Interaction Designer salaries
Probably the least exciting part, but most crucial part of any field is the salaries that people get doing it. Higher salaries means that more people are interested and that people who practice are most likely valued more. I think it’s an interesting metric to gauge design and specifically interaction design’s place in our culture, especially considering that some form of what we do qualifies as one of the best careers of 2008.
As the end of the master’s program approaches, it’s more relevant than ever for all of us second year students. That being said, I came across two documents, one from Carnegie Mellon and one from the Institute of Design in Chicago that polled some graduates:
IIT puts the median at $80-$90k, CMU gives a conservative $66k, and US News has some pretty high numbers, except for Pittsburgh. Of course, these should all be taken cautiously, considering the number of people who responded, the various levels of experience that people might have, and what the job actually is.
Also, pulled these from the IxDA discussion list:
AIGA Design Salaries Website
AIGA Survey of Design Salaries 2007
Information Architecture Institute Salary Survey 2006
Usability Professionals’ Assocation Salary Survey 2005
Jakob Nielson’s Salary Trends for Usability Professionals 2006
Peak Usability Salary Survey 2002, 2004
The types of work and titles are questionable… but if anyone has any other sources, I’d like to hear about em.
Perhaps the most reliable source is to ask CMU alumni in similar professional roles to the type you’re interested in. It might be a bit more apples to apples than these survey’s afford.
Don’t forget to factor in cost of living/quality of life…
$73K in Pittsburgh is a much larger salary than $115K in the SF bay area. You can buy a decent place in Pittsburgh close to work on $73K, while $115K in the bay area gets you a hellish commute or roommates in a condo.
Yeah, that does seem to be a big part of it, although most of the sources don’t seem to factor it in.
Hey Imran.
I found you.
“Design is a humble profession …” says you-know-who