Creative & Media

UX/UI Designer

Shape how apps and websites look and feel so people can find what they need without getting lost

Open interactive guide

What does a UX/UI Designer do?

UX/UI designers work with software teams at tech companies, banks, and studios. UX is about how a product works for people, and UI is about how its screens look. They talk with users, sketch screens, and test ideas. Empathy and curiosity about how people think matter most.

A day in the life

9:00 AMWatch a recording of a user getting stuck on the sign-up screen
10:00 AMSketch three ways to fix the confusing button
11:30 AMBuild clickable screens that show how the new flow works
1:30 PMWalk the developers through the design and answer questions
3:00 PMRun a test with five people trying the new checkout
4:30 PMWrite up what testers said and list changes for tomorrow

What's great

  • You solve real problems for real users
  • Mixes art, psychology, and technology
  • Many teams can hire remote designers
  • A portfolio shows your skill quickly

The hard parts

  • Managers and developers may disagree with you
  • You must defend design choices in meetings
  • Tools and trends change quickly
  • Entry-level jobs can be hard to land

What is a UX/UI Designer's salary and outlook?

$45k – $113k
Salary Range
Bachelor's degree
Typical Education
Growing

Typical pay in this guide runs from about $45,000 to $112,500 a year, with a midpoint around $75,000. These are planning figures for students, not a job offer or an official wage.

CareerLens rates the outlook as Growing.

For the official national outlook, see BLS Occupational Data.

How do you become a UX/UI Designer?

A common path is Bachelor's degree in design, psychology, or computer science, plus a portfolio. The ladder often runs from Junior UX Designer to UX/UI Designer, then Senior Product Designer, and Head of Design. Other routes: Design bootcamp with portfolio projects; Move over from graphic or web design; Self-taught through online courses and case studies; Design internship or apprenticeship.

  • Design bootcamp with portfolio projects
  • Move over from graphic or web design
  • Self-taught through online courses and case studies
  • Design internship or apprenticeship

Career path

Entry level
Junior UX Designer
Mid career
UX/UI Designer
Senior
Senior Product Designer
Executive
Head of Design

Will AI replace a UX/UI Designer?

How much will AI change this job?

A lot

AI will change many everyday tasks in this job. The work shifts toward judgment, checking, and people.

AI will handle many design tasks, but people guide the vision.

AI tools can now create quick design drafts, layouts, and even color schemes in seconds. This means UX/UI designers spend less time on repetitive tasks and more time solving real problems for real people. Understanding users and making smart design choices still needs a human touch.

AI can help with

  • Generating quick design drafts and layout ideas
  • Testing different color schemes and fonts fast
  • Writing basic code for simple website elements

What stays human

  • Understanding what users truly need and feel
  • Making final creative decisions about design direction
  • Working with teams to solve tricky design problems

Skills to build now

  • Practice sketching and drawing to build visual thinking
  • Learn basic coding through free online tutorials
  • Join a school club focused on art or technology

Based on public research from Anthropic and OpenAI, drafted with AI, checked automatically, and read by a person. How we know

This describes how the work may change. It is not a prediction that the job will disappear.