UX Designer Salaries

UX Design As a Career

If this year has taught us anything, it’s that the world we live in can – and does change rapidly.

This is why it’s more important than ever for us to be flexible, resilient and active in the digital space. Many of us have already taken our work online, whether for a short time or permanently. The ability to do so offers us the scope to create income and do meaningful work from anywhere.

Considering your options may prompt you to consider a career as a UX designer – but if working online is new to you, you may wonder if there’s really money to be made. That’s why we’ve created this guide to the average UX Designer salary Australia offers.

To get really clear on the User Experience Designer salary you should aim for, we’ve also created our world-first Harness Projects Employability Scorecard© which assesses your essential technical and attitudinal UX Design skills, rating each one as novice, junior, mid weight and senior. In your Employability Scorecard, you’ll learn how these skills contribute to success and increase the UX Designer salary you can expect to earn.  Your skills progression is tracked across each of the projects you complete at Harness Projects. So, you can track how your new skills translate to the industry benchmarked UX salary you can expect.

UX Designer Salary Australia

The UX Design industry in Australia is projected to grow rapidly in the coming years. As more of our business activities move online, the number of opportunities for UX Designers in Australia to create exciting, well-paid careers is increasing.

UX Designer salary by experience level

Novice User Experience Designer salary

As a novice, this is the start of your UX Design journey. You’ve signed up for either our Upskillers and Starters or our Career Launchers project-based learning option and you’re starting to learn and develop the skills you need to grow a thriving career in the industry.

You’ll work on exciting, real-world projects for companies you know, developing the confidence to get out there and do more. You’ve chosen to invest in yourself and your future, and soon you’ll be earning!

Junior User Experience Designer salary

Salaries for junior UX Designers in Australia are around $70,252 a year.

To qualify as a junior UX Designer you usually need to have 1-2 years’ experience in the industry. Importantly, completing 3 Harness Projects or our Career Launcher UX course also qualifies you, and will give you the skills and experience you need to obtain a junior UX Design job.

And of course, if you happen to have any relevant previous work experience, this can help you aim for positions offering higher salaries, too.

Mid Weight User Experience Designer salary

Salaries for mid weight UX Designers in Australia are around $85,122 a year.

UX Designers with 3-8 years’ experience can aim to earn this salary. The type of experience you’ve gained will have an impact on the type of job offers you receive and the salary offered. If there is a specific niche you’re very keen to work in, it can help to set up some strategies for gaining experience in this niche, for your portfolio.

And finally, remember that usually as your salary increases, your role will likely include greater responsibility.

Senior User Experience Designer salary

Salaries for senior UX Designers in Australia average a very respectable $101,736 a year – with the potential to earn much more with a focussed approach to developing additional in-demand skills and experience.

Those earning six figure salaries as UX Designers usually have more than 8 years of experience in the industry.

Earning potential of a UX Design contractor

If the prospect of working for someone else doesn’t appeal to you, you can always set up your own business offering UX Design on a contractor basis.

Experienced UX Design contractors charge day rates of anywhere between $400 and $1000 a day, depending on the niche, project complexity and skills required.

While being self-employed can be a great option and offer you greater control over your time, we always advise our students to target a few years’ experience working for a larger company first. This way, you’ll pick up invaluable insights into the industry and hit the ground running when you head out on your own.

Takeaway

Experienced UX Designers are in high demand globally, and as more of our economy moves online the opportunities are just going to keep growing.

For an exciting career offering meaningful work, an excellent starting salary and good job security, UX Design is the place to be.