UX design vs web development—are you struggling to decide between the two? According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, both are in-demand jobs, offering higher-than-average salaries and career growth.1 In addition, both help to create digital experiences that wow users in every industry.
Let’s take a closer look at the responsibilities of UX designers and web developers to help you decide which career path is right for you. This article breaks down the key differences between the roles, the education and skills needed, and future career opportunities.
Key Takeaways
- Distinct roles in tech: UX design and web development are two crucial yet distinct roles in creating digital products. While UX designers focus on enhancing user experience through research and design, web developers bring these designs to life through coding and technical implementation.
- Different skillsets required: UX designers require skills in user research, interface design, and proficiency with design tools. Web developers need expertise in programming languages, front-end or back-end development, and problem-solving abilities.
- Collaboration is key: Both roles often work closely to ensure the final product is user-friendly and functional, highlighting the importance of understanding each other’s contributions.
- Career opportunities and outlook: Both fields offer promising career prospects with high demand in the tech industry. Choosing between them depends on your interests in design versus coding.
- Choosing the right path: Understanding the key distinctions between UX design and web development can help aspiring professionals decide which career aligns with their passions and strengths.
What is UX design?
UX design (short for user experience design) is the process of creating the visual design of digital products, providing meaningful and enjoyable experiences for users. UX designers enhance the usability and accessibility of web applications to improve user satisfaction.
User research provides the foundation for UX design decisions. UX designers conduct user surveys, interviews, and testing with the product’s intended audience to understand their needs, wants, and pain points.
Based on this research, designers then develop user personas and journey maps. These blueprints visualize a user’s experience as they interact with the product, such as adding an item to the cart or filling out a form. Journey maps help web developers and designers empathize with the user’s experience. Through this research, UX designers are able to communicate with stakeholders to help them align on users’ needs and priorities at each step of the journey.
From there, UX designers determine the product’s information architecture and create wireframes and prototypes. Some UX designers also serve as user interface (UI) designers. They utilize design tools like Sketch or Figma to develop the user interface design that functions ideally for each user persona, including:
- Interaction design: the buttons, gestures, and animations that allow users to interact with the product
- Visual design: the aesthetics of the user interface, such as colors and fonts
What is web development?
Web development (or web dev for short) is a form of software development that focuses on building and maintaining websites and web applications. This includes front-end development, which creates the visible part of a website that users interact with, and back-end development, which handles a website’s functionality behind the scenes.
Front-end developers write code in popular programming languages like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to structure website content and style a site’s appearance. They work closely with UX/UI designers to implement visual elements, such as color, font, layout, and interactivity.
Back-end developers write code in languages like Python and Ruby to manage the databases and servers that power a website. They ensure website security and optimize website performance.
Full stack developers have expertise across all aspects of web development. They use both front-end and back-end development to create responsive websites that work efficiently on various platforms and devices.
All web developers are expected to write clean, efficient code and understand common web frameworks. They are problem-solvers at heart, using their debugging skills and attention to detail to create reliable web applications.
Key differences between UX design and web development
While UX designers and web developers work together to create effective web applications, their main focus, tools, and processes differ from one another.
UX design is mostly concerned with human interaction, user needs, and the user journey. By deeply understanding their user personas, UX designers act as user researchers while striving to create interfaces that are intuitive and enjoyable to use. Web developers, on the other hand, focus on the technical aspects. They aim to create websites that function smoothly and efficiently.
Designers and developers use different tools to achieve their objectives. Tools like Sketch, Figma, Adobe XD, and InVision allow UX designers to create wireframes, prototypes, and designs. UX designers also rely on tools like UserZoom, Hotjar, and Userbrain to solicit user feedback on their designs.
Web developers use coding languages like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to build websites. Web frameworks, such as React, Angular, and Node.js, speed up their development time and improve consistency in web applications. Version control systems like Git help developers track the changes they make, so they can revert to an earlier version if needed.
Each role’s workflow and day-to-day responsibilities differ. With their focus on user psychology, visual brand elements, and user flows, UX designers spend a large amount of their time on user research and conceptual design solutions. They gather and analyze data about users through iteration and usability testing. Then, they apply what they learn to continuously improve their designs.
