Design

How to become a user experience designer

Official title: User experience designer

Also called: UX designer, UX developer, UX/UI designer, UI designer, Experience designer

User experience designers design how products like websites and apps look and work, based on users' needs. They do market research and user tests, analyse trends and improve designs based on users’ feedback.

Main tasks

Design websites and apps
Plan website and app navigation
Test website designs
Create design drafts
Work with developers and writers
Talk to clients and users about needs
Research design ideas

How to become one

You usually need a qualification to become a user experience designer and experience may be useful. You usually need NCEA Level 3 to do the study or training for this job. Other requirements: a relevant tertiary qualification in communication and media, graphics and design studies, computer science or similar area; a Master of User Experience Design; a portfolio of user experience design work; experience in similar work.

See the full Tahatū profile

Ways in

Certificates and diplomas: Advanced certificates and diplomas in graphics and design. TEC links this job to study in graphics and design studies. Qualifications: NZ Dip in Digital Media and Design, NZ Dip in Animation, NZ Dip in Web Design and Production, Dip in Design. Usually 1 year. Graduates of these qualifications earn a median $42,000 a year one year after study and $56,000 five years after; 39% are employed one year after (TEC, from Stats NZ IDI data).; Advanced certificates and diplomas in journalism, communication and media. TEC links this job to study in communication and media. Qualifications: NZ Dip in Journalism, NZ Dip in Screen Production. Usually 1 year. Graduates of these qualifications earn a median $44,000 a year one year after study and $60,000 five years after; 44% are employed one year after (TEC, from Stats NZ IDI data).; Advanced certificates and diplomas in software engineering and computer science. TEC links this job to study in computer science. Qualifications: NZ Cert in Applied Software Development, NZ Dip in Software Development, Dip in Cloud Engineering. Usually 1 year. Graduates of these qualifications earn a median $51,000 a year one year after study and $65,000 five years after; 50% are employed one year after (TEC, from Stats NZ IDI data).

Pay · Past change

Median pay: $101,000 a year, a TEC estimate before tax.
Lower: $85,000 a year · Upper: $145,000 a year
TEC's pay figures are estimates only. TEC says they must not be used to set pay, in pay negotiations or in visa applications.
People employed in the group Software and Applications Programmers: 27,834 at the 2018 Census and 38,946 at the 2023 Census (+39.9%). Past change, not a forecast.

Who does this work

In the group Software and Applications Programmers, 19% of workers are female (sex at birth, 2023 Census).
Where people in the group Software and Applications Programmers work (2023 Census): Auckland 45.8%, Wellington 21.9%, and Canterbury 12.2%.

Questions people ask

How do I become a user experience designer?

How much does a user experience designer earn in New Zealand?

The Tertiary Education Commission estimates median pay at $101,000 a year, before tax.

Sources

Stats NZ (via Figure.NZ): Census 2023: employed by regional council, occupation (ANZSCO V1.3 unit group) and sex at birth (2023 Census), CC BY 4.0 (Stats NZ), CC BY 3.0 NZ (Figure.NZ), retrieved 4 October 2026
Tertiary Education Commission (Tahatu Career Navigator): Tahatu career ideas: descriptions, tasks, pay estimates, people employed, employment change 2018 to 2023, entry requirements, registration, interest scores (Site scrape 2026-10 (816 career ideas, sitemap lastmod 2026-10-01)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
Stats NZ (via Figure.NZ): Census totals by topic for individuals 2013, 2018, 2023 (CEN23_TBT_004): employed by occupation, ANZSCO V1.3, summed to unit group (2023 Census (CEN23_TBT_004)), CC BY 4.0 (Stats NZ), CC BY 3.0 NZ (Figure.NZ), retrieved 4 October 2026

This content is sourced from the Tertiary Education Commission through the Tahatū Career Navigator website (www.tahatu.govt.nz) and used under the CC BY 4.0 licence. All or some of the information has been modified by Peernovo. TEC has not approved, endorsed or tested these modifications. TEC will not be held accountable for any errors within this content.

Qualification information from NZQA, used under CC BY 3.0 NZ.

This work is based on/includes Stats NZ's data which are licensed by Stats NZ for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence. Census data via Figure.NZ.

Includes information from O*NET OnLine by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.

Sources: Tertiary Education Commission, Tahatū Career Navigator (career ideas, pay estimates, entry requirements and study options, CC BY 4.0, modified by Peernovo); Stats NZ, 2023 Census (via Figure.NZ) and the National Occupation List (CC BY 4.0); NZQA qualification information (CC BY 3.0 NZ); O*NET interest scores (CC BY 4.0); ILO global generative AI exposure index (CC BY 4.0). Links between career ideas and ANZSCO groups, degree fields and broad job groups are Peernovo's.

These results are not official statistics. They have been created for research purposes from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), which is carefully managed by Stats NZ.

Graduate outcomes: these results are not official statistics. They have been created for research purposes from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), which is carefully managed by Stats NZ.

Updated 4 October 2026