This is a growing list of all the books we have ever recommended, either in our articles or through the LinkedIn profiles of our founders, Kritika and Akash.
UX Design Books (that you should read)
1. A Beginner’s Guide to Finding User Needs by Jan Dittrich
This is a free ebook for new UXRs. The content here covers planning research, communicating your findings with others and everything in between. The tone is conversational and Jan favours practical examples over abstract explanations of UXR concepts.
2. Think Like a UX Researcher by David Travis
This is ideal for product people who haven’t been trained in UXR. The thesis here is that while companies believe they have a good product, their users don’t always agree.
The book covers how to overcome bad UXR by getting rid of your seven deadly sins.
3. Just Enough Research by Erika Hall
This book ecourages UXR teams to ask better questions and think critically to save their time and money. Good research doesn’t have to be a long-drawn, boring process that distracts your team from “real” UX work. Following Erika’s advice, good research can be efficient, effective, and ethical.
4. Designing Interactions by Bill Moggridge
This book covers the covers the history and evolution of interaction design. Bill Moggridge also goes over the process and principles for creating successful interactive products and services.
5. The UX Team of One by Leah Buley
This book is a comprehensive guide for solo UX practitioners. It covers aspects of both, UX research and design and is ideal for those working in 1-person "teams".
This book’s greatest strength is that it offers an actionable toolset that keeps your limited resources in mind.
6. Interviewing Users by Steve Portigal
Steve’s book helps experienced as well as beginner UX professionals learn how to run more efficient interviews. The book serves as an end-to-end guide for user interviews and is full of funny real-world examples to help you understand the book better.
Non-UX Books (that you should still read)
1. Influence without Authority by Cohen and Bradford
A lot of your persuasion will be towards people who either don’t report to you or are your direct seniors. Billed as the guide to leading people who don’t report to you, this book will help you with this persuasion.
2. Influence by Robert Cialdini
One of the most important contemporary books on persuasion, Influence will arm you with research-based insights which you can use to earn buy-in for UX work.
3. Talk to Me by Dean Nelson
Dean Nelson is a professor of journalism. In this book he teaches fellow journalists how to take better interviews. His tips will help you improve your user interviews.
4. The Art of the Interview by Lawrence Grobel
A classic book on interviews. This is also aimed at improving the interview skills of journalists, so you’d have to overlook a few segments that make sense for journalists and not for UXers.
5. The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson
You do not need remarkable actions to be successful— it’s neither practical nor sustainable. This book urges you to constantly make unremarkable progress which eventually compounds into success. Applicable to your UX practice as well as your personal goals.
6. Mind Over Mood by Greenberger et.al
This is a workbook that helps you improve your emotional regulation. It was written by licensed psychologists (including the founder of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy). I’m usually sceptical of self-help books — but this one is genuinely helpful!
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