How to Ask for a Raise as a UX/UI Designer

What to consider when asking for a raise

Before you walk into the conversation, it helps to zoom out a little and look at your work from a business perspective. A raise is usually connected to three things: outcomes, effort, and knowledge.

In other words, don’t only think about how hard you worked. Think about what your work helped achieve, how it supported your team, and what new skills or knowledge you brought into your role.

Reflect on what you have accomplished

Start by writing down your recent accomplishments. This can include the work you completed, the problems you helped solve, and the ways your design work supported your team.

Ask yourself:

This helps you avoid going into the conversation with a vague feeling of “I think I deserve more.” Instead, you’ll be able to explain why your contribution has grown.

Research average salaries for your level

Next, do a bit of salary research. Look at the average salary for UX/UI designers at your level, and use that information to understand where your current pay sits.

That way you can use market research as justification and make your request feel more grounded, clear, and reasonable rather than walking in with a random number and hoping for the best.

If you’re interested, you can check out our overview of UX/UI design salaries by location and experience level to see how your current salary compares.

Determine how much of a raise to ask for

Once you’ve reflected on your work and researched the market, think about what kind of raise makes sense.

Here are a few common ranges to keep in mind:

These ranges can help you frame your request based on your situation, your performance, and the type of salary change you’re discussing.

For example, you could say:

Simple, clear, and straightforward. That way you're opening a professional conversation based on your value, your work, and relevant market information.

Set a specific goal before asking for a raise

Before you start the conversation, take a moment to clarify what you actually want to ask for. Are you pursuing a raise, a promotion, or both?

These two things often happen at the same time, so it’s easy to mix them together. But they’re not exactly the same thing.

Often, a raise can come with a promotion. For example, if your responsibilities have grown and your role has changed, it makes sense to discuss both your position and your pay.

But a raise can also happen without a promotion.

Sometimes, companies may be more open to discussing a raise because it can be connected to retention. Retention means the company wants to keep you because your contribution, knowledge, and work are valuable to the team.

So before you talk to your manager, define your goal clearly:

When your goal is specific, the conversation becomes much easier to prepare for.

Instead of going in with a general feeling that you should earn more, you’ll be able to explain what you’re asking for and why it makes sense.

When to start with your colleagues?

If you don’t feel comfortable starting with your manager, begin with your colleagues.

This can make the topic feel less intimidating, especially if asking for a raise is still something you’re not used to doing. You can have a few informal interviews with more senior colleagues who are in the same role as you.

Ask them how they think about salary conversations, how they approached them, and what helped them feel more prepared.

You can also learn from colleagues on other teams, such as development, marketing, or similar departments. Their roles may be different, but they can still give you useful perspective on how they approached asking for a raise in their own career.

Gather information, learn from people around you, and make the whole thing feel a bit more familiar before you talk to your manager.

When to start with your manager?

If you have a good relationship with your manager and feel comfortable discussing these kinds of topics, you can start directly with them.

This can work especially well if your regular one-on-one meeting is coming up. A one-on-one is already a space for discussing your work, growth, and goals, so it can be a natural place to bring up the topic.

Instead of jumping straight into numbers, you can first talk about your title or level.

For example, you can say that you’d like your title or level to better reflect your current skills, and ask your manager to help you work toward that goal. This keeps the conversation focused on growth and alignment.

You’re opening the door to a bigger discussion about where you are now, where you want to go, and what needs to happen for your role to reflect that.

However, keep in mind that not every manager is a good manager. Some managers may take an unfriendly, “prove it to me” posture. Others might brush you off or simply not be actively helpful.

That doesn’t mean the situation is impossible to overcome, rather that the process might be more tiring. Especially if you need to do more of the work yourself instead of getting clear support from your manager.