This recommended reading list is for anyone who wants to learn or deepen their knowledge in the disciplines of User Research, Usability, Information Architecture, User-Interface Design, Interaction Design, and Content Strategy experience Strategy.
The list is broad and includes books that exemplify design thinking, processes, methods, principles and best practices. Many of the books on this list are over 20 years old and yet they are still relevant more than ever.
Each book has influenced my perspective, made an impression and helped us to advance our craft. They have shaped the designers we are today and inspired the designer we will be tomorrow.
There’s not a day when we don’t find ourselves thinking and applying the ideas from these books. We hope that you too can extract the same value.
Our Top Ten
The Design of Everyday Things, Donald Norman
About Face: The Essentials of Interaction Design, Alan Cooper
The Elements of User Experience: User-Centered Design for the Web and Beyond, Jesse James Garrett
Subject To Change: Creating Great Products & Services for an Uncertain World, Peter Merholz, Todd Wilkens, Brandon Schauer, David Verba
A Practical Guide to Information Architecture, Donna Spencer
Communicating Design: Developing Web Site Documentation for Design and Planning, Dan M. Brown
Designing Together: The collaboration and conflict management handbook for creative professionals, Dan M. Brown
Seductive Interaction Design: Creating Playful, Fun, and Effective User Experiences, Stephen Anderson
100 Things Every Designer Needs to Know About People, Susan Weinschenk
The Shape of Design, Frank Chimero
50 More Must-Reads On Thinking, Methods, Principles and Best Practices
We find it helpful to choose what to read based on what’s relevant at the time. Applying what you’re reading, as you’re thinking and making is a great way to solidify concepts, reflect and learn.
Some old, some new. All important reading, in no particular order.
Designing Web Interfaces: Principles and Patterns for Rich Interactions, Bill Scott, Theresa Neil
The Laws of Simplicity (Simplicity: Design, Technology, Business, Life), John Maeda
Information Architecture for the World Wide Web: Designing for the Web and Beyond, Peter Morville, Louis Rosenfeld, Jorge Arango
Sketching User Experiences: Getting the Design Right and the Right Design, Bill Buxton
Well Designed: How to Use Empathy to Create Products People Love, Jon Kolko
Thoughts on Interaction Design by Jon Kolko
Manage Your Day-to-Day: Build Your Routine, Find Your Focus, and Sharpen Your Creative Mind, Jocelyn K. Glei, 99u
Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?, Seth Godin
Don’t Make Me Think AND Rocket Surgery Made Easy, Steve Krug
Designing Interfaces, Jennifer Tidwell
Handbook of Usability Testing: How to Plan, Design, and Conduct Effective Tests, Jeffrey Rubin, Dana Chisnell
Designing Interactions, Bill Moggridge
The Visual Display of Quantitative Information AND Envisioning Information, Edward R. Tufte
A Project Guide to UX Design: For user experience designers in the field or in the making, Russ Unger & Carolyn Chandler
Gamestorming: A Playbook for Innovators, Rulebreakers, and Changemakers, Dave Gray, Sunni Brown, James Macanufo
Mental Models: Aligning Design Strategy with Human Behavior, Indi Young
Practical Empathy: For Collaboration and Creativity in Your Work, Indi Young
Interviewing Users: How to Uncover Compelling Insights, Steve Portigal
The Mobile Frontier: A Guide for Designing Mobile Experiences, Rachel Hinman
Design Is the Problem: The Future of Design Must be Sustainable, Nathan Shedroff
The User Experience Team of One: A Research and Design Survival Guide, Leah Buley
Prototyping: A Practitioner’s Guide, Todd Zaki Warfel
Making Meaning: How Successful Businesses Deliver Meaningful Customer Experiences, Steve Diller, Nathan Shedroff, Darrel Rhea
Content Strategy for the Web, by Kristina Halvorson, Melissa Rach
Responsive Web Design, Ethan Marcotte
Just Enough Research, Erika Hall
Design Is A Job, Mike Monteiro
Designing for Emotion, Aaron Walter
Measuring the User Experience: Collecting, Analyzing, and Presenting Usability Metrics, by William Albert, Thomas Tullis
Creative Workshop: 80 Challenges to Sharpen Your Design Skills, David Sherwin
Letting Go of The Words: Writing Web Content that Works, Janice (Ginny) Redish
Designing the Obvious: A Common Sense Approach to Web Application Design, Robert Hoekman Jr
Designing the Moment: Web Interface Design Concepts in Action, Robert Hoekman Jr
Designing for the Social Web, Joshua Porter
Undercover User Experience Design, Cennydd Bowles, James Box
Product Design for the Web: Principles of Designing and Releasing Web Products, Randy Hunt
Designing the User Interface: Strategies for Effective Human-Computer Interaction, by Ben Shneiderman, Catherine Plaisant, Maxine Cohen, Steven Jacobs
This is Service Design Thinking: Basics, Tools, Cases, Marc Stickdorn, Jakob Schneider
Resonate: Present Visual Stories That Transform Audiences, Nancy Duarte
Metaskills: 5 Talents for the Robotic Age, Marty Neumeier
The Brand Gap: How to Bridge the Distance Between Business Strategy and Design, Marty Neumeier
Getting Real AND Rework, 37 Signals, Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson
Glut: Mastering Information through the Ages, Alex Wright
The Humane Interface: New Directions for Designing Interactive Systems, Jef Raskin
Designing with Web Standards, Jeffrey Zeldman, Ethan Marcotte
Simple and Usable Web, Mobile, and Interaction Design, Giles Colborne
Search Patterns: Design for Discovery, Peter Morville, Jeffery Callender
Emotional Design: Why We Love (or Hate) Everyday Things, Don Norman
Neuro Web Design: What Makes Them Click? Susan Weinschenk
Designing for the Digital Age: How to Create Human-Centered Products and Services, Kim Goodwin
A Web For Everyone, Sarah Horton, Whitney Quesenbery
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