What’s one of the most alluring features of reading a book? Well, there is no distraction created by notifications, it’s just the reader and the text! Though courses, tutorials, masterclass, etcetera are good ways for learning UI/UX, the worth of a book is indispensable.
In today’s tech-oriented world, our attention span is so inadequate that it can be distracted with a single notification! It’s high time to question the impact of technology and not let it master our lives.
Why don’t we pick up a book and bring tranquillity back into our lives?
In this blog, we’ve judiciously prepared a list of Top 9 books on UI/UX designing to help every designer become a master of their craft. UI/UX books are the best way to learn the basics of UI/UX design and improve your design skills quickly. These books also help you to understand some basic aspects of psychology and how to design for people.
While most designers are adept at understanding the beautiful interface, they sometimes lack understanding people. If they don’t understand people, their interface won’t have a lasting impact on people’s minds.
Ben franklin quotes “An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest.” Keeping up with the spirit of this quote, let’s check some of the best UI/UX books.
1. Don’t Make Me Think
Author’s name: Steve Krug
Ratings: 4.5 stars on GoodReadsOverview of the book: ‘Don’t Make Me Think’ is a practical guide for web developers and designers willing to understand the principles of information design and intuitive navigation. It is read by developers and designers across the globe and is certainly one of the best books on today’s list.
The book is written in clear, simple to understand, and fun language. The concepts in this text are very well-explained and the best part is, so much knowledge is packed within the few hundred pages of this book. The author’s interesting illustrations and clear communication keep the reader hooked until the last page.
The content of this book is revised and highly applicable to UI/UX designers. If you want to learn the basics and intricacies of designing, then this book is for you!
Three reasons to give it a read:
- Gives you a better understanding of various concepts of designing such as usability, stakeholders in web projects, etcetera.
- Helps you in developing easy to navigate and accessible website designings.
- Teaches the right designing method for mobile webs.
2) Hooked- How to Build Habit-Forming Products
Author’s Name: Nir Eyal
Ratings: 4.9 stars on GoodReads Overview of the book: Nir Eyal’s profoundly read book ‘Hooked- How to Build Habit-Forming Products’ is loved by business tycoons, app developers, and product designers.
The concepts in this book are easy to understand and expand our knowledge of the niche. The writing style is simple and powerful where the author walks us through the principles for creating impactful user experiences.
Three reasons to give it a read:
- The book guides you through the process of bringing the user back to the product by understanding various internal and external instincts.
- It also lays down the principle to prompt users for taking action.
- The author also guides us through Variable Rewards-one of the crucial factors to drive users to a product in the simplest sense.
3) Lean UX
Author’s Name: Jeff Gothelf and Josh Seiden
Ratings: 3.9 stars on GoodReads Overview of the book: ‘Lean UX’ is the ultimate handbook for interaction designs. The authors walk you through the process of creating swift interactions by experimenting, evaluating and adjusting designs.
The content of the book is up to the mark. It preaches the readers to focus on designing the experience rather than the deliverables. Also, you’ll learn how to coordinate efficiently with your teams, gather prompt feedback, and create design throughout this book.
Three reasons to give it a read:
- The book teaches several useful principles essential in a designer’s career. For instance, Incorporating the customer’s voice in the project cycle to bring the desired results.
- The examples, experiences, and case studies mentioned in this book are really easy to understand.
- Most of the Designers and Agile Practitioners claim this book as a “must-read”.
4) Universal Principles of Design
Author’s Name: William Lidwell, Kritina Holden and Jill Butler
Ratings: 4.15 stars on GoodReads Overview of the book: Designers have to constantly keep themselves updated about the latest trends and tools in the industry. ‘Universal Principles of Design’ is a simple to read, yet powerful book. Most of the concepts in this book are simplified with visual examples.
The three authors have done ground-breaking work in this book and the concepts explained are clear, concise, and easy to understand. This book proves to be a bible for students, web designers, architects, engineers, or anyone willing to expand his expertise in design.
Three reasons to give it a read:
- Certain principles of this book such as The Golden Ratio, The 80/20 Rule are highly practical in today’s era. The reference links at the back of each chapter provoke the reader to take a further step and learn more about the concepts.
- The principles of design are clearly and lucidly explained in this book.
- Small easy to access chapters help readers from some or no background in designing garner an understanding of the topic.
