Is UX Design in Demand in Australia?
If you’re considering starting a career in UX design you’re probably wondering what opportunities await you in the Australian job market. Is UX design in demand? What kind of salary can you earn as a UX designer? Where’s the best place to learn UX design? Read on to find out.
The Demand for UX design
We all know that technology is advancing rapidly, and becoming ever more integral to our work and life. That also means that in a sea of so much choice, users often decide in just a few seconds whether or not a site or app is worth their time.
As a result businesses now understand that user experience design (UX) is one of the most important factors in productivity and brand loyalty, with experts estimating that at least 10% of a project’s budget should be devoted to UX design. However, more successful businesses dedicate up to 40%.
As a result the UX design industry is booming, and shows no sign of slowing down. According to the 2021 Global UX Design Study by InVision, the demand for UX designers has increased by over 50% in the last 5 years and is expected to continue growing in the coming years. CNN Money predicts that from 2017-2027 the demand for UX designers will grow by a whopping 13%.
The job market for UX designers in Australia
Looking at job aggregator data, we can see a high demand for UX designers. Midway through 2022, just under 1,500 roles were advertised online via Seek.com.au, with New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland offering the greatest number of options for would-be user experience designers. The remote work landscape is also influencing the UX design jobs market, with many roles now being filled remotely.
As more and more Australian businesses seek to develop applications and software of their own, they need UX designers to ensure the very best experience for all of their customers. Demand for UX designers is high in Australia, and is trending upwards in 2023 and beyond.
What can you earn as a UX designer in Australia?
As the demand for experienced UX designers has increased, so have salaries. According to Glassdoor UX design was one of the top-paid careers in 2022.
In Australia, the average salary for a full-time employee is around $76,000. How does the salary for a UX designer stack up against this?
An experienced UX designer can earn between $100,000 and $170,000 p.a. The average for an experienced UX designer was $130,000 in 2021 – almost double the full-time average wage.
How can you learn UX design in Australia?
Almost anyone can become a UX designer if they have passion, drive and the right training. The wonderful thing about UX design is that it is a wide and varied field, which allows you to play to your unique strengths and even draw on previous career experience. Many of today’s UX designers were once graphic designers, web developers, artists or psychologists, who were able to pivot and apply their unique skills to the field of UX design. UX design encompasses many areas including user research, product design and content strategy.
With the high demand for UX designers, there are countless online UX design courses and bootcamps available in Australia. But not all UX design courses are created equal, or guaranteed to give you the necessary skills to land a job in the industry.
What is the best way to learn UX Design?
If you’re serious about becoming a UX designer and shopping around for a good UX design course, we believe that there are 4 main things you should look out for:
1. Ensure you learning UX design from the best in the industry
If you want to excel in any field, the easiest way to do so is learn from those who have reached the top. Ensure the course you choose is taught by people actively working in the industry and that have up-to-date knowledge on the latest trends, tips and tools.
All of the mentors at Harness Projects are heads of industry, with at least 10 years of experience. This gives you access to insider industry knowledge and invaluable connections in the field.
2. Learn UX design through experience, not just theory
So many of the UX design courses currently on offer use an ‘old school’, rote-learning methodology that is no longer relevant to the needs of a modern workforce. This cookie-cutter approach is not only a dull way to learn, it also fails to prepare you for the real world of UX design, which is constantly changing and requires adaptive thinking. What’s more, when you finish a cookie-cutter course, you have no real-world experience on your resume or case studies for your UX portfolio – only technical knowledge, but nothing else to help you get employed.
At Harness Projects we use a Real Project Learning model, ensuring you get the real-world skills AND experience that hiring managers demand in the UX industry. All our courses are taught on live UX projects with real clients, so that you build your UX portfolio while you learn and graduate completely job-ready.
3. Ensure you are learning cutting edge UX skills and tools
Because UX design is a relatively new field, and because technology is always changing, part of finding a good UX design course is ensuring that the curriculum is up to date, and you can learn most current tools and skills needed to be in-demand in the industry.
We’ve partnered with the Interaction Design Foundation, the world’s leading user experience curriculum provider, to ensure that you will be equipped with the most current UX design knowledge on offer.
4. Look for a UX design course that expands your soft skills, not just your technical skills
At the end of the day, User experience (UX) design is about users, is about people. The most powerful tool you can have as a UX designer is empathy. That’s why you should never choose a UX course that only teaches technical skills. You may be able to build incredible designs in Figma, but without an understanding of human beings, you will never succeed as a UX designer.
It is for this reason that in our UX Design courses we assess both the technical AND attitudinal (or soft) skills of our learners. We have developed an Employability Score-card©, created with leading Hiring Managers from around the world, to form the backbone of our project assessment process and provide a pathway for learners to know exactly what areas they need to focus on to ensure they land a job in the industry.
Ready to kickstart your career in UX design?
UX design is one of the most in-demand and exciting professions in the world. If you’re curious about a career in UX design here are some of the next steps you can take:
1. Check out our range of UX design courses.
2. Speak to a Harness Career Consultant to discuss how our courses can serve your career goals.
3. Get inspiration from the stories of some of our recent graduates!
