This book is an excellent resource in the UX career for those seeking practical advice to deliver impact despite working with limited resources or team support. And if you’re ready to excel in your current role or preparing for the next, consider enrolling in our intermediate courses. It’s time to upskill, stay competitive, and propel your career to new heights! Staying on top of the latest UX and UI design tools is key to thriving in the fast-paced digital world. From grasping the fundamentals of stellar web design to identifying room for improvement in your own work, the insights shared in this piece can significantly enhance your skills.
10 years ago, UX designers were only just beginning to focus on user research, usability testing, design thinking for responsive/adaptive design and mobile-first approaches. Today, UX design is already looking forward to exciting technologies like augmented reality, 3D, and cross-platform design. Good UX design is a competitive advantage because it lifts every aspect of the business and user experience while saving costs in the long run. A lot of businesses and user experience teams don’t realise that prioritizing user experience design is not just a matter of aesthetics; it’s a strategic decision. Rocket Surgery Made Easy is a user-friendly guide that empowers designers and developers to seamlessly incorporate usability testing for web and mobile interfaces into their workflow.
Apple’s Product Development Process – Inside the World’s Greatest Design Organization
This book provides a deeper understanding of the three Ps (principles, patterns, and processes) and the invaluable addition of the fourth P – practice. Cooper’s insights into team dynamics and the unique roles of “generators” and “synthesizers” in design teams offer readers valuable guidance on creating and managing successful UX design teams. Also, the book presents Cooper’s strategy for hiring designers to provide a comprehensive view of interaction design from conception to execution. Don Norman’s “The Design of Everyday Things” explores the relationship between human behavior and design. It delves into the concept of affordance and teaches readers how to create products and interfaces that are intuitive and user-centered. Norman highlights the importance of understanding users’ mental models, providing invaluable insights into designing effective and usable products.
Marsh discusses the optimal timing for research implementation and showcases how a deep understanding of users can improve product and service design. Steve Krug’s “Don’t Make Me Think” underscores the power of simplicity and consistency in web design. He advocates for intuitive, skim-friendly interfaces and emphasizes the importance of user testing. Krug suggests that, while creativity is important, it shouldn’t compromise the expected consistency unless it enhances the user experience. “User Friendly” by Cliff Kuang and Robert Fabricant explores how design principles subtly shape our daily lives and the world around us.
The benefits of reading books on UX
Written by UX consultant and web usability expert Steve Krug, the first edition of Don’t Make Me Think was published back in 2000. The next five recommendations come from Jonathan Courtney and Michael Smart, founders of the Berlin-based design agency AJ&Smart. Before creating wireframes and functional prototypes, use Whiteboards to brainstorm and develop product roadmaps.
Think of it as a practical companion and sequel to the hugely popular Don’t Make Me Think by the same author, which was published in 2000. Some of the design best practices may be a little out of date ui ux design books today, but About Face is still a wealth of information for user experience best practices in design. Universal Principles of Design is also featured on our list of the the best books for UI design.
Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products, by Nir Eyal
Kim Goodwin’s book is filled with practical examples and in-depth explanations, making it a valuable resource for beginners. It also emphasizes the importance of collaboration and stakeholder management, essential skills for any UX designer working in a team setting. Perfect for beginners, “A Project Guide to UX Design” provides a comprehensive overview of the entire UX design process. From user research and creating personas to information architecture and wireframing, this book covers all the essential elements of UX design. Unger and Chandler offer practical advice, case studies, and exercises that allow readers to apply what they’ve learned. An extremely valuable book for anyone building products designed to engage people frequently.
Don’t Make Me Think is one of the top books that you have to read when you are just starting with UI/UX. This book is an excellent introduction to the area of web and mobile usability and as the title states, Krug offers a common-sense approach to web usability. Some examples are outdated, but the concepts are still quite relevant. #oldbutgold The book lays out some clear and effective principles as well as basic tips for building and improving user interfaces. Krug talks about the importance of ‘ease of use’ and how user experience is the key to any successful type of website.
Don’t Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability by Steve Krug
In fact, having too many options can make us overwhelmed, doubtful, afraid of regret, and so on – something valuable to take into account when you’re designing. UX designers and creative teams use ClickUp to manage design projects, resource planning, creative collaboration, testing and validation, and feedback and approvals. This template integrates with your idea board and process mapping tools, making it ideal for creating amazing user experiences.
If you’re looking to level up your UI design and product design skills, we’ve written a separate guide specifically on the best books for modern UI design. Designing with the Mind in Mind was originally published in 2014 by Jeff Johnson and has become an everlasting textbook on the concepts of perceptual and cognitive psychology in user experience design. This book focuses on the way design affects our daily lives and how we, as users, interact with the products we user and the physical world we inhabit. There is great user experience design and creative problem-solving behind the most (seemingly) boring objects. Hooked is an essential book to read if you’re in the business of creating digital products or services, whether you’re a UX designer, UX researcher, product designer, or product manager.
Its unique feature is the summary of each topic with brief questions and exercises, such as the SCAMPER example. These exercises prompt critical thinking and remind readers that UX approaches should be adaptable and tailored to individual projects. It’s an informative read that encourages questioning and flexibility in UX design.
- The book zooms in on the relationship you need to build with your clients to create a successful product.
- Unfortunately, world-class educational materials such as this page are normally hidden behind paywalls or in expensive textbooks.
- It reinforces best practices and introduces new tools you can apply to future projects.
- It’s an excellent roadmap for understanding the principles of intuitive design, navigation, and information.
It covers the basics of content design and explores topics such as the science of how we read. But no worries, I’ll be right here to lead you to the best of the best, whether it is a classic book for beginners or a book on new UX trends for advanced UX designers. Whether you are a UX writer, UX designer, copywriter, product manager, even straight-up the CEO of a business; this book has a lot to offer in terms of practice and inspiration. With all the choices they have to make and the need for collaboration with the design team, the first thing UX writers need to do is be acknowledged.
UX Portfolio
A good user experience is one that makes the users return and experience it once again. Every product, website, tool, or software design process has to build upon that mindset to be a hit. All digital products have an online presence and understanding the user experience design that can change a user or customer’s opinion of your product is part of growth. Simple and straight to the point, Susan Weinschenk’s book is a very useful tool for a beginner designer.
