What Is a UX Engineer? And How to Become One

A user experience (UX) engineer builds and designs digital products like websites and apps using UX principles. UX engineers generally deal with the front end of these products—the user-facing parts that people interact with, like the buttons, layouts, and flow of the interfaces. They may work on both engineering and design teams or act as liaisons between the two.

Explore a job as a UX engineer, including the average responsibilities of the job and how much you can expect to earn.

What is a UX engineer?

As a hybrid between a developer and a UX designer, the work of a UX engineer includes both UX principles and engineering tasks. Explore a breakdown of what you might do as a UX engineer:

• Plan and design web pages and apps: A UX engineer uses UX principles to create digital products. This can mean using wireframes, prototypes, and design tools to create blueprints for what a website or app will look like.

• Program the front end: UX engineers are unique from UX designers because they can code. A UX engineer will use front-end programming languages like HTML, CSS, or Javascript to create layouts and interactive features or execute other design ideas.

• Collaborate with UX and engineering teams: As a professional with both design and programming abilities, UX engineers often act as the bridge between the two teams. UX engineers can work with designers, back-end engineers, and writers to develop products. They may also conduct user testing, A/B testing, and other forms of research in collaboration with the UX team.

UX engineers may find their roles are similar to UX developers, front-end developers, product design engineers, or UI engineers, though each can differ slightly.

UX engineer salary and job outlook

UX engineers in the US make an average base salary of $116,285 [1]. It’s a field that’s likely to see healthy growth in the future, with the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projecting web developer and digital designer jobs to grow by 8 percent from 2023 to 2033 [2].

How to become a UX engineer

You can take several routes to becoming a UX engineer. Whether you’re a seasoned web developer who wants to make the leap into UX, fresh out of college, or somewhere in between, Explore some ways you can get started.

1. Align your skills. 

Your skills are important in convincing people to hire you as a UX engineer. Even if you don’t have all of the technical skills expected of the job, you can take many courses to learn the fundamentals. Some of the UX skills you’ll want to have and how you can get them include:

Programming languages: Because UX engineers tend to deal with the front-facing portions of websites and apps—the menus, layouts, and navigation pages—learning the coding languages that will allow you to build out the structure and style of your products will be crucial. These include:

• HTML

• CSS

• Javascript

You can start learning HTML, CSS, and Javascript through an introductory course or pursue a full Specialization in web development.

• UX concepts: Knowing what UX is and how to implement those practices in your work sets UX engineers apart from front-end engineers. Knowing what user-centered design means, how to find pain points, how to prototype, and being able to conduct user research should be a priority if you aren’t familiar with it already. You can earn a Microsoft UX Design Professional Certificate that will introduce you to the essentials of the field and provide a chance to create your own UX portfolio.

Sense of design and design tools: Having a sense of design isn’t necessarily something the artistically oriented are born with—many concepts can be learned. Getting a good grasp of design practices won’t just make you a better UX engineer; it’ll help you communicate with designers on your team. A few design tools and skills you can start with include:

• Typography

• Color theory

• Imagemaking

• Adobe Creative Suite

• Figma

• Sketch

Consider a Specialization in graphic design or interaction design if you’re in unfamiliar territory.

2. Build a portfolio.

Having a portfolio where you can showcase what you’re capable of can be a quick way to demonstrate you have what it takes to do the job. If you have a few projects under your belt, you can load them onto your LinkedIn. You can also create a portfolio with website hosting services like Wix or Squarespace. Customizable websites can be a good way to implement your UX engineering chops. Focus on clean, intuitive design, and make sure your code is functional and error-free.

3. Learn the space.

When you're entering a new space, you will learn new jargon and tools. You can help yourself get used to the terminology, pain points, and the way people think in the UX world by joining networking groups, browsing forums, or finding resources like books and podcasts (logins may be required). 

Once you grow more familiar with the field, you can consider reaching out to others to expand your professional network. Read more about networking to get interviews.

4. Consider a degree or certification.

If you’re still in college or considering going back to school, a degree can be a structured way to build out UX engineering skills. Think about studying one of the following fields:

• Computer science

• Human-computer interaction

• Design

• Psychology

Is a degree not what you’re looking for? You can explore several UX certifications and boot camps that can act as a crash course in the UX world. Though they can cost several hundred—or even thousands—of dollars, they may still be less expensive than getting a full degree.

Learn how to become a user experience engineer on Coursera.

UX engineering is a new and growing role that combines artistic sensibility with your ability to code. If you know you want to become a UX engineer, you can start by filling any gaps in your skills, building a portfolio, and getting familiar with the space. Consider enrolling in the Google UX Design Professional Certificate. The first week is free.