-average salary as a junior UX designer, here are some strategies to start right now.
1. Reverse engineer the desired UX design skill set
Lists like this are a good starting point in your quest for the above-average paying UX design job, especially when you’re just starting out. But the real meat and potatoes is found in actual, live job posts.
Find the companies advertising open, entry-level UX design roles with salaries above $95,000. Why so high? Because the companies offering roles that cap out for less than that are typically looking for a different applicant and skillset than companies offering the higher salaries for entry level roles.
One tip. These ads tend to come from the same subset of companies–those that are in high cost-of-living regions and/or are UX mature. So start your search in coastal regions like Seattle, San Jose, or New York, and look for companies with recognizable names.
Once you find these job posts, it’s time to work backwards. Scrutinize the skills and responsibilities listed. Keep track of this information in a spreadsheet or other document. You want to be able to quickly synthesize the data you collect.
Your goal is to identify trends and recurring themes. Knowing this information will help you frame your current experience to best match these requirements. It will also help you pinpoint any gaps you might have. You should focus on closing those gaps before sending out your resume for these jobs.
2. Understand design theory and application
Several years ago the market was hot and favored job seekers. Even those with little to no experience and just getting started on the career ladder had a good chance of landing a high-paying UX design role. In those days, it was enough to know how to use a simple design tool and not much more.
Today that basic knowledge isn’t enough to make it through the resume screening process. You must demonstrate that you have an understanding of the “why” behind good design. This doesn’t mean you need a college degree in graphic design or information architecture. You don’t (although it probably doesn’t hurt).
If you are lacking in a foundational knowledge of design theory and application, there are certifications and courses that can help round out your expertise. The UX Certification program from Nielsen Norman Group is one. UX-focused organizations like the Interactive Design Foundation also offer courses plus a network of local meet-ups and online forums to help build your professional network.
You should also consume as much written information as you can. Books are a cheap investment and remain on your bookshelf as lifelong professional resources. Some to consider include:
Don’t limit yourself to books, though.
There are many great industry blogs and publications, like UX Magazine, UXPA Magazine, Boxes and Arrows (no longer active but with a great archive), UX Movement, and more. Some are free, some require membership, and others are paid subscriptions. All provide valuable information to UX designers, especially those just starting out.
3. Stay on top of industry trends
UX design relies on tried-and-true principles about user behavior, but it is equally tied to technological evolution. The best way to stay on top of the latest developments is to plug into professional groups, join industry-specific communities, and follow top UX designers. This puts you ahead of the curve when new trends and developments appear on the horizon.
Some of the best professional groups for UX designers include the User Experience Professionals Association (UXPA), AIGA: The Professional Association for Design, and the Interaction Design Foundation. All offer professional development resources and communities to join.
There are Discord channels and Reddit sub-groups dedicated to UX design, too. Join these to get advice from peers, learn about developing trends, and trade industry knowledge.
Following top UX design professionals is another way to keep your finger on the pulse of the industry. People like David Dylan Thomas, Stephen Krug, and Irene Au are just a few who regularly write about UX design and their observations about the next step in the industry’s evolution.
4. Brush up your technical skills
The deeper your technical knowledge, the more versatile you are as a UX designer. Your versatility, along with other factors, helps catapult you to the top of any interviewer’s short list.
AI isn’t going away anytime soon. Regardless of how you feel about it, understanding how to leverage generative AI into your skillset is a smart move. Check out courses on LinkedIn Learning and other resources to get started.
Gain a working knowledge of the tools UX designers tend to use. You don’t have to get to pro-level status with things like AdobeHD, Figma, or Sketch, but some familiarity with tools like this is essential. The more design tools you understand, the more appealing you are to a wider variety of future employers.
Learn basic coding skills. You don’t have to become a web developer, but you will likely need to work with these professionals at some point in your design career. You may never write a line of code in your life, but you will have the vocabulary and knowledge to communicate with developers during the product development process. Check out online learning platforms like Coursera and Udemy Academy, where a mix of free and paid courses can help you get started.
5. Don’t forget about soft skills
A big part of your professional success as a UX designer is your ability to engage with people in a positive way. Designers wear many hats, from researcher to project manager to advocate. They also work with internal and external groups.
The ability to clearly communicate is just one essential skill you need to be successful. Problem solving, leadership, collaboration, and critical thinking are also skills you must master if you want to land a high-paying job as a UX designer.
You may already be a natural in this area, but if not there’s good news. Soft skills can be learned with practice. There are courses to give you a foundational knowledge. Then you can put that knowledge into action. Join professional organizations, volunteer, or get more involved in extracurricular activities at your current workplace or school.
Prove your soft skills acumen to a prospective employer, and you’ll usually be moved to the top of the short list of candidates–with a salary that reflects your capabilities.
6. Think beyond the tech giants
The allure of landing a lucrative job with Amazon, Meta, or Google is hard to resist. But those roles are extremely competitive, and your chances of success are slim. And with more and more companies moving away from fully-remote work, it will usually require you to live in a high cost of living area.
It pays to think outside the box in your job search. If you’re not geographically constrained, consider looking in areas away from the coasts. A $96,000 annual salary goes much further in the midwest than it does in Seattle or New York City.
If you have a background in a specialized field like healthcare, education, or law, you can parlay your expertise into a niche UX design role for companies in that industry. Combining your design knowledge with industry-specific expertise is a mix not every UX designer brings to the table. The more unique your skillset, the higher a salary you command.
7. Get some experience under your belt
If you’re a junior designer just getting started, landing a high-paying job might feel impossible. One way to overcome the obstacle of being the new kid on the block is to build a portfolio that demonstrates your skills.
The work you showcase can come from a variety of sources. The “where” doesn’t matter nearly as much as the “how” when you’re just starting out. You can volunteer, share projects you completed in school, and create designs in your own free time.
You can even take a lower paying UX design role to build your portfolio and hone your skills. Think of this as a stepping stone to your ultimate goal.
The outcome is to have a body of design work you can share with your dream employer when you land the interview for that six-figure role.
8. Network, Network, Network
With thousands of applications applying for each job posting these days, landing a job (or even an interview) by submitting your resume alone is pretty slim. Networking has always been the most effective way to discover opportunities and stand out from the crowd.
There are Slack communities dedicated to UX design, websites like Dribbble where you can engage with other designers and browse a job board, and even a User Experience LinkedIn group you can join.
The point is to put yourself out there, develop professional relationships, and get your work seen. It’s a tried-and-true way to land a new job, whatever industry you’re in.
