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Salary Report Survey ~ 2026

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Welcome 👋

To the Global Service Design Salary(+) Report Survey 2026.

Click the button below to start.

PROUD PARTNERS

IMPORTANT REMINDER

Here are a few things you should know before you start.

🕵️‍♀️ To preserve your privacy as much as possible, we do not collect your name or email address in this survey.

🧶 The data will be presented in an aggregated form in the final report.

🌎 The report is going to be shared publicly on servicedesignjobs.com

⏱️ Completing this survey should take you around 10 - 15 minutes.

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact marc@servicedesignjobs.com or directly message me LinkedIn.

- Marc Fonteijn, host of the Service Design Show and founder of servicedesignjobs.com

About You

Let's start by getting to know you a bit more.

Which of the following best reflects your gender identity?

Woman

Man

Non-binary

Transgender

Two-spirit

Gender non-conforming

Prefer not to say

Other

Do you identify as a member of a minority group?

Yes

Prefer not to say

If you identify with a minority group and feel comfortable sharing, please specify which group or groups below.

Ethnicity

Nationality

Sexual Orientation

Gender Identity

Socio-economic Background

Health Condition

Neurodiversity

Religion

Other

Please specify the "Other" minority group(s) you identify with.

Which country / region are you currently located in?

Which city are you located in?

Do you live in the same city where you work?

✅ Yes

❌ No

What is your age?

Work Experience & Background

This section explores your professional journey and background in service design.

How many years of professional work experience do you have overall?

How many years of service design related work experience do you have?

Which of the following best describes your current level?

Junior

Mid

Senior

Lead or Manager

Principal

Director

Partner

Founder

Other

Please specify your current level.

Do you have a formal / accredited service design degree?

✅ Yes

❌ No

Please share the name of your service design degree and the institution where you received it.

Current Role & Responsibilities

This section explores your current salary, benefits, and overall financial wellbeing.

Which of the following best describes your current position?

Agency or consulting

In-house

Freelance or independent

Student

Other

Please specify your current position.

Which of the following best reflects your job title?

Please specify your current job title.

Which industry do you currently work in?

Which industries have you worked in / for this year?

Please specify your industry.

How would you describe the focus of your service design work?

Are you leading a team (of designers)?

✅ Yes

❌ No

Did your team grow or shrink this year?

⬆️ More team members

🟰 Stayed the same

⬇️ Less team members

🙊 Prefer not to share

Your Salary & Financial Wellbeing

This section explores your current salary, benefits, and overall financial wellbeing.

In which currency will you be providing values for the upcoming questions?

What is your annual salary in based on full time employment?

What is your typical daily rate in ?

What type of additional benefits do you have?

Please specify your other additional benefits.

What is the estimated cash value of your additional benefits in (per year)?

How many paid vacation days do you get per year?

Did you negotiate your current salary?

✅ Yes

❌ No

🔵 Not Applicable

Did your salary or daily rate increase this year?

✅ Yes

❌ No

By approximately what percentage did your salary / daily rate increase?

How satisfied are you with your total compensation?

12345678910

What made you give this specific rating?

Company & Organization

Let's dive into the professional context where your service design magic happens.

How many employees does your company have?

1 - 10

11 - 25

26 - 100

101 - 250

251 - 1000

1001 - 5000

5001 - 10000

10000+

Which department do you primarily report to within the organization?

Please specify the department you're reporting to.

How would you rate the overall design maturity of your organisation?

💪 5. Highly mature

4. Mostly mature

3. Moderately mature

2. Slightly mature

😔 1. Not mature at all

How well do you feel your organisation understands the value that service design brings?

💪 Full Appreciation (Service design is a core part of their strategy and how they operate.)

Good Understanding (They actively apply service design, but it's not fully embedded in the culture.)

Moderate Understanding (They use service design in some projects, but it's not widespread.)

Limited Understanding (They've heard of service design, but don't understand its applications.)

😔 Lack of Awareness (They have no concept of service design or its benefits.)

How well do you feel your organisation understands the value that your role brings?

💪 Full Appreciation (They recognize this role as essential and strategically important to the organization.)

Good Understanding (They see the value of the role and support it, but may not fully invest in it.)

Moderate Understanding (They utilize the role in some areas, but not consistently or strategically.)

Limited Understanding (They have a basic idea of the role, but not its full potential.)

😔 Lack of Awareness (They don't see the need for this role or its purpose.)

How well do you feel your organisation understands the value that you (as an individual) bring?

💪 Full Appreciation (They fully recognize and champion my skills and contributions to the organization.)

Good Understanding (They value my contributions and support my development, but could do more.)

Moderate Understanding (They appreciate some of my work, but not the full extent of my impact.)

Limited Understanding (They have a vague idea of what I do, but not the full scope.)

😔 Lack of Awareness (They don't recognize my contributions or skills.)

How much impact do you feel you’re making through your work?

🥳 Major (I see my work leading to major changes)

Significant (I see my work having a big impact)

Moderate (I see clear results from my work)

Minimal (I see some small results from my work)

🙁 No impact (I don't see any results from my work)

How has your level of influence on the business evolved this year?

