Product designer and UX designer are the two most popular roles in the software development company. However, still, people are not well aware of the responsibilities of these two roles which leads them to think they are similar.

Do you have the same doubts regarding product designer vs UX designer? If so, landing on this blog post is a good decision for you. Because, here we will discuss the skills, responsibilities, salaries, and everything about a product designer and a UX designer.

But before that, let’s jump into the basic definition of a product designer and a UX designer.

Product designer vs UX designer: Overview

People mostly mistake by thinking that the roles of a product designer and a UX designer are similar. But, generally, you will find a huge difference in the job responsibilities of a product designer and a UX designer. Wondering what those are?

No worries, we are covered it here, But, before that, let’s take a look at the basic definition of a product designer and a UX designer:

What is a product designer?

A product designer is responsible for overseeing a product’s complete design process, including planning, brainstorming, developing, UX, and other product-related tasks. Besides, a product designer mainly focuses on creating a product that has a high demand in the market.

What is a UX designer?

A UX designer mainly focuses on creating interactive designs for specific sections. Like product designers, they are not responsible for designing the whole product. Rather, they work with one or two aspects of a product and increase the user experience.

Product designer vs UX designer: essential skills

Since the job responsibilities of a product designer and a UX designer are different, their skills also need to be different. After thorough research, we have compiled all the must-have skills of a product designer and a UX designer under one place:

Skills needed to be a good product designer

Here is the set of skills that a successful product designer must have to carry out jobs without facing any issues:

• Excellent knowledge of UX/UI design.
• Have multiple years of relevant experience.
• Profound skills in Photoshop, Illustrator, and other design tools.
• Have experience in creating excellent designs from scratch.
• Skills in competitor analysis and user research.
• Know how to present a design through sketches, prototypes, and wireframes.
• Someone who knows how to provide problem-solving solutions and has leadership qualities.
• Outstanding collaboration skills.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

Skills needed to be a good UX designer

UX designers also need a few must-have skills to finely carry and manage their roles. Have a look at the skills that a UX designer needs to have:

• Excellent knowledge of UX product design.
• Have multiple years of experience in the respective field.
• Experience in working with design and prototyping tools.
• Portfolio with well-accomplished design projects.
• Knowledge regarding usability testing, customer satisfaction surveys, or success metrics.
• Communication skills.
• Knows how to do research and competitor analysis.
• Collaboration skills.

What are the responsibilities of a product designer and a UX designer?

Depending on different roles, their responsibilities also vary. Here are the responsibilities that product and UX designers need to carry while working in their respective designations:

Responsibilities of a product designer:

• Completing design challenges while involving end-to-end design process.
• Researching, brainstorming, and implementing designs.
• Responsible for the overall designs of products.
• Easily presenting critical concepts.
• Collaborating and communicating with the whole team.
• Working on multiple projects at a time.
• Creating a final design with all feedback and requirements.

Responsibilities of a UX designer:

• Working collaboratively with designers, engineers, product managers, and other team members.
• Creating flow diagrams, wireframes, prototypes, and visual mock-ups of the design.
• Presenting large-scale problems and concepts in intuitive UIs.
• Performing insightful research and welcoming feedback while preparing designs.
• Keeping up-to-date with new and ongoing design tools and trends.
• Working on multiple design projects and maintaining deadlines.

Product designer vs UX designer salary

The salary varies depending on the product or UX designer’s skill, experience, job location, and company. Here, we are listing down the salaries of the product and UX designer country-wise according to the popular job portals and listing websites:

How much does a product designer make?

• United States: $80K – $90k per year (Approx).
• Canada: $85k – $90k per year (Approx).
• Australia: $70k – $80k per year (Approx).
• Germany: $60k per year (Approx).
• China: $60k – 70k per year (Approx).
• India: $49k – $85k per year (Approx).

How much does a UX designer make?

• Unites States: $99K per year (Approx).
• Canada: $90k per year (Approx).
• Australia: $100k per year (Approx).
• Germany: $93K per year (Approx).
• China: $70k per year (Approx).
• India: $12k per year (Approx).

The above salaries are not fixed. There might be a huge difference for certain reasons. But, still, we share it just to give you an approximate idea of the salary of a product designer and a user experience designer.

Difference between a product designer and a UX designer

The main difference between a product designer and a UX designer remains in their name.

A product designer’s prime focus is to create a design that looks good and matches the brand whereas a UX designer mainly involves improving the user experience of a product.

Apart from this, there are many other differences between a product designer and a UX designer. Take a look at the main differences between them:

Product Designer vs UX Designer

Product Designer	UX Designer
1. A product designer leads the creation of a complete product.	1. A UX designer remains under the leadership of a UX designer who takes care of the user experience of a product.
2. Delegate tasks among other designers.	2. On the other hand, a UX designer prioritizes tasks.
3. Need designing, marketing, and testing skills.	3. Require UX knowledge and testing skills.
4. Have a wider range of skills to lead the whole product design	4. Only contain skills to improve UX.

Similarities between a product designer and a UX designer

Despite having multiple differences, there are some similarities between a product designer and a UX designer:

1. Both designers consider creating customer-centric designs.
2. Their purpose is to fulfill the pre-set goals.
3. They use almost the same kind of tools for the improvement of the product.
4. Both go through the design-thinking process.
5. Figure out the user’s needs.
6. Both perform market research.

FAQ

Is a product designer higher than a UX designer?

Yes, a product designer oversees everything from start to end while designing a product. He or she takes the lead and delegates work among others so that the complete project is done in the planned way. On the other hand, a UX designer works under a product designer by following instructions. Besides, a UX designer is only responsible for maintaining the user experience of the product.

Can you expect a stable career as a product designer?

Global Product design and development are expected to grow annually by 12.5% from 2022 to 2030. This means you have a high chance of succeeding in this field if you adopt a career as a product designer. Moreover, there are various career opportunities today as well where you can grow skills and enjoy a stable career.

Wrap up

Whether a person is a product designer or a UX designer, both positions need to have proper knowledge of UX product design, designing processes, and tools. Besides, product design is a field of innovation and creativity. That’s why both designers need to be creative.

Despite having some similarities, but still, there are still lots of differences between them in terms of roles, responsibilities, skills, and salaries. And, you already know what differences we are talking about!

Hope this content will help you to differentiate between a product designer and a UX designer.