There are literally hundreds of UX design books out there. Some are great for beginners others are more suitable for established UX designers. It is so easy to get lost, especially if you are just starting out in UX (BTW, I highly recommend you read my guide to becoming a UX designer if you haven’t done so yet).
I was there. I spent hours browsing through dozens of best UX design books lists, and even more hours looking deep into UX books that were recommended by UX designers. Some books I found to be very helpful, others not so much.
You see, I have very high standards for books, especially books on design. I enjoy reading, but I also value my time. I prefer shorter books that get to the point quickly, the books that are clearly laid out, the books that offer plenty of practical examples that are easy to relate to.
Below is my recommended list of best UX design books. It is not comprehensive. These are the books that I actually read and found to be instrumental in shaping my career as a UX designer. These are the books that I frequently recommend to other UX designers, and anyone interested in learning about UX design.
The list is broken down into categories for your convenience. I might have missed some topics that might be of interest to you. Let me know if you are looking for something in particular, or you have any questions.
And if reading books is not your thing, check out comprehensive list of UX design resources for courses, Youtube channels, podcast, and anything else UX that you can think of.
Best UX Design Books for Beginners
If you are completely new to UX design I’d recommend starting with the following books. They are a great primer on UX design in general and the design process in specific.
If you are a practicing UX designer these books might be too basic for you, so I recommend you skip this section and look at books by topic.
The Elements of User Experience
If you read only one book on UX design it should be The Elements of User Experience by Jesse James Garrett. At the very least, it should be the first UX book you read! Seriously!
The Elements is probably the most important UX design book published to date, and it’s a great introduction to UX design. It gives a comprehensive overview of important concepts of UX design. It also introduces a very practical framework for thinking and talking about UX design. It is especially useful if you are wondering what are the difference between UX, UI, Interaction Design.
Buy The Elements of User Experience on Amazon
The User Experience Team of One
by Leah Buley
This is a good introduction to UX design. It is great for beginners. The book is structured around philosophy or mindset of a UX designer as well as methods that are used in the industry. A great read, just like any other book published by Rosenfeld Media. Buy it on Amazon
Sketching User Experiences
by Bill Buxton
This is a lengthy read with slightly outdated examples, but that is the only book I found that places UX design in context, and talks about product development process in such a comprehensive way. Buy it on Amazon
Undercover User Experience Design
by Cennydd Bowles
This is a hidden gem. It is somewhat similar to The User Experience Team of One. It is written for practicing UX designer who find themselves in a situation where there is not much support for UX design activities, but there are very useful tips for any designer. It talks about ways to carry out UX research and design on a tight budget and with limited resources. Definitely something you can use even if you are just starting out in UX Design. Buy it on Amazon
As you can see, I don’t recommend The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman to beginners. It’s a good book, but not so great for beginners. It is written in a somewhat academic language that I personally find hard to understand. I also find that it is not particularly practical (at least compared to other books on this list). If you are already reading it, that’s fine. And if you’d like to read it, do add it to your reading list. But I suggest you read other UX design books on the list first.
Best UX Design Books by Topic
Once you are done with beginner books, you might want to explore books by topic. These are all important topics. I’d highly recommend you to read at least one book from each category even if you choose to specialize in a particular area of UX design.
UX Strategy
UX is not just about the user. Successful products are built for users but they also work to sustain and grow businesses. This is where UX strategy comes in. There is a good number of books that cover UX design strategy:
- Value Proposition Design by Alexander Osterwalder
- The Lean Startup by Eric Ries
- Change by Design by Tim Brown
- Rework by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson
These books were written for business people, but don’t let this turn you off. It is crucial to be able to see the UX design from a business perspective, and these books do a fine job at that.
User Research
User research is the fuel that drives UX design process. These books offer very practical advice on how to conduct user research, and how to capture the findings:
- Interviewing Users by Steve Portigal
- Observing the User Experience by Elizabeth Goodman and Mike Kuniavsky
And the following two books are particularly interesting, as they talk about a very unique way of thinking about the users, and presenting the user stories:
- Mental Models by Indy Young
- User Story Mapping by Jeff Patton
Communicating Design
Design has very little value if it is not communicated clearly and efficiently. I ask my team to read these two books at least twice a year. They are that good!
- Articulating Design Decisions by Tom Greever
- Discussing Design by Adam Connor
Prototyping
Prototyping is a great way to test ideas. Discover some creative ways to make the most of your efforts in these books:
- Prototyping by Todd Zaki Warfel
- Paper Prototyping by Carolyn Snyder
Interface Design
User Interface (UI) is an integral part of any product. Understanding the principles that make and break the UI is critical to anyone working on a product, not just UI designers.
- Don’t Make Me Think by Steve Krug
- Design for Emotion by Aarron Walter
- Web Form Design by Luke Wroblewski
Data Visualization
Probably every UX designers these days has to design dashboard with large amounts of data and information. These books will show you how to show data in a way that tells the story, and doesn’t stand on the way of the users:
- Show Me the Numbers by Stephen Few
- Information Dashboard Design by Stephen Few
- Visualize This by Nathan Yau
User Testing
So you have a design at hand, and perhaps even a built prototype. Now it is time to test with the users. Even though user testing is not rocket surgery, there is definitely some art to it:
- Rocket Surgery Made Easy by Steve Krug
- Handbook of Usability Testing by Jeffrey Rubin
Basic Principles of Design
And finally couple books as a great a primer on basic principles of design (beyond UX/ UI design):
- Before & After: How to Design Cool Stuff by John McWade
- Universal Principles of Design by William Lidwell
Monster list of UX books
If you are hungry for more, Chris Oliver, an Interaction Designer at Fjord, compiled The Monster List of UX Books. This list is an enormous undertaking. As of February 2020 it contains close to 950 titles.
One notable feature of the list is that it allows sorting by top (most recommended) books as well as release date, so it is easy to find newly published UX books.
Tips on reading UX design books
Design books in general, and UX design books in specific, are different from other books. Here is a simple tip to get the most out of your reading.
Design books usually come with lots of examples. It might be references to particular products, or stories that illustrate the point. It is best to look up the referenced products and see if you can reproduce the experience first hand. As you read the stories try and relate them to your own experiences as a user as well as a designer.
You will learn most things by looking, but reading gives understanding. Reading will make you free.
Paul Rand
This kind of active reading will help you get the most out of every design book you read, and will actually train you to be a better designer.
And one more tip on reading.
It is easy to feel overwhelmed with the amount of information coming at you. Every time you read make it a habit to find one takeaway that you can apply immediately. Do this continually and with time you will not only internalize what you read, but you will also build an arsenal of UX tools and tactics that you will be able to apply at will.
Read UX books for free
Design books are expensive, so before you go out and break the bank check out my article that will help you read UX books for free.
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