UI Designer Job Titles

Various UI Designer job titles reflect different job responsibilities and specializations. For example, a UI Writer has far more responsibilities regarding the text involved in UI design than a general UI Designer. Senior UI design positions may possess specialized skills in coding or software development. While there is a great deal of overlap between the various UI design titles and responsibilities, prospective UI Designers will want to consider the salary bonuses and job duties that come from landing one of these positions.

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.

UI Designer Skills

UI Designers need to have a variety of technical and creative skills. They need to understand the principles of visual and interaction design, how these principles affect visual aesthetics, and how users interact with a product. UI Designers also need to understand how to conduct wireframing, prototyping, and user research, as well as how each stage in the project lifecycle informs design creation and iteration. 

UI Designers also require soft skills. Empathy allows them to put themselves in the user's shoes and better understand user needs during initial interface design, user testing, and informed design iteration. Communication skills are needed to interact with users and conduct user testing, as well as to present design ideas to stakeholders, listen to feedback, take constructive criticism, and defend design decisions. UI Designers should also enjoy problem-solving and have an interest in emerging technology. As new advances are made in technology nearly every day, UI Designers should be interested in continuously learning new skills.

Read more about what skills you need to become a UI Designer.

UI Designer Career Path

Many aspiring individuals choose to learn UI design through a college degree or bootcamp course (though it is possible to become a UI Designer without a degree). However, even after learning the fundamentals of UI design, job seekers usually need to spend some time gaining work experience and building a professional portfolio. This is commonly done through internships, freelancing, volunteering, and completing other odd job opportunities. Others take positions in adjacent fields, such as graphic and website design, before taking a UI design position at a tech firm or startup.

Upon landing an entry-level UI design position, new UI Designers will still have many things to learn. UI design is a career that continuously evolves alongside advances in technology. Thus a UI Designer can expect to continuously build experience and learn new skills throughout the entirety of their career. As their experience advances, they will gradually move into more advanced positions that match their evolving skill sets. 

As UI Designers grow in skills, they are likely to be given more responsibilities and take on larger roles within the product life cycle. Senior UI Designers may be responsible for and lead entire projects. It’s also possible for mid-to-senior level UI Designers to develop specialized skills in UX design, product management, or software development. Thus, their job titles may change to reflect these specializations. Their interests and career goals may also cause them to switch industries. 

Alternative to advancing within a tech firm, UI Designers might instead choose to freelance, which can offer a lot of personal and design freedom. However, freelancing shouldn’t be undertaken lightly. It requires additional administration work and is equivalent to starting your own business. Read more about freelancing as UI Designer and how to evaluate if you’re ready for such a career switch.

Read more about the typical UI Designer career path.

Interaction Designer

An Interaction Designer focuses their work on the interactive elements of a user interface. Their job responsibilities overlap significantly with that of a UI Designer, including creating wireframes and prototypes and integrating user feedback. At first glance, their job descriptions might appear the same, but the role of a UI Designer lies with the entire user interface, including non-interactive elements. An Interaction Designer position can range from junior to senior level. Thus, the salary ranges from $70,000 to $145,000 a year, depending on experience and work location. 

UI Graphic Designer

A UI Graphic Designer focuses their work on the graphical aspects of a user interface. They develop graphics, animations, and videos in web, mobile, and desktop applications. They are responsible for blending photography, imagery, charts, text, and multimedia elements to create their designs. UI Graphic Designer is a position that can range from junior to senior level. Thus, a UI Graphic Designer's salary ranges from $75,000 to $145,000 yearly, depending on experience and work location.

UI Developer/Engineer

The titles of UI Developer and UI Engineer are used interchangeably and are essentially the same job position. UI Developers/Engineers are responsible for using their knowledge of software development to build designs for web, mobile, and desktop applications. Additional duties include testing builds and gathering customer feedback. 

A UI Developer/Engineer is a position that can range from junior to senior level. A senior UI Developer/Engineer may need to know various coding languages, including JavaScript, Python, and C++. Still, junior positions may only require comprehensive knowledge of just one of these languages and their frameworks. Thus, the salary ranges from $75,000 to $195,000 a year, depending on experience and work location. 

UI/UX Designer

While UI and UX design positions overlap, UI Designers primarily focus on designing a user interface, while a UX Designer focuses on the overall user experience of using a product. Possessing skills as both a UX and a UI Designer combines both worlds, ultimately improving a UI Designer’s skills and abilities. Like a traditional UI Designer, a UI/UX Designer is responsible for creating wireframes and prototypes, designing graphical and interactive elements, and incorporating user feedback. The UX part of a UI/UX Designer's role involves a greater focus on overseeing user testing, conducting market research, and interpreting user feedback. A UI/UX Designer position can range from entry to senior level. Thus, the salary ranges from $50,000 to $130,000 a year, depending on experience and work location. 

UI Architect

A UI Architect is responsible for designing the interface structure and navigation for web, mobile, and desktop applications. Key responsibilities include identifying product solutions, determining the primary systems and subsystems required for interface development, and defining architectural requirements for supporting application features. 

UI Architect is generally a senior position, requiring eight to twelve years of experience in UI design. UI Architects are expected to have experience coding in JavaScript and related frameworks. The salary of a UI Architect generally ranges from $90,000 to $130,000 a year, though higher salaries exist. Salaries can vary widely depending on experience and work location. 

Why Become a UI Designer?

UI design is a field that offers various growth opportunities and competitive salaries. UI designers can work in a wide range of industries, such as healthcare, education, and finance, among many others. It also possesses options for working remotely, abroad, or even freelance or consulting. Many large cities in the US (such as New York, Chicago, and San Francisco) possess exciting UI design communities, events, and work opportunities.

UI design is an ideal career choice for creative individuals who also hold a passion for technology. While any design field is primarily creative, UI design sits on the cutting edge of technology. UI Designers must be interested in continuously learning throughout their careers and evolving their skills. UI design is an exciting career where you learn and work on new things daily.

UI design can also be a very fulfilling career. UI Designers gain a sense of accomplishment through problem-solving and knowing their efforts improve the lives of end users. UI Designers play an important role in maintaining technical usability and ensuring interfaces are accessible to individuals who might otherwise struggle. UI Designers also play a large role in the success of company products and can take pride in customer satisfaction from their efforts. 

Finally, UI design is a career that can lead to several different specializations and cater to individuals whose interests change as they grow within their careers. Technically inclined individuals might choose to expand their software engineering or programming skills. Others might focus on designing specific applications, such as mobile, web, or video games. Others desire to dive deeper into user research and combine their UI knowledge with UX design. 

UI design is a truly diverse and exciting career with various individual and career growth opportunities. Read more about whether UI Designer is a good career.

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