Continuous personal development for me as a UXer is a big part of what makes the role so enjoyable. No matter how much time we put into project work, there are always new techniques to try, user testing to do and content to be read.
I’ve read many books on design, research, business and psychology over the last few years but only really find myself returning to and recommending a handful.
Here are five books I regularly recommend for those starting their UX career.
1. Laws of UX by Jon Yablonski
Read it for: Gaining a better understanding of user psychology and how users interact with digital interfaces.
Jon does a great job breaking down the more useful principles for designers and provides a framework for their application.
2. UX Strategy by Jaime Levy
Read it for: Gaining a better understanding of how UX design not only benefits the end user and the overall business strategy.
This book helped me with my stakeholder engagement skills and proved to be a valuable reference when I managed a large UX project with a lengthy research phase.
3. Small Data by Martin Lindstrom
Read it for: Martin's insights into what factors contribute to human behaviour and how cultural differences require businesses to adapt accordingly.
This is perhaps my favourite book on the list, Small Data is broken into eight stories that delve into the history of why some products and brands are so successful today. A must-read for user researchers, in my opinion.
4. How Innovation Works by Matt Ridley
Read it for: finding out how some of the world's most important developments were the result of both collaboration and continuous improvement and what lessons we can learn from history when tasked with the constant quest for innovation.
This is a long detailed read, I recommend the audiobook read by the author.
5. Universal Methods of Design
The only book on the list I haven’t read cover to cover. What this (large!) reference book provides is a detailed description of 125 methods to research problems and design effective solutions, each with examples and photographs of actual research.
I use this regularly during a project's discovery phase to ensure I’m implementing the right research strategy or discussing techniques with others.
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