Also called: UX Design Director, VP of Design
Leads the teams that design apps and websites at a tech company.
They set design strategy, hire and coach designers, and push for user needs in meetings with engineering and business leaders. Reviews of new app flows, roadmap planning, and recruiting fill the week. They shape how millions of people use a product.
Estimate based on tech industry compensation; stock grants can add significantly at large tech companies.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 12 years after high school. Bachelor's in design, HCI, or related field plus 10+ years of experience.
Ways in: 4-year college, On-the-job training. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Interaction Design, Human-Computer Interaction, Graphic Design.
Growing about average. Tied to tech industry hiring cycles.
Low risk in 5 years, medium in 10. AI makes each designer faster, so teams may shrink; setting product vision, hiring and arguing for users with execs stay human.
Classes: AP Psychology, AP Computer Science Principles, Speech and debate.
Official data: O*NET occupation 11-3021.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.