Your UX Career Path: In-house, agency, both or neither?

Your UX Career Path:  
In-house, agency,  
both or neither?

In-house, agency,  
both or neither?
!
This is a superﬁcial
question.

The deeper question:
!
What leads to UX  
career satisfaction?

Approach
• Surveyed 96 UX Pros
• Interviewed 11 UX Pros
• Joined discussions online
• Discussed with colleagues

What is your role?
User Experience Designer
Interaction Designer
Information Architect
User Researcher
User Interface Designer
Experience Designer
0 12.5 25 37.5 50

What is the highest level of  
education you have completed?
High School
Some College
Bachelor's
Master's
Graduate
0 15 30 45 60

Where do you work today?
Design Firm or Agency
In-house at a Large Company
Freelancer or Consultant
0 12.5 25 37.5 50

How many years of experience  
do you have in this role?
Less than 2
3 to 5
5 to 7
7 to 10
10 to 15
15 or more
0 7 14 21 28

1.
UX Pros that have worked
in a variety of places are
perceived to be more
successful by their peers

The most successful user experience
professionals I know have worked:
In-house only
Agency only
Freelance only
In-house + Agency
In-house + Agency + Freelance
0 10 20 30 40
*Not even close to statistically signiﬁcant

2.
People working in  
UX feel happy  
and successful

I love what I do.
Strongly Agree
Agree
Neither Agree or Disagree
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
0 12.5 25 37.5 50

Based on my own deﬁnition of success,  
I feel I am successful in my career today.
Strongly Agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
0 15 30 45 60

I am happy with my current  
overall compensation.
Strongly Agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
0 15 30 45 60

I am happy with the level  
of autonomy I have in my job.
Strongly Agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
0 10 20 30 40

My current job enables me to get  
better at skills that matter to me.
Strongly Agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
0 12.5 25 37.5 50

My current job enables me to do what I like to do
in the service of something larger than myself.
Strongly Agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
0 12.5 25 37.5 50

–Dan Pink
“Pay people enough so that they’re not thinking
about money and they’re thinking about the
work. Once you do that, it turns out there are
three factors that the science shows lead to
better performance, not to mention personal
satisfaction: autonomy, mastery, and purpose.”
http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2013/05/09/daniel-pink-drive-rsa-motivation/

Just a Few
• In-house at a Large Company or Org
• In-house at a Start-up
• Agency or Design Firm
• Freelance or Consulting

In-house  
at a Large
Company

Pros
• Resources (ﬁnancial and otherwise)
• Long-term involvement in projects
• Stability and predictability
• The ability to take ownership
• Career path options (CXO?)

- Khoi Vinh
“I think being "in-house" is the best job a
designer can have at this point in time. It
allows you to really get a product right, which
is, more than any other factor, what's
necessary to succeed in digital media.”

Cons
• You may be led towards specialization
• You may work on the same project  
for years
• Expect politics

Pros
• Dynamic and exciting
• Close knit team of dedicated people
• Exposure to diﬀerent roles and
responsibilities
• Special ﬁnancial opportunities  
(if you’re lucky)

Cons
• You may be the only UX pro on the team
• When things get bad, they can get
personal
• You have a greater chance of  
getting laid oﬀ
• Longer hours may be the norm

Pros
• Exposure to a variety of project types
• Opportunities to network
• At smaller shops you can be a generalist
• Client service is rewarding

Cons
• Less inﬂuence and involvement  
on products
• It can be very deadline driven
• You’ll encounter bad clients  
from time to time
• There could be bench time
• Your performance is tied to billable time

Pros
• Be your own boss
• You can potentially make more money
• Learn about business (on training wheels)
• Work from home, Mexico, or anywhere

Cons
• You need to market and ﬁnd clients
• Downtime can be ﬁnancially stressful
• Fewer opportunities to collaborate  
and learn
• You may get lonely
• Early in your career this could  
stunt growth

11 interviews
!
21 Suggestions

1.  
Discover what makes you
happiest and pursue it

2.
Deﬁne success  
for yourself

3.
Work in a ﬁeld or  
industry that aligns  
with your values

4.
Request informational
interviews

5.
Evaluate the culture  
of an employer by looking
at the founders

6.
Determine how hard you
want to work

7.
Early in your career, ﬁnd  
a job that enables you to
work with as many
talented people as you can

8.
Early on, don’t stay in  
one place too long

9.
Take risks when  
you’re starting out

10.
Avoid specialization,  
be a generalist

11.
Don’t try to be an  
expert in everything

T
I N T E R E S T/ E X P E R I E N C E
SPECIALIZATION

12.  
Compliment  
your core skills

Consider
• Enhancing your writing / speaking skills
• Study graphic design and typography
• Code a little
• Learn about project management
• Learn about business & ﬁnance
• Learn about the sales process

13.
Network, go to events,
reach out on social media,
talk about what you do
everywhere you go

14.
Accept that it’s ok  
“not to know” and reach
out to an expert

Tell them 
“I don’t know,  
but I will ﬁnd out”

15.
Be aware of internal
politics and realize you  
are not immune

16.
Understand your
employer’s (and client’s)
ﬁnancial health

17.
Always have your
portfolio or resume ready

18.
Determine if you’re
interested in a
management track, 
if you are, plan ahead

19.
Don’t get stuck thinking
you need to pay your dues
too long–when you feel
ready, go for it

20.
Analyze your setbacks  
and learn from them

–William Blake
“I must create a system or be  
enslaved by another man’s.”

Can I help you?
!
matt@fellswoop.com
206-369-1919

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