Here’s my updated list of must-read UX design books, hand-picked for 2024. The following list is separated by category:
- General UX Design books
- User Research books
- User Strategy books
- UX Writing
- UI Design
- Usability and Accessibility
- Design Thinking
- Product Design
General UX Design books
These UX book picks are the “OG” design books that solidifed the field of user experience. Even if they’ve been written years ago, the principles and design thinking will have long lasting (positive) effects on any designer.
The design of everyday things by Don Norman
- Top highlight: Norman’s book is the foundational text for human-centered design, emphasizing how good design can make a product usable and understandable.
- Experience level: For all design levels.
- About the author: Don Norman is a pioneer in the field of UX and human-centered design. He has a background in both psychology and engineering, which uniquely qualifies him to understand and explain the user experience.
Don’t make me think by Steve Krug
- Top highlight: straightforward and practical advice on web usability, focusing on intuitive navigation and user-friendly interfaces.
- Experience level: For beginners to mid-career designers.
- About the author: Steve Krug is a usability consultant with over 20 years of experience. His informal, accessible writing style makes complex concepts easy to understand.
The elements of user experience by Jesse James Garrett
- Top highlight: the “six planes” model is THE most influential model that helped me as a young designer understand the elements of UX, providing a clear and structured approach.
- Experience level: For beginners to mid-career designers.
- About the author: Jesse James Garrett is the co-founder of Adaptive Path, a pioneering UX design firm, and the creator of the widely-adopted “Elements of User Experience” model.
Universal principles of design by William Lidwell
- Top highlight: This book pairs critical design knowledge with visual examples of the concepts described, making it an essential reference.
- Experience level: For all design levels.
- About the authors: William Lidwell is known for his work in bridging the gap between design theory and practice. His co-authors, Kritina Holden and Jill Butler, bring additional expertise in industrial design and engineering.
Designing for interaction by Dan Saffer
- Top highlight: A must-read for anyone who is just getting started in interaction design, covering fundamentals without overwhelming you with jargon.
- Experience level: For beginners.
- About the author: Dan Saffer is a prominent designer and author known for his clear and practical approach to interaction design.
About face: the essentials of interaction design by Alan Cooper
- Top highlight: This comprehensive guide covers everything from basic principles to advanced techniques in interaction design.
- Experience level: For all design levels.
- About the authors: Alan Cooper is considered the “Father of Visual Basic” and a pioneer in software design. His co-authors are also well-respected figures in the UX community.
User Research book recommendations
Just enough research by Erika Hall
- Top highlight: Practical advice for conducting user research with limited resources, making it ideal for UX designers on a budget.
- Experience level: For beginners to mid-career designers.
- About the author: Erika Hall is a co-founder of Mule Design Studio and a frequent speaker on design research and strategy.
QUANTIFYING THE USER EXPERIENCE
By Jeff Sauro and James R. Lewis
- Top highlight: A comprehensive guide to quantitative UX research, providing methods for measuring and analyzing user experience.
- Experience level: For mid-career to late-career designers.
- About the authors: Jeff Sauro and James R. Lewis are both renowned experts in the field of UX metrics and quantitative research, with decades of experience between them.
INTERVIEWING USERS
By Steve Portigal
- Top highlight: Practical advice for conducting effective user interviews, essential for gathering qualitative data.
- Experience level: For all design levels.
- About the author: Steve Portigal is a seasoned user researcher and principal of Portigal Consulting. His work focuses on helping companies understand their users better.
MEASURING THE USER EXPERIENCE
By Tom Tullis and Bill Albert
- Top highlight: Provides practical advice for measuring user experience using a variety of methods, making it a great resource for UX researchers.
- Experience level: For mid-career to late-career designers.
- About the authors: Tom Tullis and Bill Albert are leaders in UX research with extensive experience in usability testing and UX measurement.
UX Writing books
MICROCOPY: THE COMPLETE GUIDE
By Kinneret Yifrah
- Top highlight: Provides practical advice and examples for creating clear, concise, and user-friendly microcopy.
- Experience level: For all design levels.
- About the author: Kinneret Yifrah is a leading microcopy expert and consultant. She has worked with numerous startups and established companies to improve their UX writing.
EVERYDAY WRITING
By Nicole Fenton and Kate Kiefer Lee
- Top highlight: A practical guide to writing for digital products, focusing on clear and user-friendly content.
- Experience level: For beginners to mid-career designers.
- About the authors: Nicole Fenton and Kate Kiefer Lee are experienced writers and editors who have worked with companies like Mailchimp and Vox Media.
CONTENT DESIGN
By Sarah Richards
- Top highlight: Provides a framework for creating and managing content that meets user needs.
- Experience level: For all design levels.
- About the author: Sarah Richards is the founder of the Content Design movement and has extensive experience in creating user-centered content strategies for government and commercial organizations.
UI Design books
DESIGNING INTERFACES
By Jenifer Tidwell
- Top highlight: A comprehensive guide to designing interactive interfaces, covering everything from layout to navigation to forms.
- Experience level: For all design levels.
