How Much Can I Make as a UX Designer in the UK?

Working as a user experience (UX) designer typically involves leveraging a wide range of technical and workplace skills to improve customer satisfaction and drive a brand’s message through its products. UX designers are often compensated well for their expertise in this field.

In this article, we’ll discuss how much UX designers and other UX professionals earn in the UK, as well as what factors can influence salaries in the world of user experience.

What is an average UX designer’s salary?

The average base salary for UX designers in the UK is £53,845 as of June 2023, according to Glassdoor [1]. According to Office of National Statistics, in 2020, the average salary for full-time workers across the UK was £38,600, showing how lucrative a career in user experience can be [2].

Factors that impact UX salaries

The compensation you receive as a UX professional depends upon what company you work for, the amount of experience you have, your technical background, the skills you possess, and your specific job role. The next few sections take a closer look at the factors that can influence your salary. 

Job title

Every role in UX has a different range of key tasks and responsibilities depending upon what part of the design process they are a part of. These different jobs often require a unique set of skills to be successful and come with different compensation amounts. Salaries for seven of the top jobs in the UX field are shown below.

• UX designer: £53,356 [3]

• UX researcher: £59,877 [4] 

• Product designer: £51,016 [5] 

• Information architect:  £81,124 [6] 

• UX writer: £52,555 [7] 

• UX engineer: £47,618 [8] 

Years of experience

As you progress from a junior UX professional to a senior-level professional, you can expect to increase your salary substantially. Moving into a management position can often lead to an even bigger salary increase. The average annual salary for creative directors in the UK is £89,005 as of June 2023 [9] 

UX skills

Jobs in user experience require technical and workplace skills. Necessary technical skills include coding, wireframing, prototyping, and visual communication. Important workplace skills to possess are communication, collaboration, and a general curiosity for this field of study. 

Mastering some of these skills could give you an advantage in competition and allow you to take home a bigger paycheck. Team leadership, content management, product management, and design skills correlate to the biggest percentage increase in pay for UX designers.

Location

Location is another big factor that influences how much you make as a UX designer. Jobs are available in major cities across the UK, such as Manchester and Edinburgh, but UX designer salaries in London are significantly higher. London is widely considered the tech capital of Europe since over 40,000 tech companies have offices there; some companies include Amazon and Google. Manchester is a great second option because it is the fastest-growing tech hub in Europe, hosting companies like BBC and Kellogg's. 

Other benefits and compensation

The salary you receive may be the primary form of compensation in the field of UX, but it’s not the only one. The most common benefits include:

• Cash Bonus

• Paid time off

• Pension plans

• Private health insurance

• Additional insurance (dental, vision) 

Are UX designers in demand?

The demand for UX designers is growing because of the flourishing tech economy in the region. As the tech industry grows, so will user experience jobs and salaries. With user experience set to become a factor in what sites rank well on Google this year, the demand for UX designers could become even larger in the near future. 

Get started in UX design

If you’re ready to start building the skills you need for a role in UX design and other UX roles, consider pursuing the Google UX Design Professional Certificate on Coursera. This course effectively teaches the in-demand skills necessary for any UX design professional. The course is 100 per cent online with flexible scheduling and requires no prior experience or degree to enroll.