UX design has fast become an excellent way to future proof your career in the digital age of websites and apps. This is especially true for graphic designers as freelancer outsourcing sites drastically increase the competition globally. What’s more, the demand is there for UX design jobs around the world, a trend that is likely to increase. However, you need the right education to gain an edge in the industry and secure a job. Besides investing in a quality UX design course, the next best thing is to feed your brain with the knowledge from the best UX books for beginners. But first…
What is UX design?
UX design is the process of enhancing user satisfaction by improving the usability, accessibility, and pleasure afforded to the user. It is a design process that requires research and an understanding of human behaviour, interaction, and cognition.
UX designers are an integral part of a product team. They spend time researching how people use their product to find what they like or dislike about it. They also work with information architects, designers, programmers and other stakeholders to create wireframes and prototypes that will help them make changes in order to meet users’ needs.
Another niche area of UX design is UX writing. UX writing is about writing clear, concise copy with brevity in mind. A less-is-more approach is a good rule of thumb. UX writing is a design discipline that focuses on the user experience of a product, service, or application. It is the responsibility of UX writers to ensure that all content and design decisions are made with the user in mind.
UX writing is also referred to as “content strategy” because it encompasses so many areas – information architecture, interaction design, instructional design, usability testing and more. One of the main purposes of UX writing is to create an information architecture that guides users through a product or service in a way that helps them achieve their goals easily and intuitively.
Five best UX books for beginners
UX design books are a great resource for designers and those who want to learn more about UX design. There is no shortage of excellent UX design books to choose from.
Books can provide readers with valuable insights, useful methods and practical instructions on how to do things better. They can also give people an opportunity to gain new perspectives about their work. This article will take you through the best UX design books that are currently available on the market.
1. UX for Beginners: A Crash Course in 100 Short Lessons, by Joel Marsh
An excellent, affordable and easily digestible UX design book for beginners. It delivers the knowledge exactly how the title implies; with 100 easy to read short lessons to learn UX design. A great entry-level book for beginners.
2. The UX Learner's Guidebook: A Ramp & Reference for Aspiring UX Designers, by Chad Camara & Yugia Zhao
This book has been specially written for those interested in UX design yet unsure of where to start. Camara and Zhao provide a great introduction to the craft, industry and where and how to get a start. They break the information down into layman’s terms, explaining what is usually fragmented and disorganised into easy-to-understand language.
3. UX Design 2020: The Ultimate Beginner's Guide to User Experience, by Theo Farrington and Tom Brooks
Farrington and Brooks focus on the importance of the end-user experience in UX design. They have a human-centred approach to UX design which is essential for the beginner to understand. After all, when it comes to UX design, the end-user experience should be at the core of every choice you make.
4. Don't Make Me Think, Revisited: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability (3rd Edition), by Steve Krug
Don’t Make Me Think is a slightly more advanced UX design tool, however, it would be criminal not to include it on this list. Krug’s book is arguably one of the most famous books on the subject, as is likely on the bookshelf for reference by many UX designers around the world, and for good reason too. It explains the principles of intuitive navigation and information design in a witty, common-sensical, and practical manner. Just the title itself is a brilliant message for the UX beginner. Great UX means you don’t have to think too much to figure out a user interface, the experience unfolds naturally.
5. UX Fundamentals for Non-UX Professionals: User Experience Principles for Managers, Writers, Designers, and Developers, by Edward Stull
This is a great book for those not necessarily looking for a UX design career, but interested in the subject as a graphic designer, UX writer or manager. It’s unique in the sense that Stull explores ways in which UX has influenced history, and how it continues to change our lives today.
Learn UX Design
The aforementioned books will certainly teach you a lot about UX design, however, if you are serious about a UX design career, then you definitely need to take a quality, hands-on course on the subject. Unfortunately, too many courses during the pandemic have taken advantage of students’ misfortune by raising prices while cutting course content. They do this as an attempt to upsell students to more expensive courses.
That’s where we come in. At The UX Philosophy, we offer two affordable, quality and essential courses. UX Pathfinder is an eight-week intensive, remote course that is designed to land you in a job, whilst Design Launch focuses on helping you to promote yourself, grow a portfolio and prepare for interviews. Whatever stage you are at in your UX career, we offer the appropriate course to help.
To learn more, please reach out to us at The UX Philosophy today.
