Average UX Designer Salary Worldwide Research Overview

As a professional area, user experience development spans various spheres and specializations, from user interface (UI) design to application development. The role of such a specialist is to improve a product’s or service interface (website or application) for users. For example, a UX designer’s responsibilities for the web page include the site’s creative design, ease of information searching, and linking logic for a comfortable user journey. User experience development covers different specialties and areas of work, as each employer has its requests depending on the characteristics of their team and the methods they use. The salary of a UX specialist depends on their role, experience, education, industry, and geographic location. This article will look at the specifics of UX developer titles and salaries in different regions around the globe.

UX Developer Salary: Key Takeaways

For this review, my team used information from trustworthy local resources. To provide clear comparisons, we used the gross average monthly salary. All wages are presented in US dollars at an exchange rate for July 2022. 

The United States takes the lead in salaries distribution. There, the UX profession is considered one of the top 50 professions in America.

In the EU countries, salaries are lower. However, it should be borne in mind that the wages range in European countries is very wide. For example, the salary of a middle UX Engineer ranges from $7,250 in Norway to $4,250 in Spain. 

UX Developer Salary Determining Factors

The average UX web developer salary varies by role, experience level, education, industry, and geographic location.

Location

As mentioned above, countries with a more developed technology sector offer higher salaries for UX developers. The highest salaries are in the USA, Australia, Canada, Germany, and Norway, and the lowest in India, Eastern Europe, and Latin America.

Company size and type

As a rule, big tech companies offer higher salaries. For example in the US, companies currently offering top UX design salaries include Google ($144,000/yr), Cisco Systems ($136,000/yr), Amazon ($131,000/yr), Microsoft ($128,000/yr), and Adobe ($121,719/yr). Speaking about startups, the salary of their developers depends more on the amount of raised funds rather than company size. What is more, IT firms that deliver custom software development services offer less compensation than product tech companies.

Desired skills & knowledge

When it comes to job requirements, each employer has its vision for UX specialists so we often see the variability and unclearness of new job titles, descriptions, and skills. Each of them has its differences, but for convenience, we classified them according to skills on demand: designing, web development, and programming.

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– UX Design 

A UX designer is a specialist who creates or improves a product to be as effective as possible and meet users’ needs. The main responsibilities of this position are research, development of wireframes, mockups, and prototypes of the product.

This professional requires creative and aesthetic supervision and knowledge of specific designing instruments and technologies such as Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Figma, and the basics of HTML, CSS, and  JavaScript.

– Application Development

The application developer is a programmer who specializes in coding and designing mobile applications. This work combines back-end (Ruby, Python, PHP, SQL) and front-end (HTML, CSS, JS) coding. 

– UX Engineering

The UX Engineer is a front-end developer who has mastered UX design principles. The primary duties are to transform design projects into coding using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. The role also requires visual thinking and design experience. 

Their salary is usually higher than those of designers and application developers among the positions listed. Due to the uncertainty of functions, this specialty implies the broadest possible range of expertise, which means full-stack specialization.

Experience Level

According to Adobe, most managers highlight the following most important practical experience of designers: UX design experience (76%), having a solid portfolio (75%), and coding/programming experience (70%). In large organizations, the most influential factors in hiring were good references (78%) and references from someone they trust (84%). The traditional distinction between junior, middle, and senior levels remain basic for all employers to define the experience of UX candidates. 

Expertise and Education of UX Designers around the World

UX is a reasonably new specialization, so few UX-specific school programs exist. However, there are many online bootcamps and courses. Foundations of User Experience (UX Design) has already certified 405,000 UX designers, and the certificate offered by Google is one of many new educational offerings.  

Since the profession is new and interdisciplinary, applicants do not need to have an academic background in design, as a strong portfolio will tell more than their professional qualifications. They must have mastered interaction design principles, branding, typography and color theory, wireframe and prototyping, style guides, have a solid understanding of graphic design and web technologies, and wireframing tools such as Figma, UXPin, or Adobe XD. A good grasp of design programs and tools such as Photoshop, Illustrator, and Canva are also necessary.

For users and personal research, disciplines such as psychology, marketing, or social sciences may also be in demand. The ability to work in a team and communication skills are equally important.

The most favorable countries for UX developers are the United States, Canada, Australia, China, Germany, and the United Kingdom. These countries are known for design agencies, technical centers, and communities. Many startups in these countries need UX designers and engineers, so the average salary for UX web developers is the highest.

UX Developers Market Trends Overview

The market for UX developers is advancing and has a promising future. The request for specialists in this field is on par with the demand for software engineers as increasing web and mobile app downloads are driving the market growth. 

According to a survey conducted by Adobe, most managers in the UX/UI field hire UX designers to work on web design (65%) and mobile app design (54%). Also, a large minority of hiring managers expect mobile to be a top hiring priority in the next five years (48%). In addition to the hiring trend for cross-platform user design specialists, the demand for virtual and augmented reality development is growing. Thus, 82% of managers expect to hire UX designers for VR and AR projects in 3-5 years. Trends in artificial intelligence and wearables also will see double-digit growth.

By 2027, the global UX/UI market is expected to reach $1,156.6M, up from $398M in 2020, at a CAGR of 16.4%. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor projects a 13% percent growth in employment of web developers and digital designers from 2020 to 2030.

Among the notable players in the global user interface services market, researchers identify Google, Apple, Microsoft, Samsung, Adobe, Fujitsu, Oracle, and LG companies, and the United States, Great Britain, South Korea, and Japan as the most influential countries.

