UX Engineer

UX Engineer or User Experience Engineer (UXE) is a full-stack designer that possesses UX design, research, and technical (mostly front-end development) skills. The level of technical expertise might vary from knowing enough to build interactive prototypes in HTML/CSS and JavaScript to being able to use more involving front-end technologies, like Angular and React.

According to Google Trends the term UX Engineer is far less popular than UX Designer:

UX Engineer in Google Trends (Worldwide)

In US search activity for the term is limited to Silicon Valley and New York:

UX Engineer in Google Trends(US only)

Regardless of search popularity there are definitely UX Engineer jobs out there.

UX Engineer job descriptions

When looking at User Experience Engineer job listings it is best to rely on the job description and list of responsibilities rather than job title alone. This is true for any UX role, really. It is common for recruiters to use UX Engineer, UX Designer, UX/UI Designer, or UX Architect interchangeably.

The UXE job descriptions vary from company to company, and balance between design and technical skills can only be deducted from the actual job description.

For example, Google defines the role as follows:

As a UX Engineer, you’ll weave together strong design aesthetics with technical know-how. You’ll partner with researchers and designers to define and deliver new features, translate concepts into living, breathing prototypes, and iterate on interactions, animations, and details to deliver the perfect experience. UX Engineers also collaborate closely with UX Researchers to user-test new concepts and assist engineering.

Google Design Jobs

Based on this description alone it is very difficult to tell what level of “technical know-how” is required. This description could well suit any flavour of UX role.

Required Skills

User Experience Engineer should possess the same skills as a UX designer, but also have expertise in front-end development technologies:

  • HTML
  • CSS
  • JavaScript
  • jQuery
  • Bootstrap
  • Angular
  • React

The depth of technical knowledge varies from company to company, and could also depend on the particular project and team setup.

In most cases UX Engineer is primarily a design role. However, some professionals holding the UXE title claim to be primarily front-end engineers, and not designers.