Five years ago, few were familiar with the concept of user experience design outside of the tech world. But once Apple’s unified user experience took over the market, companies quickly realized the power of UX design.

Now, a flawless, strategic, sleek user experience is no longer a nice-to-have; it’s a necessity and the demand for UX professionals is growing. As companies strive to enhance usability across all aspects of their business, they require more and more skilled individuals to innovate and execute their vision.

User experience design is an incredibly rewarding field, with above average job satisfaction according to U.S. News & World’s 2014 Best Jobs Report. Not only do you have the satisfaction of building cutting edge web and interface experiences, but also the opportunity to wear many different hats. The average UX professional has worked on five different platforms - from mobile apps to medical devices - throughout their career, according to a Nielsen Norman Group report. The day-to-day is just as dynamic with 75 percent of those surveyed reporting their job included at least sixteen different UX activities. Plus, UX professionals have their pick of industry. IT and finance might be the top sectors, but UX skills are relevant in every field.

High-demand, high-reward UX career has also led to high competition, reports Web Designer Depot.  One way to give yourself an edge is education. Over half of the UX professionals surveyed in the Nielsen Norman Group report had at least one master’s degree. Many UX professionals began their careers in specialized graduate programs like Human-Computer Interaction or.

Despite competition, opportunities to be at the center of user experience innovation are plenty, especially here in Boston. With a little help from Onward Search, we’ve identified five high-paying jobs in user experience design and where to find them here in the Hub.

User Experience Strategists

Average Annual Salary: $67,000-$135,000

User Experience Strategists must be able to leverage both sides of the brain and translate business goals into user experience design. These “expert planners” must be able to devise experiences that serve long-term interest of a brand or organization and execute on that vision.

Hiring in the Hub: Demandware, Clear Point Consultants, Red Hat Inc.

Image via Vimeo

Usability Analyst

Average Annual Salary: $81,000

Usability analysts are the problem-solvers. If there is a user experience issue, they apply research insights to analyze and correct the problem. They also use research and usability principles to continually evaluate and improve upon the customer experience.

Hiring in the Hub: Adaptive Tech Resources, Atlantic Associates, Lockheed Martin, Kforce Staffing & Solutions

User Interface Designer

Average Annual Salary: $84,000-$155,000

Successful products and services are supported by intuitive, sexy interfaces. User interface designers are responsible for this core component of all businesses, developing web and mobile interfaces that are not only easily navigated by consumers but optimized for conversion.

Hiring in the Hub: Localytics, MITRE, WinterWyman, DataXu, Lynx