As you can see from market statistics, UX is one of the fastest-growing areas in the IT industry. In general, the demand for skilled IT professionals exceeds the supply. Thus, according to Korn Ferry, by 2030 more than 85 million jobs worldwide may remain vacant due to a lack of qualified personnel, and the UX-sphere can also be included in this statistic. The competition for UX professionals will intensify and the cost of their services will rise. The high demand for UX specialists is partly due to the lack of specialized training institutions; however, online bootcamps and schools are rapidly filling this niche.

UX Developer Salary in North America

USA

The US monthly average UX web developer salary goes at $7,500 for entry-level vacancies and $13,500 for senior positions. Detroit, Washington, San Diego, Los Angeles, and San Francisco are the most hiring cities. According to ZipRecruiter, California cities dominate in the list of highest Paying Cities for UX Developer jobs, including San Mateo, Berkeley, Daly City, Richmond, and San Francisco.

Canada

In Canada, senior UX Engineers earn $11,000 per month, one thousand lower than wages in Australia and more than two thousand lower than in the USA. The Canadian salary level is close to such European countries like Germany and Norway. Vancouver, Toronto, and Ottawa are the highest paying cities for UX design services.

Average UX Designer Salary in Australia

In Australia, a senior UX Designer has a salary of $9,000, which is not significantly lower than the United States pay level. Among the highest paying cities in Australia are Canberra, Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane.

Average UX Developer Salary in the United Kingdom

The United Kingdom has a competitive Web UX developer salary for the European region. The average junior UX developer salary is $3,250 and $7,500 per senior UX developer. 

The highest wages in the UK are in England, with a $4,000 monthly salary for junior and $10,000 for senior UX designers. London is the top city for UX professionals, not only in terms of salary but also in technological development. As one of the key European centers, London is a powerful technology hub, where the professional culture of UX design is presented at the highest level.

Average UX Developer Salary in the Western & Nordic Europe

Western and Northern European countries demonstrate a wide range of salaries. Germany and Norway have the highest UX developer wages in Europe; France, Belgium, Austria, and the Netherlands make up the middle range; Italy, Spain, and Sweden represent the lowest wages in Western Europe.

Norway 

Norway leads in wages in the Western European region. The average middle UX designer salary in Oslo is $6,000.

Germany 

Germany lags behind Norway with a slight gap in average wages. However, when comparing salaries by city, the gap becomes clearer. The salary for a middle UX designer’s position in Berlin is $5,500.

Belgium

Wages in Belgium are lower than Norwegian and German salaries. UX developers’ salaries range from $4,250 for a junior UX designer to $6,750 for a senior UX engineer.

Austria

Austria and the Netherlands closely follow Belgium. The average salary for most positions in Austria is slightly higher than in the Netherlands.

The Netherlands

Senior UX Engineer salaries in the Netherlands range from $3,750 to $7,500.

France

The average salary of a Middle UX Designer in France is $4,000, while the Application Developer salary for the same position is $5,000.

Italy

The average UX designer salary varies from $2,750 for junior to $5,500 for senior positions in Italy.

Sweden 

Swedish UX designers earn from $3,500 to $5,500 per month, while UX engineers have a monthly compensation of $3,750-$6,750.

Spain

The average wage for a UX developer in Spain is $4,250, while the App Developer salary is $4,500 in general. 

Average UX Developer Salary in Israel

Wages in Israel can be consistent with Italian pay as they are almost equal. A Web UX developer salary here is $4,668 for a junior position and $8,285 for senior programmers. 

UX Designer Salary in Eastern Asia

Japan 

Japan has the highest UX lead developer salary in the Eastern Asian region: $5,000 for junior and $9,000 for senior specialists. The other UX developer’s wages in Japan are slightly lower than in Singapore.

Singapore

Salaries in Singapore are the highest in the region. For most UX developer positions, wages in Singapore are slightly higher than the average Japanese salary; however, the difference is usually less than $100.

China

China ranks third in the region with a significant wage gap. For example, the senior UX designer salary in China is $4,750, more than $2,000 less than in Japan and Singapore.

South Korea

South Korea has the lowest wages in the region; a gap with China is about $200-400 for different positions. For example, a senior UX designer’s salary is $4,500, and a senior UX engineer is $5,500 according to $4,750 and $6,000 for the same roles in China.

UX Developer Salary in Eastern Europe

Despite the geographical proximity, the countries of Eastern Europe show the widest salary gradient, with the highest rates in the Czech Republic and the lowest in Romania. 

Czech Republic

The Czech Republic leads the Eastern European region with salaries ranging from $2,500 for a junior to $4,500 for a senior UX designer. 

Poland

In Poland, the salary of a senior UX engineer is $4,250, the salary of a senior UX designer is $3,250, and the salary of a senior application developer is $3,500.

Hungary

Hungary represents the middle range with a salary of $1,500 for a junior and $3,250 for a senior UX designer.

Romania

The salary for a senior UX engineer in Romania is $ 3,500.

Ukraine

The salary of a senior UX developer in Ukraine is $4,500, while the compensation of a senior UX designer is $4,000 per month. 

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UX Developer Salary in India

India has one of the lowest wages, with an average user experience developer salary of $1,500 and $2,000 per senior UX developer salary. 

UX Developer Salary in South & Central America

Argentina

Argentina has the lowest wage in the region, with monthly intern payments starting at $1,250. 

Mexico

Mexico ranked in the middle: $1,500 for a junior UX developer and $3,750 for a senior developer.

Brazil

Salaries of UX Engineer positions in Brazil range between $2,000 to $3,500 per month.

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