UI Designer Job Outlook

UI design has a steady job growth outlook. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics expects a 3% year-on-year growth through 2028 for UI/UX designers. UI Designers can expect their job to remain in demand and secure.

What is a UI Designer?

A UI Designer designs user interfaces, usually for digital applications such as the web, mobile, or video games. They build visual and interactive elements such as buttons, menus, and widgets. They also develop prototypes and refine their designs based on information gained from user research. Primary job duties of UI Designers include:

• Developing and enforcing a style guide that establishes a consistent visual “look” across the application.
• Designing each screen and individual elements within that the user can interact with.
• Making decisions about layout and visual elements that drive an intuitive user experience.
• Creating animations.
• Building wireframes and prototypes.
• Ensuring layout responsiveness across various screen sizes.

UI Designers craft designs for various industries, such as financial and banking, healthcare apps, retail apps, education, automotive, and gaming. A UI Designer’s primary goal is to design applications so that users intuitively understand how to use them and perform the actions or find the information they need without learning how to use the application first. UI Designers play a significant role in influencing how we use digital technology in our daily lives. 

Read more about what a UI Designer does.

What is the Job Outlook for UI Design?

New UI Designers will find the field is relatively open. In fact, every year, nearly 11,000 new or existing jobs are filled by new UI Designers. While this isn’t a huge number, it does show steady industry growth. UI Designers with a background in coding, psychology, marketing, or research may find themselves of higher value in the industry. UI Designers also have ample opportunity to grow additional skills or transfer to related fields, such as web development, marketing, and UX design.

Job Outlook

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics expects a 3% year-on-year growth through 2028 for UI/UX Designers. While this might not seem like significant growth, it is steady. Aspiring UI Designers can rest assured that UI design is not disappearing. Public and business reliance on digital devices increases every day. It’s becoming expected to be able to achieve anything through a website, smartphone, or tablet. This digital reliance keeps UI design in demand as businesses and the general public need intuitive and visually appealing interfaces to execute daily actions and solve solutions.

Future Growth

Technology is continuously evolving, and as it does so, UI design evolves with it. For example, virtual reality and augmented reality and two emerging technologies UI Designers might learn to work with. Over the years, it’s become increasingly important for UI Designers to expand their skill set. Mastery of key UI design concepts may be enough to land an entry position but is not enough to advance far in the career. UI Designers are expected to learn new skills and technologies, and many choose to specialize in certain areas, such as web or mobile development, or dive deeper into programming or computer science. Many pursue UX design. 

It may be easy to fall into the mindset that the role of UI Designer is disappearing with this requirement to gain additional skills. It’s important to emphasize that these “evolved” designers are not simply acquiring other skill sets but gaining toolsets to add to their UI design expertise. Each of these skills and specializations influence and improve a UI Designer’s abilities, ultimately making them a better UI Designer who can create better UI designs and work with additional technical aspects. All of this is exemplary of the industry’s vast growth. 

Industries

UI Designers have the ability to work in a wide variety of industries. Predominantly, UI design is needed in computer science, software development, and information technology industries, where designers build websites and mobile and desktop applications. However, UI Designers can choose to work, freelance, or consult in any sector where websites or applications are needed. These include finance, education, government and military, healthcare, retail, advertising, telecommunications, business, automotive, and entertainment. None of these industries show any sign of slowing down. Many of these industries, including social advocacy organizations and other nonprofits, are expected to grow by around 10%-13% over the next decade.

Salary

UI Designers see a considerable pay range (from $54,000 to $135,000) that depends on a variety of factors, including skills, specialization, and work location. However, the low-end salary falls near the medium wage in the US of $54,000 a year. The national average salary for a UI Designer falls around $85,000, 63% higher than the national average. 

Most of the highest-paying jobs available for UI Designers are at large software and technology companies, such as Amazon, Google, Apple, and Microsoft. Salaries from these companies for senior positions can range from $105,000 to $196,000, depending on skills, experience, and location. Established Freelancers and Self-Employed UI Designers can also make a significant salary. Lower-paying positions are generally found with small companies and nonprofit organizations that have less revenue to spread around. 

How Do I Find a UI Designer Job?

The job market for UI design can be competitive, so your job application materials must be polished in order to stand out. It’s recommended you do some introspection before your search to determine what industries you want to work in and what projects you want to work on. This makes your job search more manageable because you can narrow your focus to positions you want to pursue. Your application is likely to be better quality, too, since you’ll be more interested in focusing on the tiny details and ensuring you get everything right. 

UI Designer jobs are listed on popular job boards like Indeed and LinkedIn. However, you shouldn’t restrict your search to only one or two places. There are many other job boards, including ones specific to design professionals, remote work, and freelancing. In addition to job boards, you should take advantage of your network. Reaching out to other industry professionals can lead to finding unposted vacancies. Job fairs and industry events are other resources for increasing your network and pitching your stills. 

When searching for a job, the most crucial tool in your application is your portfolio. Employers are looking for applications with proven skills, and your portfolio proves what you are capable of as a designer. Your portfolio should showcase your best work and detail each step of the design process. Several online websites offer UI design prompts, case studies, and fake client requests that can assist you with building more projects and filling your portfolio.

Learn the Skills to Become a UI Designer at Noble Desktop

Noble Desktop offers several UI design classes for those seeking professional instruction in pursuing a career as a UI Designer. Classes are small and feature expert instructors and free retake options. Courses can be attended in person in NYC or online from anywhere. 

The UI Design Certificate is designed to prepare students to launch a career in UI design. You’ll learn essential design principles as well as how to use the most popular UI design tools: Figma, Photoshop, and Illustrator. Throughout the course, you’ll complete a number of hands-on projects and build a portfolio to showcase your skills to potential employers.

Should you be interested in UX design as well as UI design (the two fields commonly overlap), you can pursue the UX & UI Design Certificate. You’ll learn the design principles and industry tools of both UX & UI design, build a professional portfolio, and receive one-on-one job preparation assistance. 

Bootcamps are also available where you can learn the ins and outs of the most popular UI design tools, including Figma, Photoshop, and Illustrator. These courses are open to pure beginners and are designed to guide you to mastery of the program. 

If you’re not ready to jump into a full UI design course, you can explore Noble Desktop’s learning hubs. These hubs are designed to inform you about a topic and offer learning resources, including free tutorials and self-guided education. UI design learn hubs include:

• Learn UI Design
• Learn Visual Design
• Learn Adobe XD
• Learn Figma
• Learn Sketch