10 UX books to learn about Usability and UX design

Best UX Design Books









Embarking on a journey to understand Usability and User Experience (UX) as a beginner can be both exciting and daunting. With an ever-evolving field, gaining insights from reputable resources is essential. In this article, we've curated a list of 10 must-read books tailored for beginners eager to delve into the realms of Usability and UX. These handpicked recommendations encompass foundational principles, practical insights, and valuable perspectives to equip you with the knowledge necessary to create seamless, user-centric designs. Whether you're a budding designer, developer, or simply curious about improving user interactions, this collection serves as a compass for navigating the fascinating world of Usability and UX.

Best UX Design Books

1. The Design of Everyday Things

Author: Donald Norman
The Design of Everyday Things Author: Donald Norman

First, businesses discovered quality as a key competitive edge; next came service. Now, Donald A. Norman, former Director of the Institute for Cognitive Science at the University of California, reveals how smart design is the new competitive frontier. The Design of Everyday Things is a powerful primer on how--and why--some products satisfy customers while others only frustrate them.

2. The Elements of User Experience

Author: Jesse James Garrett
The Elements of User Experience Author: Jesse James Garrett

The Elements of User Experience cuts through the complexity of user-centered design for the Web with clear explanations and vivid illustrations that focus on ideas rather than tools or techniques. Jesse James Garrett gives readers the big picture of Web user experience development, from strategy and requirements to information architecture and visual design. This accessible introduction helps any Web development team, large or small, to create a successful user experience.

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3. Sketching User Experience

Author: Bill Buxton
Sketching User Experience Author: Bill Buxton

Sketching User Experiences approaches design and design thinking as something distinct that needs to be better understood-by both designers and the people with whom they need to work- in order to achieve success with new products and systems. So while the focus is on design, the approach is holistic. Hence, the book speaks to designers, usability specialists, the HCI community, product managers, and business executives.

4. Designing Interactions

Author: Bill Moggridge
Designing Interactions Author: Bill Moggridge

Digital technology has changed the way we interact with everything from the games we play to the tools we use at work. Designers of digital technology products no longer regard their job as designing a physical object—beautiful or utilitarian—but as designing our interactions with it. In Designing Interactions, award-winning designer Bill Moggridge introduces us to forty influential designers who have shaped our interaction with technology. Moggridge, designer of the first laptop computer (the GRiD Compass, 1981) and a founder of the design firm IDEO, tells us these stories from an industry insider's viewpoint, tracing the evolution of ideas from inspiration to outcome.

5. Usability Engineering

Author: Jakob Nielsen
Usability Engineering Jakob Nielsen Book

Topics covered: Usability basics, measuring usability, types of users, history of user interfaces, the usability engineering lifecycle, design techniques, heuristics and hints for improving usability, testing, managing user tests, assessing usability, interface standards, internationalization, and Computer-Aided Usability Engineering (CAUSE) tools.

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6. About Face 4.0

Author: Alan Cooper

About Face 4.0 Author: Alan Cooper


The 4th edition of About Face is the most significant revision yet staring with the new unique design and 4-color interior. The revision takes into account the worldwide shift to smartphones and tablets on the consumer and enterprise level and how designing for these devices is not as easy as just downsizing a website. 

7. Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability

Author: Steve Krug
Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability Author: Steve Krug

Using an attractive mix of full-color screen shots, cute cartoons and diagrams, and informative sidebars, the book keeps your attention and drives home some crucial points. Much of the content is devoted to proper use of conventions and content layout, and the "before and after" examples are superb. Topics such as the wise use of rollovers and usability testing are covered using a consistently practical approach.

8. Designing for Emotion

Author: Aaron Walter
Designing for Emotion Author: Aaron Walter

Make your users fall in love with your site via the precepts packed into this brief, charming book by MailChimp user experience design lead Aarron Walter. From classic psychology to case studies, highbrow concepts to common sense, Designing for Emotion demonstrates accessible strategies and memorable methods to help you make a human connection through design.

9. Universal Principles of Design

Author: William Lidwell, Kritina Holden, Jill Butler

Universal Principles of Design Author: William Lidwell, Kritina Holden, Jill Butler

Universal Principles of Design, Revised and Updated is a comprehensive, cross-disciplinary encyclopedia of design. Richly illustrated and easy to navigate, it pairs clear explanations of every design concept with visual examples of the concepts applied in practice. From the "80/20” rule to chunking, from baby-face bias to Occam's razor, and from self-similarity to storytelling, every major design concept is defined and illustrated for readers to expand their knowledge.

10. A Project Guide to UX Design

Author: Russ Unger and Carolyn Chandler
A Project Guide to UX Design Author: Russ Unger and Carolyn Chandler

This is an excellent real-world primer on UX design that captures all the necessary elements for someone to become a competent UX designer. It strikes the right balance between revealing better design practices with the most effective project management approach which is often omitted in books in the same category.


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Editors note: The following article was updated on January 10, 2024, to provide relevant information about best UX design Books.

1 comment:

  1. Thanks for sharing this list of top books. Looks like excellent reads on kindle device.

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