Meanwhile, web developers spend much of their time utilizing their coding skills. This includes:
- Testing their code to make sure it works as expected.
- Deploying their code to make it available to users.
- Maintaining their code to fix bugs and enhance its functionality.
These differences ultimately create better digital user experiences. UX designers and web developers collaborate to align the vision for the application’s design with what’s technically feasible. This balance ensures the final product not only functions well but is also enjoyable to use.
Overlap and collaboration between UX designers and web developers
While UX designers and web developers have different responsibilities, they share the same end goal: a seamless user experience. Their combination of human understanding and technical know-how creates visually appealing websites and digital experiences that users love.
Collaboration and communication between designers and developers are vital throughout the design process. Each role brings unique expertise. Together, they ensure the final digital product:
- Meets users’ needs.
- Adheres to technical best practices.
- Achieves business goals.
Some web dev professionals have skills in both design and development. They may even hold hybrid roles, especially in smaller organizations that tend to have fewer specialist roles.
UX/UI designers, for example, understand user research and graphic design. They create wireframes and prototypes, design animations, and adapt user interfaces to different screen sizes. Similarly, front-end developers with design skills may work as web designers. They consider the overall look, functionality, and responsive design of a website.
Career paths and opportunities
As companies of all sizes embrace technology and turn their focus to more user-centered design, the demand for user experience designers and web developers is on the rise. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts job openings for these roles will grow 8% from 2023 to 2033.1 That’s an average of 16,500 job openings every year!
Many designers and developers start in junior, entry-level positions and advance to more senior roles. UX designers may start as junior UX designers, making an average annual salary of $56,698 per year (as of July 2025).2 As they gain experience and hone their skills, UX designers can advance to principal UX designer, UX manager, or UX strategist. As of July 2025, these senior positions come with higher salaries ranging between $121,511 and $160,669.3
Web developers have a similar career path. Junior web developers can expect to make between $66,000 and $99,000 per year to start (in July 2025).4 With more experience and training, they can advance to senior developer, lead developer, software engineer, or web development manager positions.
It’s possible to move between roles as a designer and a developer because of their overlapping skills and common understanding of the website development process. Some companies even offer hybrid roles that may interest you, depending on your career goals.
How to choose between UX design and web development
When deciding between UI/UX design and web development, consider your interests, skills, and strengths. Are you drawn more to graphic design or technical coding? Do you enjoy human psychology or logical reasoning?
If you’re an empathetic person who thrives on creative thinking, digital design, and clear communication, UX design may be a rewarding career for you. Conducting usability testing and designing beautiful, functional digital experiences will play to your strengths.
If you’re a detail-oriented person who loves using logic to solve problems, web development may be a more aligned career for you. You’ll use your technical skills to build websites that solve real-world problems.
So, how do you break into these careers? Alternatives, like coding bootcamps and certification programs, offer intensive training to jumpstart your tech career in a matter of months. Explore all of your options—certifications, bootcamps, and degree programs—to see which is the best fit for your lifestyle and career goals.
No matter how you get your start, a successful career in tech requires continuous learning. The explosive growth of artificial intelligence is already changing the way developers and designers work. Many web developers now use GitHub Copilot, an AI-powered coding assistant, to code faster. UX designers use tools like Galileo AI to optimize their UI design before conducting more expensive user tests.
Your next step in tech
As you consider UX design vs web development, remember that both play an important role in creating incredible digital experiences. UX designers focus on the human element, conducting user research to create a design vision for the product. Web developers focus on the technical elements, bringing the design vision to life in a secure, functional website.
Now that you know more about each career path, consider which one aligns with your personal interests and strengths. Don’t be afraid to reach out to professionals in these fields to learn about their career journeys. And when you’re ready to take the next step toward your career goals, explore your education and training options.
Sources:
1 – https://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/web-developers.htm
2 – https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/Junior-Ux-Designer-Salary
3 – https://www.salary.com/research/salary/recruiting/principal-ux-designer-salary
4 – http://glassdoor.com/blog/guide/how-to-become-a-web-developer/
