If someone wanted to become great at UX design, what is the ONE book you'd recommend they read, and why?
I'll hold my response for now.— christina (@cwodtke) November 18, 2013
Now let me preface this by saying I chose my words carefully… book, one, great. And people responded with a lot of different ideas on what path leads you to get great at user experience design. Some went broad, choosing books that cover it all, others went deep and inspirational. Still others went sideways. And more than a few suggested books wasn’t the way to go at all.
It’s a fun read.
@cwodtke I'd go with @brownorama's Communicating Design these days. Comprehensive, thoughtful, usable.
— Wendy A F G Stengel (@wendywoowho) November 18, 2013
@cwodtke "Sketching User Experiences" by Bill Buxton.
— Jeff Kraemer (@jeffkraemer) November 18, 2013
Sketching User Experiences: Getting the Design Right and the Right Design (Interactive Technologies)
@cwodtke Universal Principles of Design. Understand the ideas before the outcomes. /cc @williamlidwell
— Cennydd (@Cennydd) November 18, 2013
@cwodtke About Face, by @MrAlanCooper et al, for research methods + goal-directed design approach.
— A.J. Kandy (@AJKandy) November 18, 2013
About Face 3: The Essentials of Interaction Design
@cwodtke Maybe Petroski for the ecosystem of design/engineering. Evolution of Useful Things or Invention by Design.
But probably DOET.— Steven Hoober (@shoobe01) November 18, 2013
@cwodtke Just a great pairing: Henry Petroski – The Evolution of Useful Things / Don Norman – Design of Everyday Things (Revised ed.)
— Macartisan (@macartisan) November 18, 2013
@cwodtke The Design of Everyday Things, Don Norman – because cultivating the mindset of empathy and observation underpins all else.
— John Wood (@cogfric) November 18, 2013
The Design of Everyday Things: Revised and Expanded Edition
@cwodtke I think @jjg’s Elements of User Experience has stood the test of time. I agree that About Face by @MrAlanCooper is essential too.
— Jonah Bailey (@jonahbailey) November 18, 2013
@cwodtke @jjg's Elements of User Experience. It provides a language and structure for understanding UX, as well as its depth and breadth.
— (((Jonathan Knoll))) (@yoni) November 18, 2013
@cwodtke I'd say "The user is always right" because it triggers curiosity to start learning everything else.
— Raffaella Roviglioni (@Raffiro) November 18, 2013
The User Is Always Right: A Practical Guide to Creating and Using Personas for the Web
@cwodtke Don't Make Me Think by Steve Krug… good intro book
— aquazie (@aquazie) November 18, 2013
@cwodtke Ha! I’m a rebel. Also, can’t think of just one book.
(But if forced, I usually recommend Designing for the Digital Age.)
— Amy Silvers (@A_Silvers) November 18, 2013
@cwodtke 'Design for the Digital Age' by Kim Goodwin – all you need in 1.
— Hienadz Drahun (@HDrahun) November 18, 2013
Designing for the Digital Age: How to Create Human-Centered Products and Services
@cwodtke For those who are currently designers, @brownorama’s “Designing Together.” Collaboration is the most powerful design tool.
— Fred Beecher (@fred_beecher) November 18, 2013
https://twitter.com/atomgroom/status/402464761809358848
Lean UX: Applying Lean Principles to Improve User Experience
@cwodtke Project Guide to UX.
— Aaron Irizarry (@aaroni) November 18, 2013
@cwodtke already told you, @russu's book. That was just me sharing my short list.
— Nick Finck (@nickf) November 18, 2013
@nickf @cwodtke @russu Russ’ book. Covers just about everything.
— Patrick Neeman (@usabilitycounts) November 18, 2013
The best single book for a budding UXD is 'A Pattern Language', Christopher Alexander's book on architecture and urban design@cwodtke
— Jonathan Korman (@miniver) November 18, 2013
A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, Construction (Center for Environmental Structure Series)
How about Designing for the Digital Age by @kimgoodwin or Understanding Comics @scottmccloud for visual communications@cwodtke
— Max Miner (@MxMnr) November 18, 2013
Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art
@cwodtke I would suggest Jane Jacobs' The Death and Life of Great American Cities – explains User Experience, Design, and Human Behavior.
— Brad Dickason (@bdickason) November 18, 2013
The Death and Life of Great American Cities
@nickf @cwodtke I'd add this one to the list: http://t.co/JUBvxzysdW
— Patrick Neeman (@usabilitycounts) November 18, 2013
@cwodtke Designing Interactions by Bill Moggridge. It's one of the few that functions as history, inspiration, and guide.
— Matt Nish-Lapidus (@emenel) November 18, 2013
@cwodtke Mythical Man-Month–Fred Brooks. The Innovator's Dilemma–Clay Christensen, Systemantics–J. Gall. Wait, those aren't UX books.
— Alan Cooper (@MrAlanCooper) November 18, 2013
The Innovator’s Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail (Management of Innovation and Change)
The Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering, Anniversary Edition (2nd Edition)
Systemantics: How Systems Work and Especially How They Fail
@cwodtke Technopoly by Neil Postman. I cited it in my @midwestUX talk this year.#book #mwux #ux
— Kaleem (@kaleemux) November 18, 2013
Technopoly: The Surrender of Culture to Technology
@cwodtke Finite and Infinite Games.
— Lívia Labate (@livlab) November 18, 2013
Finite and Infinite Games
https://twitter.com/seriouspony/status/402489525168922624
Computers as Theatre (2nd Edition)
Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience
@cwodtke @Bourdain’s Medium Raw and Eric Ripert’s On The Line, for craft / details / honesty + the idea of dining as an experience
— A.J. Kandy (@AJKandy) November 18, 2013
@cwodtke "Thoughtful interaction design" by Lowgren and Stolteraman Why? Most reflective book on design I read in a while.
— Michal Kopec (@MichalKopec) November 18, 2013
Thoughtful Interaction Design: A Design Perspective on Information Technology
@cwodtke HATS, RSW – because looking good ≠ being good, and putting what before how is counterintuitive to designers http://t.co/OBJjeDnwrt
— dan klyn (@danklyn) November 18, 2013
@cwodtke I'm not gonna quibble w/ how you're framing this 😉 & just say "Contextual Design" (Beyer/Holtzblatt). Surprised how few know it.
— Andrew Hinton 👾 (@inkblurt) November 18, 2013
Contextual Design: Defining Customer-Centered Systems (Interactive Technologies)
My pick for a book for becoming capable and great in UX is @jesseschell's Art of Game Design http://t.co/dy6nzUehO9 fundamentals & beyond
— christina (@cwodtke) November 18, 2013