What Does a User Experience Designer Do?

user experience designer draws wireframes on whiteboard

Get a role in one of America’s hottest fields.

UX designer jobs are part of the fastest-growing career fields in the United States for reasons that should come as little surprise. Quality user experience design (UXD) can lead to an increase in site conversions of up to 400 percent,1 which can greatly impact brand loyalty and sales, and most web users say they won’t recommend a business with a poor mobile experience.

Why user experience design?

A master’s degree in UX design provides the technical knowledge, as well as research skills to understand human behavior and leadership skills to manage teams and oversee UXD projects in a wide variety of industries.

UX designers are responsible for conceptualizing and developing the way a user interacts with a website or digital product. This encompasses both visual elements of the product—a clear, legible, and aesthetically beautiful design has a positive effect on usability—and its functionality.

UX designers consider all facets of the experience of their product holistically, including how they present information to the user (the information architecture) and how the user feels at each step of the experience.

What careers are associated with a degree in user experience design?

UX designers are involved in every stage of product development, creating an efficient and effective design that allows customers to interact with products and services in a way that adds value and enhances their overall experience.

One of the significant benefits of pursuing a master’s in UX design is the wide variety of careers that are available with this type of degree.

Some possible careers include:2

User Experience Designer

  • Median salary: $98,800
  • Top salary: $155,000

User Experience Researcher

  • Median salary: $106,800
  • Top salary: $175,500

User Interface Designer

  • Median salary: $104,800
  • Top salary: $167,500

Web Developers and Digital Interface Designers

  • Median salary: $69,000
  • Top salary: $117,600

As the online master’s in user experience design degree will prepare you for a job as a user experience designer, there are also many other opportunities as well, including:

Information architecture: UX designers are in demand for jobs where you oversee the entire architecture of a product or service. Information architects create maps for how someone will navigate a given system or experience.

Research: User experience begins long before product creation. In fact, some of the most important parts of a UX come in the earliest research stages. With an MS in UX design, you gain insight into human behavior—why people do certain things or want certain things—and you can use that research to consult companies and product design teams on innovating to meet consumer demand.

Project management: Today’s UX experience is complex, and creating products that satisfy the needs of your customers requires research, development, testing, launch, implementation, marketing, and customer service. With an MS in UX design, you can lead and coordinate these teams as a project manager.

Some of the Top Industries for Kent State UXD Graduates include:3

  • Consulting
  • Educational services
  • Government agencies
  • Healthcare
  • Marketing/advertising
  • Media/entertainment
  • Technology

Why a Master’s in User Experience Design from Kent State University?

A Degree Program Designed by and for Professionals

Why should you earn your master’s in UX design online at Kent State? There are many good reasons.

  1. Designed for busy working professionals, the asynchronous online course delivery of our UX master’s program offers you the flexibility to study around your work and life commitments.
  2. Small class cohorts encourage you to collaborate and build connections with your classmates and the faculty. Our program can help you build your professional network as you build your credentials.
  3. Faculty for our online master’s in UX design are active in professional organizations and have a well-rounded mix of practical experience and scholarly credentials.

Kent State University’s Online Master of User Experience Design

Kent State’s Online Master of User Experience Design degree has been crafted to enhance your design skills and increase your market value. Core courses give you a solid conceptual grounding for design.

From there, make the UX master’s degree your own through your choice of electives and a capstone course. Our accomplished and professionally connected faculty can help you tailor your elective coursework for your desired specialization or target industry.

For more information on Kent State’s Online Master of User Experience Design, visit https://onlinedegrees.kent.edu/ischool/user-experience-design/overview.



1 Retrieved on August 21, 2022, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2017/03/23/the-bottom-line-why-good-ux-design-means-better-business/?sh=459e09f32396

2 Retrieved on August 21, 2022, from https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Salaries

3 Information reflects self-reported data gathered from Kent State University students enrolled in the online Master of Science in User Experience Design from fall 2014 through summer 2018

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Justin serves as Executive Director for Career Exploration & Development at Kent State University and has experience in career counseling, academic advising, career exploration, development, staff development, and leadership.