How Many Work Hours Per Week?

How many hours do you work per week as a UX designer?

• In my previous profession, I was once told that 80-hour weeks were the norm in that industry and "it's always been like that... everyone does this".  My next 3 jobs were usually in the low 40s hours per week with peaks of 50-55 hours per week during relatively short crunch times. So for UX designers of any kind, several questions so that I can get a better idea: 1. What kind of specialization within UX do you have? 2. What kind of company do you work for? (Or do you work for yourself?) 3. How many hours per week do you work? 4. How many days per week do you work?

• Answer:

  As little as humanly and professionally possible -- that's why I'm freelance. I grew very tired of the full-time expectation that I would be available, and actively checking my email, at all hours. It is my firm and unshakeable belief that if you can't complete a normal workload in 40 hours or less per week, something is wrong. Either you're on the wrong project, at the wrong company, working with the wrong client, or have an inefficient project team. And now, to answer your questions: 1. I am not a specialist -- I'm a proud generalist; ultimately, I prefer the more upfront, strategy-related work, over the tedious grind of day-in-day-out wireframing. 2. I am self-employed. 3. I average between 36 and 38 hours per week. I am also religious about efficiency. 4. Officially, I work Mon-Fri, 9ish to 5ish.