Top 10 must-read books for UX Professionals
Proficiency Level: All
We believe that User Experience is an applied science. One of the best ways one can learn UX is by putting conceptual knowledge to practice. But it’s only human that at times we run out of ideas. At times like these, we can make use of books. Books are the old-fashioned method that top our list as one of the best ways to learn.
Today we are going to share with you our go-to reading list of UX books. The list has been divided into 3 categories: Beginners, Intermediate and Advanced. We are sure you will find these books very helpful if you’ve just started your design career or are interested in the field of usability, interaction design or to simply develop an expertise in UX.
For beginner-level concepts
1. Don’t Make Me Think
Author Name
Steve Krug
Summary
This book establishes the basic thumb-rule of web and mobile design, i.e. the user shouldn’t have to think. An online interface should be self-evident, obvious and self-explanatory, which means that people should never be confused about what to do, where to go or what to click to find what they want. The book also explains why designers should prioritize usability.
Who should read this book:
This book is for everyone- web designers, developers and project managers; or even someone working at a small company with a web presence.
Available on
Amazon
2. The Design of Everyday Things
Author Name
Don Norman
Summary
This book explains what goes into designing a product that matches the user’s needs. This book also unravels the psychology behind creating good designs. If you want to develop an eye where you can spot design errors, this book is for you. What you will also learn from this book is how to bring users and technology closer in order to improve the experience of digital products.
Who should read this book:
This book can be read by designer, product managers and anyone who teaches design or other disciplines requiring creativity.
Available on
Amazon
3. 100 Things Every Designer Needs to Know About People
Author Name
Susan M. Weinschenk
Summary
This book combines research and practical examples to illustrate how consumers make decisions. This book also emphasizes why it is important for designers to develop empathy among many other things. Designers can learn to increase the effectiveness, conversion rates, and usability of your own design by asking the questions raised in this book.
Who should read this book
This book can be read by designers of all kinds, whether you design websites or physical products; product managers, developers, and as well as psychology students.
Available on
Amazon
For intermediate-level concepts
1. Lean UX
Author Name
Jeff Gothelf with Josh Seiden
Summary
This book explains what is Lean UX and how its principles and tactics focus on the experience behind the design and less on deliverables (as is the case with traditional UX). It also illustrates how to validate the findings with real users and continually adjust your design based on learnings. Lean UX lets you focus on the actual experience being designed, rather than deliverables.
Who should read this book
This book should be read by managers of design-lead projects, people who want to implement UX in agile projects or any UX professionals.
Available on
Amazon
2. Designing Interfaces
Author Name
Jenifer Tidwell
Summary
This book teaches design concepts that are often misunderstood; such as affordances, visual hierarchy, navigational distance and the use of colour. Also illustrates how to design engaging and usable interfaces with more confidence. Designers can learn more about polishing the look and feel of interfaces with graphic design principles and patterns.
Who should read this book
This book is a good read for anyone who is serious about designing interfaces.
Available on
Amazon
3. Design with Intent
Author Name
Dan Lockton
Summary
The Book gives us more in-depth insights on behavioural design, teaching you how to design and research with people instead of presuming what may work for them, utilizing people’s view of the world and the intricacies of everyday human experience. It’s a collection of design patterns, and design and research approach to explore the interactions between design and people’s behaviour across products and services, both digital and physical.
Who should read this book
Design with Intent can be read by interaction designers, user researchers and other professionals who are a part of the design process.
Available on
Amazon
4. Seven Step UX
Author Name
Csaba Házi
Summary
This book is one of the best resources for user experience design. It provides a step by step practical guide of all the steps, right from planning an app or website, to wireframing, research and design, and then delivering the final product.
Who should read this book
This book should be read by anyone who wants to design successful user experiences to build better products, whether in startups or larger enterprises.
Available on
Amazon
For advanced-level concepts
1. Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products
Author Name
Nir Eyal
Summary
Hooked is a ‘how-to-guide’ for building better products. This book explains the Hook Model: a four-step process embedded into the products of many successful companies to subtly encourage customer behaviour. The four processes are; trigger, action, variable reward, and investment.
Who should read this book
This book can be ready by product managers, designers, marketers, start-up founders, and people eager to learn more about the things that control our behaviours.
Available on
Amazon
2. Envisioning Information
Author Name
Edward Tufte
Summary
This book helps improve how we perceive and design visualisations. It has many interesting examples and ideas on how complex information can be represented. The book provides practical advice about how to explain complex material by visual means, with extraordinary examples to illustrate the fundamental principles of information displays.
Who should read this book
This book is a great read for anyone who wants an in-depth understanding of data visualization.
Available on
Amazon
3. Strangers to Ourselves
Author Name
Timothy D. Wilson
Summary
Slightly disconnected with design, this book particularly focuses on the functioning and impact of the human mind. It explains how much the subconscious mind impacts our behaviour and personality, more than our conscious thought. In most cases, the two minds conflict with one another, which can make it difficult for one to keep desires and actions in alignment.
Who should read this book
UX Designers and anyone else who wants to explore the concept of Human Psychology.
Available on
Amazon
Disclaimer: This is not a paid promotion. These recommendations are made purely based on our personal experience of reading each of these books.
Originally published at https://17seven.co on December13, 2019.
