Designing our experience of the digital landscape

As businesses increase the resources they pour into creating digital goods and services for their consumers, the demand for skilled UX Designers grows as well. Creating a functional and appealing user interface is just as essential as perfecting the technical inner workings of any software. 

Are you a user experience designer with experience developing interfaces that make complex technology accessible to non-technical people? Do you have a good understanding of human-centred design principles and the value of user testing in refining your work? 

If you answered yes to those questions, you're in luck. Hays is ideally positioned to assist you in taking advantage of the scarcity of skilled UX Designers in New Zealand. 

Find my next UX Designer job in New Zealand

If you have a strong portfolio of end-to-end user experience projects that you've completed, we'd like to hear from you. Creating a user experience that delights customers goes well beyond just including labelled buttons and colourful graphical interfaces; it necessitates creative minds like yours who can use personas and testing to create something that delivers an experience beyond the sum of its parts. 

Hays can link you with a rewarding opportunity in your city, whether you're looking for a full-time permanent position or want to explore contract opportunities. 

Send us your CV and we'll get back to you as soon as possible. Alternatively, get in touch to talk with one of our representatives about finding UX Designer jobs in New Zealand that suit your skills, experience, salary expectations and career ambitions. 

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Your UX Designer job questions, answered

Where can I find UX Designer jobs in New Zealand?

We post new UX Design opportunities all around New Zealand regularly. To see our current UX Designer openings or those in your area, explore below.
 

What are the responsibilities of a UX Designer?

UX Designers are the driving force behind product research and design to develop a digital service that engages customers positively and easily. This position collaborates with product owners, software engineers, graphic designers, UI designers and other team members to define a product's features in terms of usability, content and visual appeal.
 
UX Designers are designers who specialise in user experience design. They may work on any type of project, ranging from large-scale web applications to mobile apps on handheld devices like smartphones or tablet computers. UX Designers will be in charge of identifying issues that can be resolved through interaction design methods such as designing user flows, information architecture and wireframes before iterating and refining these elements.

What are the most important skills for a UX Designer in New Zealand?

UX Designers work with a wide array of platforms and applications and generally require skills in:
 
  • Creative direction 
  • Visual design 
  • Usability testing 
  • User personas 
  • User research 
  • Design systems 
  • Qualitative and quantitative research
UX Design is also dependent on collaboration with software development, engineering, non-technical fields such as marketing and other disciplines. Non-technical skills include taking charge of a project from start to finish and having excellent communication abilities to communicate their decisions to non-experts who have a stake in the product in development.
 
Learn more about key required UX Designer skills.

What is the job description for a UX Designer?

UX Designers collaborate with product owners, project managers, UI designers and software engineers to design and build digital products and applications that help a company develop its online presence and capabilities. As a UX Designer, you'll need to conduct various types of research to better understand user behaviour and suggest design ideas for the rest of the team. To ensure that digital products adhere to current design criteria, you will create personas, user flows and wireframes.
 
Learn more about the typical UX Designer job description.

What is the average salary for UX Design jobs in New Zealand?

In New Zealand, the average national base salary for a UX Designer is: 
 
  • $80,000 to $100,000 plus super for juniors 
  • $100,000 to $130,000 plus super for mid-weight professionals 
  • $120,000 to $145,000 for senior-level professionals 
  • $157,000 and up for top-level leadership positions 
Average UX Designer salaries in New Zealand will vary by location and experience. For a more detailed look at what the average UX Designer earns in different cities and regions, see the Hays Salary Guide.
 
Learn more about how the average UX Designer salary develops over time, from entry-level to senior positions. 

What qualifications does a UX Designer need?

UX Designers usually have a background in graphic/visual design, communications, computer science, or a related field. Employers are particularly interested in candidates with a robust portfolio of past work that demonstrates their capacity to improve a user's experience with software technology.
 
UX Designers should also know how to use design software like Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign, as well as tools like Balsamiq, Sketch and Figma.

What type of employers hire UX Designers in New Zealand?

Typical employers on a national level include:
 
  • Large technology companies and start-ups
  • Government & Not for Profit
  • Financial services industry
  • Creative agencies Media & Communications
  • Retail Logistics
Since businesses across almost every industry sector will have some kind of customer-facing digital presence, UX Designers can find job opportunities in almost any niche where their talents are required.

How do you become a user experience designer in New Zealand?

To work as a UX Designer in New Zealand, you should start by strengthening your graphic design, communication and user-experience abilities. You may accomplish this by going to university or taking on some brief courses to gain the necessary skills for the job.
 
Once you've had some experience, it's critical to create a strong portfolio of work that demonstrates your ability to come up with intuitive and user-friendly digital products. Begin by offering your services to local companies or working on low-budget projects for friends and family. Start applying for jobs at firms that match your skills and expertise once you've a substantial body of work that demonstrates your strong understanding of UX Design fundamentals.