Keep the basics in your back pocket with these books
There’s a lot you can get from learning outside the classroom. Martha will probably recommend most of these books to you, and she does it for a reason. Get a good hold on your info arch knowledge with these written pieces. The best part? These are all free to download PDF’s.
The Design of Everyday Things
The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman shows that good, usable design is possible. The rules are simple: make things visible, exploit natural relationships that couple function and control, and make intelligent use of constraints. The goal: guide the user effortlessly to the right action on the right control at the right time.
Download PDF
Buy Hardcopy
100 Things Every Designer Needs to Know About People
By Susan Weinschenk, we design to elicit responses from people. We want them to buy something, read more, or take action of some kind. Designing without understanding what makes people act the way they do is like exploring a new city without a map: results will be haphazard, confusing, and inefficient.
Download PDF
Buy Hardcopy
Don’t Make Me Think
Don’t Make Me Think (third edition) is written by Steve Krug, it is about human computer interaction, web usability, and mobile app usability. The book’s premise is that a good software program or web site should let users accomplish their intended tasks as easily and directly as possible.
Download PDF
Buy Hardcopy
About Face: The Essentials of Interaction Design
This comprehensive guide by Alan Cooper, Robert Reimann and Dave Cronin takes the worldwide shift to smartphones and tablets into account. New information includes discussions on mobile apps, touch interfaces, screen size considerations, and more. The new full-color interior and unique layout better illustrate modern design concepts.
Download PDF
Buy Hardcopy
The Elements of User Experience
By Jesse James Garrett, successful interaction design requires more than just creating clean code and sharp graphics. You must also fulfill your strategic objectives while meeting the needs of your users. Even the best content and the most sophisticated technology won’t help you balance those goals without a cohesive, consistent user experience to support it.
Download PDF
Buy Hardcopy