10 UI / UX Design Books to Read



    Becoming a great UI / UX designer is not easy: you need to know the basics, constantly monitor the latest trends and use them in practice. Each of us from time to time seeks advice from colleagues or friends, but when you need verified information, the best advisers are specialized publications.

    Many UI designers have their own personal collection of favorite books. Today we have prepared a list of 10 cool design books that for one reason or another could pass you by.



    The Best Interface Is No Interface: The simple path to brilliant technology


    If the name seemed provocative to you, this is not an accident. On the very first pages of his book Golden Krishna puts forward a radical thesis: modern web design and the society that spawned it drove itself to a standstill. The only way out is to throw off the yoke of screens and put the user's true interests at the forefront. The author paints a very gloomy picture of the modern world, where people remain chained to the screen for hours at the expense of their own health, relationships and convenience. But in general, his forecast is optimistic: very soon the old paradigm will be replaced by a fundamentally new type of user interaction with the device - a minimum of actions and a minimum of visuals. The Krishna manifesto, which caused a considerable resonance in the community, will be interesting to those who are looking for a new look and thinking about the prospects.

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    Mobile usability


    A solid, multi-faceted study on the usability of programs from a well-known expert in HCI. The components of the user experience of interacting with the application on a particular device are taken apart literally by bones, the entire chain of steps is restored, which leads from impulse to action. Alternating theoretical calculations with analysis of specific, successful and unsuccessful solutions, the authors lead the reader to the conclusion: the design of a mobile application must follow two principles - simplicity and naturalness. For all its scientific nature, the book is written in an accessible language and is well structured - a specialist of any level can benefit from it.

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    Smashing ux design


    “An UX expert on your bookshelf.” According to the authors themselves, this book was written primarily for professional designers interested in new ideas and methods. According to user reviews and our personal opinion, it will be useful primarily to those who work a lot with clients or manage a design studio. There are a lot of useful materials on UI / UX, but there are probably even more tips on the proper organization of work processes.

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    Mobile design book


    We return to the specifics. This electronic publication is distinguished by an atypical format - the authors here, contrary to custom, go from private to general. Instead of paragraphs with theoretical calculations, slightly diluted with examples, you will find chapters devoted to real-life applications, their findings and errors in building navigation, choosing a design, presenting content. Naturally, the applications are selected meaningfully - each of them illustrates a particular message. Apt, although sometimes controversial, observations of the authors make us connect to the analysis and the reader, stimulating critical thinking and passing on the skills of analysis.

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    100 main principles of design. How to hold attention


    Psychologist Susan Wainschenk offers readers a study about people and their thinking - and about the opportunities that an entrepreneurial designer can take from these features. The book, first of all, is fascinating - there are no common places in it that wander from one text about UI to another, there is not even an emphasis on a purely visual channel of information. How does associative thinking work? What are the modes of assimilation of information? Where is the line between non-verbal communication and manipulation? The facts that Wainschenk cites are truly unexpected, and the conclusions are ambiguous and interesting. This reading is not for finding ready-made solutions, but for general development, reflection and, we are not afraid of the word, inspiration.

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    Mobile UI Design Patterns


    Simple, concise, informative. The book is a kind of reference book of practical advice. Cases are divided by topics (data acquisition, navigation, social services and further on the list), each includes a problem statement, solution, example and recommendations for use. The authors managed to maintain a good balance between the text and illustrative materials of each other - both visually and without leaving a feeling of primitive instruction. To get acquainted with the materials from UXPin is worth at least for comparison with your own experience.

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    The Elements of User Experience: User-Centered Design for the Web and Beyond


    It is good to start your design self-education with this book; not because it contains elementary truths, but because it helps you learn the basic principles of UI / UX. If you want to systematize your ideas about user interaction with the interface, look at them from the inside and delve into the structure in order to more consciously pose questions and look for answers - you better not find a manual.

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    A Project Guide to UX Design: For User Experience Designers in the Field or in the Making


    In the process of creating an interface, difficulties often lie in wait not only inside the work environment, but also from the outside. This book is valuable precisely because it integrates the functions of a designer into the general context of team work on a project. The most burning topics are touched on, from effective methods of holding rallies to the development of a common rhythm and the correct transition from stage to stage within the framework of one project.

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    About Face: The Essentials of Interaction Design


    The fundamental work, without which not a single selection of design and usability, can be considered complete. This comprehensive guide to UX / UI, the first edition of which was published back in the nineties, has become a reference book for more than one generation of designers. Through the efforts of the authors, who diligently supplement and update the materials with each new publication, the information remains relevant today. The depth of the topic, the analysis detail and the versatility of application set the bar for all other items in this list.

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


    Another guide from user psychology to target action. The author derives a set of laws of usability, based on the principles of human thinking, and considers them in action. The style and form of presentation fully comply with the main rule, which is made in the title - do not make the user think. The text is light, funny, moderately rich and, of course, worthy of attention.

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