8 books that will help you learn more about UX
If you’re just starting out in UX design, you might be overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information. It’s not always clear from the very beginning how to distinguish useful information from unnecessary one, as well as find sources with truly high-quality educational content. That’s where it is worth remembering that in addition to resources on the Internet, there are books, the information in which is usually more accurate and structured. Therefore, books can be great helpers in the study of UX design and immersion in this field of development. In this article, we’ve put together a list of proven, popular books on the subject of UX design that every novice designer should read.
Lean UX by Jeff Gothelf & Josh Seiden
This book explains one of the most popular methods in UX design, i.e. lean method. This method focuses on the process of creating design rather than the end result, and requires a high level of communication between members of the design team in order to make quick rational decisions instead of wasting attention on unconstructive tasks. The book is basically what brought this method to life.
The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman
This is a perfect book for everyone who enters UX design for the first time and doesn’t have much background knowledge in this sphere. It is written in a casual, non-academic style and explains how UX design impacts our everyday life in many ways we don’t even recognize.
The Lean Startup by Eric Reiss
The “Lean Startup” explains how UX design can influence business success. This book can show you the role UX plays in shaping a new brand or a company.
Usable Usability by Eric Reiss
This book is a must-read for everyone who just started learning UX design. It explains the basics of usability in a casual way, helping you to understand it’s main principles and goals. It also shows some relevant examples of how the UX of digital products have evolved in the past 30+ years.
Hooked by Nir Eyal
The author of “Hooked” reflects on how to create products that have a high usability level and are long-lasting. Or, in other words, how to make people genuinely want to use any given product with the help of a good UX. Again, it is written in a casual style, so you don’t have to have special knowledge or experience to understand the main idea.
100 Things Every Designer Needs to Know About People by Susan M. Weinschenk, Ph.D
While previous books covered the topic of UX design itself, this one is intended to help UX designers understand the target audience of the product they are creating, since their main goal is to correspond to the users’ needs. It shows how to study users’ behavior and make them enjoy the product on a mental level.
UX for Beginners by Joel Marsh
This is one more book written for the newbies in UX design. It explains basic concepts and aspects of usability, and generally explains what happens during the process of creating any digital product.
A Project Guide to UX Design by Russ Unger & Carolyn Chandler
This is another introductory book to UX, but with a business approach. It gives readers information on how to manage a UX project to make it successful and covers business aspects of UX development from the first sketches up to the release of a product.
