How much do well-rounded UI developers cost?

May 22, 2006 12:05 PM

What's the going rate for an all-round web-based UI designer on contract?

I've been asked to help my HR group find this out, but I'm not sure I have a better idea than they do.

So, what's the going daily rate for a consultant with the following skill set?
• Background in usability and web-based UI design
• Good communication skills, including face-to-face, written and graphical communication techniques, specifically including tools such as PowerPoint, Visio, Adobe Illustrator, etc.
• Ability to produce comprehensive specification documents suitable for development purposes
• Knowledge of web-based UI design process from requirements gathering through to style guide delivery
• Familiarity with design concepts with emphasis on usability, productivity and end-user appeal
• Familiarity with wireframe design techniques including high- and low-fidelity approaches, as well as abstract wireframe design techniques
• Visual design conceptualization
• Production of page template design specification
• Ability to defend and justify design decisions to business and technical team members
• Ideally also: ability to create HTML templates from page template design specs, using J2EE-compliant AJAX techniques

posted by blue_wardrobe to computers & internet (12 comments total)

What country?
posted by k8t at 12:08 PM on May 22, 2006

k8t: Good point: USofA
posted by blue_wardrobe at 12:12 PM on May 22, 2006

Is this for a salaried job, or for a one time project?
posted by twiggy at 12:22 PM on May 22, 2006

Depending on experience and location for the skills you'd need, I'd say from $60/hour to $100/hour.
posted by joegester at 12:40 PM on May 22, 2006

I'm a consultant/contractor working full-time doing exactly what you just described.

If you are in the NYC or SanFran area, I would expect to pay upwards of $100/hr for someone who has both UI design skills AND programming skills. In other parts of the country YMMV. You can expect to pay less if you drop the final requirement and look for a candidate with UI skills only. I'm assuming that by J2EE-compliant AJAX you actually intend to say: "Someone with Java programming skills who can build out J2EE compliant jsp pages that incorporate AJAX user interface techniques." Yes?
posted by valkyrie at 12:54 PM on May 22, 2006

twiggy: one-time project / three months with possibility of extension for another project of the same nature.

valkyrie: Yes. What you said about AJAX. And, indeed, the final requirement could potentially be dropped. But it has considerable value in helping us address some internal issues.
posted by blue_wardrobe at 1:01 PM on May 22, 2006

With 8 years of experience doing this sort of thing, I recently upped my fee from $130 to $150 an hour. However, I have an extensive set of client recommendations testifying as to my efficiency and frankly ridiculous level of customer service (not advertising--not taking new clients right now--just saying that for that money you should expect superb service).

As valkyrie said, if you are expecting original coding of AJAX and other server-side interactivity, then I think $100 would be the floor.
posted by CaptApollo at 1:29 PM on May 22, 2006

Thirding what valkyrie said.

Leave off that final requirement. You can get someone to do that later/separately and maybe it's just me but I think you'd be unlikely to get that combination of skills anyway.
posted by AmbroseChapel at 2:11 PM on May 22, 2006

Was going to email you but you don't have an address in your profile...
posted by blag at 2:58 PM on May 22, 2006

Was going to email you but you don't have an address in your profile... ditto
posted by banished at 5:11 PM on May 22, 2006

Information Architect Salary Survey.
posted by stet at 6:42 PM on May 22, 2006

Here's a little Site that makes sure you're getting paid Enough. The "going rate" seems to shift from month to month, and I'm more programming than Design, so I don't have much insight on specifics.

(FWIW we have some well qualified and pretty efficient AJAXers working for us in Seattle for less than $100/hr, I'd say they're at the top of their game, and they fall beneath the "$100 floor" of CaptApollo.)
posted by hatsix at 9:06 PM on May 22, 2006