31. Universal Methods of Design: 100 Ways to Research Complex Problems, Develop Innovative Ideas, and Design Effective Solutions
Author: Bella Martin and Bruce Hanington
Best for: Last minute help when you’re in a rut
Recommended by: UX agony aunt Ashlea McKay
Comments
Aslea says ‘my favourite book (affectionately known as ‘The Purple Book’) is Universal Methods of design. This one has been with me for years and is a collection of diverse research and design iteration techniques that has gotten me unstuck from many ruts’.
32. Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges
Author: Amy Cuddy
Best for: People who feel like UX imposters
Recommended by: Ashlea McKay
Comments
Ashlea recommends this book ‘for the Imposter Syndrome that I and many other UXers experience.’
33. Customer Genius
Author: Peter Fisk
Best for: Customer experience
Recommended by: UX consultant and coach, Nick Bowmast
Comments
Nick says ‘I bought this book at an airport. I’d never seen it before and haven’t since, despite lending it to many clients over the years. While some of the case studies might be a little dated it’s a great departure from UX into the world of CX, and the ‘voice of the customer’ throughout inspired this video on my home page’.
34. The UX Notebook
Author: Sarah Doody
Best for: People who don’t like reading books
Recommended by: Me (the author)
Comments
I find books overwhelming and tend to be a blog kind-of-girl. When I found out Sarah was doing a notebook I had to buy it as I love her weekly newsletter. The notebook is a nice, short read with inspirational quotes and space for notes
35. The Content Strategy Toolkit: Methods, Guidelines, and Templates for Getting Content Right (Voices That Matter)
Author: Meghan Casey
Best for: Content Management
Recommended by: Datacom’s Senior UX Analyst Carly Moore
Comments
Carly says ‘this one is a pretty awesome ‘how to’ guide to content strategy. It has lots of downloadable resources and tool tips so is pretty darn handy’.
36. Mapping Hypertext: The Analysis, Organization, and Display of Knowledge for the Next Generation of On-Line Text and Graphics
Author: Bob Horn
Best for: Information mapping
Recommended by: UX consultant Chris Rosato
Comments
This book is an old but still very relevant way of looking at mapping formation and writing technical content.
Chris says ‘perspectives and technologies change; principles don’t. Bob Horn foresaw models for information presentation, interactivity and knowledge sharing well before the technology infrastructure was there to support them. Visionaries see opportunity and don’t need to filter knowledge through domain classifications. Mr. Horn saw further’.
37. A Web for Everyone: Designing Accessible User Experiences
Author: Sarah Horton
Best for: Accessibility
Recommended by: Dr Makayla Lewis
38. How to Make Sense of Any Mess: Information Architecture for Everybody
Author: Abby Covert
Best for: People who feel overwhelmed with their current project
Recommended by: Cornelius Rachieru Jr.
39. Emotional UX (Voices that matter)
Author: Kelly Goto
Best for: Using research to discover unmet needs
Recommended by: Chava Canolli
40. Back of the Napkin: Solving problems and selling ideas with pictures
Author: Dan Roam
Best for: Creating ad-hoc sketches to communicate ideas
Recommended by: Dr Makayla Lewis
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We hope you enjoyed the list. Books are very personal things and it might be that your favourite UX book isn’t on here. Let us know about any that we’ve missed out in the comments below.