⬆️ Grown

🟰 Stayed the same

⬇️ Declined

🤷‍♀️ Not sure

How connected do you feel to other service design professionals in the field?

👍 Very connected

Somewhat connected

Neutral

Somewhat disconnected

👎 Very disconnected

🤷‍♀️ I’m not sure

How connected do you feel to our field as a whole?

👍 Very connected

Somewhat connected

Neutral

Somewhat disconnected

👎 Very disconnected

🤷‍♀️ I’m not sure

Which percentage of your role is about showing alignment to key business objectives?

Which percentage of your projects have a clear measurable business outcome attached to them?

What is the biggest benefit for you of working in-house?

What’s your #1 struggle or challenge working in-house?

Freelance Focus

This section focuses specifically on the experiences of freelance and independent service design professionals.

How easy or hard was it to find work compared to last year?

🤩 Much easier

Somewhat easier

About the same

Somewhat harder

😰 Much harder

🤷‍♀️ Not sure

What are your primary sources of finding new clients/projects?

Agencies

Direct outreach

Networking events

Online platforms

Previous Clients

Personal Network

Referrals

Other

Please specify the "Other" sources you use to find new clients.

How would you describe your typical client relationship?

Short-term projects (one-off)

Ongoing projects with the same client

Mix of both

Other

Can you briefly describe the “Other” relationship you have with your clients?

Which percentage of your current clients are repeat clients?

For how many days this year did you have freelance contracts?

How satisfied are you with the predictability and stability of your freelance income?

😁 Extremely Satisfied (I have a consistent flow of work and income, and I feel very secure in my freelance career.)

Very Satisfied (My income is very stable and predictable, allowing me to plan my finances with confidence.)

Somewhat Satisfied (I generally have a good idea of my monthly income, although there can be some variation.)

Neutral (My income is somewhat predictable, but there are definitely ups and downs. I'm neither particularly satisfied nor dissatisfied.)

Very Dissatisfied (I often experience unpredictable income fluctuations, making it difficult to plan and budget effectively.)

Somewhat Dissatisfied (While I have some consistent clients, my income can still vary, and I'd prefer more stability.)

😠 Extremely Dissatisfied (My income is completely unpredictable and unstable, causing significant stress and anxiety)

What do you find most rewarding about freelancing?

What is your biggest challenge being a freelancer?

Job Satisfaction & Career Progression

Share your thoughts on job satisfaction and your career trajectory in service design.

How confident do you feel about the future of your career?

Can you elaborate on why you picked that confidence level?

How do you see the impact of AI on your role in the near future?

👍 Very Positive

Positive

Neutral

Negative

👎 Very Negative

What do you realistically see as the next step in your career path in the next 3-5 years?

Please specify your "Other" career path.

Which of the following apply to you?

💚 I enjoy my work

💪 I am good at my work

🌍 The world needs what I do

💰 I get paid fairly for my work

Did you get a promotion this year?

👍 Yes

👎 No

Other

As you’ve selected “Other”, please briefly describe any changes in your job title or responsibilities this year.

Did you get laid off this year?

Yes

Other

Could you tell us more about what happened to you in the context of layoffs?

Did you switch jobs in the last 12 months?

Yes

Other

As you've selected "Other," please briefly describe any job changes or shifts in your employment situation.

Do you plan to switch jobs in the coming 12 months?

Yes

Maybe

Can you elaborate on your motivation for wanting to switch jobs?

Work Habits & Skills

The following questions are all about your work practices and skillset.

How has your level of confidence around your craft and implementation of it evolved this year?

⬆️ Significantly Increased

Slightly Increased

🟰 Remained the Same

Slightly Decreased

⬇️ Significantly Decreased

🤷‍♀️ Not sure

What skills are you actively developing now that you believe will be most important to your future career?

To what extent are you currently using AI tools in your day-to-day work?

I don't use AI at all.

I experiment with it occasionally.

I use it regularly for specific, defined tasks.

It is deeply integrated into my daily workflow.

Other

Please specify your "Other" usage of AI.

Which AI tools do you find most valuable in your work?

How many hours do you work per week (on average)?

Which percentage of your work is currently done remotely?

Closing Thoughts

This survey is an ongoing prototype. We would love to know where you would like to take it next.

I feel that the questions in this survey are relevant.

👍 Strongly agree

Agree

Neutral

Disagree

👎 Strongly disagree

How can we make the next survey more relevant and useful for professional like you?

Have you taken the Salary Report survey in (some of the) previous years?

Yes

Have you ever used (the data from) the Service Design Salary Report?

Yes

Can you share how the report has helped you?

What key questions do you hope this years report will answer?

Where did you learn about this survey?

Colleague

Facebook

Friend

Google

Instagram

Newsletter

Podcast (Service Design Show)

ServiceDesignJobs.com website

Slack

X (Twitter)

YouTube

Other

Please share where you learned about the survey.

Is there anything else you would like to share regarding compensation, or feedback on the survey?

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