Official website: http://universalprinciplesofdesign.com/
5) Design of Everyday Things
Author’s Name: Donald A. Norman
Ratings: 4.16 stars on GoodReads Overview of the book: Have you ever wondered how design communicates from an object to a user? Well, even if you haven’t, this book takes you on an adventurous ride and rewires your understanding of design. It teaches you to create products that communicate with the user and provide a convincing experience to them.
The content of the book is simple to understand yet thought-provoking. The author with his writing style, proofs and facts will challenge your perspective towards products/objects.
Three reasons to give it a read:
- The learnings from this book liberate you to look beyond the designs of everyday things.
- The examples, historical data and intriguing writing style make this a gem of a book.
- The author explores every design through the lens of human psychology which kindles a connection with the reader.
6) The Elements of User Experience
Author’s name: Jesse James Garett
Ratings: 3.99 Stars on GoodReads Overview of the book: Is creating code and alluring graphics enough for web designing? Well, obviously NO! Only sites with a cohesive user experience, sharp coding and graphics, and quality content can fulfill the strategic objectives of their business. This book guides readers through the process of creating smooth user experiences with simple language and plenty of examples.
The various concepts involved in user experience development are simplified in this book with the help of examples and illustrations. The author precisely guides us through various concepts of user experience such as visual design, information architecture, etcetera to create smooth user experiences.
Three reasons to give it a read:
- The process of website creation is precisely covered in this book.
- All five planes of user experience are precisely explained in this book with examples and illustrations.
- The methodologies given by the author have sheer practical application in a designer’s career.
7) About Face – The Essentials of Interaction Design
Author’s Name: Alan Cooper, Robert Reimann and David Cronin
Ratings: 4.06 stars on GoodReads Overview of the book: A plump competence in today’s list is ‘About Face- The Essentials of Interaction Design’. This book is your one-stop destination to learn the basics as well as the intricacies of web developing, mobile apps and desktop app developing.
The authors guide you through the principles of good product behaviour in this book. Also, Cooper’s Goal- Direct Design method is precisely explained in this book. Ultimately, the readers will gain the necessary knowledge to design the best products/services after reading this book.
Three reasons to give it a read:
- Though the book is lengthy, it will keep you hooked with its lucid writing style.
- This book is one of the most important books written on Interaction Design.
- It is a comprehensive guide on interaction design covering all its micro and macro aspects.
8) Sketching User Experiences: Getting the Design Right and the Right Design
Author’s name: Bill Buxton
Ratings: 3.90 stars on GoodReads Overview of the book: Just like the title, the book ‘Sketching User Experiences’ by Bill Buxton is quite impressive. The book is grounded in scientific research and practical knowledge. It stands firm on its objective of building a notion of informed designs.
The content matter of this text is easy to comprehend, covering sketching and prototyping design methods at the same time. It is highly recommended for designers, producers and architects to read this book once in their lifetime as it has some value bombs.
Two reasons to give it a read:
- This text precisely covers design sketching methods to help you easily build experience prototypes.
- There are simple to understand examples, exercises, projects, as well as links for tutorials in this book.
9) Designing Interfaces: Patterns for Effective Interaction Design
Author’s name: Jenifer Tidwell
Ratings: 3.83 stars on GoodReads Overview of the book: If you wonder, ‘Books won’t design interfaces for me so, why to waste my time reading them?’ Well, it won’t design it for you but it will equip you with the necessary knowledge to get an edge over the industry. ‘Designing Interfaces’ is an amazing book written by Jenifer Tidwell guiding the world on interface designing. The text provides concrete ideas on the various subject matter of interface designing.
The concepts are vividly explained with examples, instances and illustrations in this book.
Three reasons to give it a read:
- The chapters of this book are small and well-explained.
- After learning each concept, you will find common problems, solutions, examples and illustrations to expand your understanding.
- A must-read for people willing to excel in interface designing due to its broad coverage of concepts.
Conclusion
Books are a primary source of knowledge. There are tons of books currently present in the market on UI/UX designing. We shortlisted some of the most profound books for our readers and we hope you found our blog helpful.
UI UX design will play a vital role in getting more users hooked to a platform. Now, it’s an inseparable part of the web, mobile app, and e-commerce portal development.
With the above books, you can certainly one-up your design skillset and be the best in business.