- About the author: Jenifer Tidwell is an experienced interaction designer and author who has worked on user interfaces for a variety of software applications.
DESIGNING WEB INTERFACES
By Bill Scott and Theresa Neil
- Top highlight: Provides practical advice for designing effective web interfaces, with a focus on patterns and best practices.
- Experience level: For mid-career designers.
- About the authors: Bill Scott and Theresa Neil are experts in web design and user interface patterns. They have extensive experience working with companies like Netflix and Sabre.
REFORMATTING DESIGN SYSTEMS
By Alla Kholmatova
- Top highlight: Provides practical advice for creating and maintaining design systems.
- Experience level: For mid-career to late-career designers.
- About the author: Alla Kholmatova is a design systems advocate and consultant who has helped numerous organizations implement effective design systems.
Usability and Accessibility
DESIGNING WEB USABILITY
By Jakob Nielsen
- Top highlight: Practical advice for designing websites that are easy to use, based on extensive usability research.
- Experience level: For all design levels.
- About the author: Jakob Nielsen is a leading authority on web usability and co-founder of Nielsen Norman Group, a consultancy that has worked with many of the world’s largest companies.
INCLUSIVE DESIGN FOR A DIGITAL WORLD
By Regine M. Gilbert
- Top highlight: A practical guide to designing digital products that are accessible to everyone.
- Experience level: For all design levels.
- About the author: Regine M. Gilbert is a UX designer, educator, and advocate for inclusive design. She teaches at NYU Tandon School of Engineering and has worked with various organizations to improve accessibility.
ACCESSIBLE DESIGN HANDBOOK
By Katie Cunningham
- Top highlight: Provides practical advice for creating accessible digital products.
- Experience level: For all design levels.
- About the author: Katie Cunningham is a software developer and advocate for accessibility in digital products. She has worked with the Python Software Foundation and is a frequent speaker on accessibility.
Design Thinking
CHANGE BY DESIGN
By Tim Brown
- Top highlight: Comprehensive overview of design thinking and its application in various fields.
- Experience level: For all design levels.
- About the author: Tim Brown is the CEO of IDEO, a global design consultancy known for its pioneering work in design thinking. His insights have influenced businesses and organizations worldwide.
DESIGN THINKING
By Nigel Cross
- Top highlight: Provides a thorough understanding of design thinking and its application across different industries.
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Experience level:** For mid-career to late-career designers.
- About the author: Nigel Cross is a leading researcher in design methodology and education. His work has significantly contributed to the understanding of how designers think and work.
THE DESIGN OF BUSINESS
By Roger Martin
- Top highlight: Argues that design thinking is a key competitive advantage in today’s business environment.
- Experience level: For mid-career to late-career designers and business leaders.
- About the author: Roger Martin is a renowned business strategist and former Dean of the Rotman School of Management. His work focuses on integrative thinking and business innovation.
Product Design
HOOKED
By Nir Eyal
- Top highlight: Practical advice for designing products that create habit-forming behavior.
- Experience level: For mid-career designers and product managers.
- About the author: Nir Eyal is an expert in behavioral design and has taught at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business. His insights into user behavior have influenced many successful products.
INSPIRED: HOW TO CREATE PRODUCTS CUSTOMERS LOVE
By Marty Cagan
- Top highlight: Provides practical advice for creating products that customers love.
- Experience level: For mid-career to late-career designers and product managers.
- About the author: Marty Cagan is a partner at Silicon Valley Product Group and a former executive at eBay and Netscape. His work focuses on product management and innovation.
THE LEAN PRODUCT PLAYBOOK
By Dan Olsen
- Top highlight: A practical guide to building successful products using lean principles.
- Experience level: For mid-career designers and product managers.
- About the author: Dan Olsen is a product management consultant and Lean Startup expert. He has helped numerous companies improve their product development processes.
UX Strategy books
LEAN UX
By Jeff Gothelf and Josh Seiden
- Top highlight: Integrates lean principles into UX design, focusing on collaboration and iterative testing.
- Experience level: For mid-career designers.
- About the authors: Jeff Gothelf and Josh Seiden are well-known for their work in applying lean and agile methodologies to UX design. They are both seasoned practitioners and speakers.
THE UX STRATEGY
By Jaime Levy
- Top highlight: Provides practical advice for integrating UX strategy into your product development process.
- Experience level: For mid-career to late-career designers.
- About the author: Jaime Levy is a UX strategist and author with over 25 years of experience. She teaches at the University of Southern California and has worked with numerous startups and Fortune 500 companies.
SPRINT: HOW TO SOLVE BIG PROBLEMS AND TEST NEW IDEAS IN JUST FIVE DAYS
By Jake Knapp, John Zeratsky, and Braden Kowitz
- Top highlight: A practical guide to the design sprint methodology, providing a step-by-step approach to solving big problems quickly.
- Experience level: For all design levels.
- About the authors: Jake Knapp created the design sprint process at Google Ventures, where John Zeratsky and Braden Kowitz also contributed as partners. Together, they bring extensive experience in product design and innovation.