Don't see UX as a liability.
UX Design Matters a Lot
Knowing how and why the user thinks is essential. Knowing what makes the user “not think” and act instinctively can differentiate between a “good enough” product and a great product. Knowing how to design * usable*, consistent, coherent, and delightful interfaces that help the users achieve their goals is an essential skill that every developer needs to acquire.
If you are creating something—“anything”—that someone other than yourself uses, then user experience design is something that you have to know.
There are a lot of books and articles that you can find about the subject matter.
I’d read the following two for starters:
Those books are both quick reads and also are excellent resources to get you started. After reading them, Google is your friend… I’m sure you will find lots of quality books, articles, and tutorials about creating delightful user experiences.
Here are a few of those resources from my personal stash, for example:
Sources for UX Inspiration
Design and UX Books
- 100 Things Every Designer Needs to Know About People
- Design Systems Handbook
- Designing Interfaces
- Hooked (How to Build Habit-Forming Products)
- Lean UX
- Responsive Web Design
- The Design of Everyday Things
- User-Centered Design for the Web
Checklists
Helpful UX Resources
- 52 Weeks of UX
- 7 Practical Tips for Cheating at Design
- A List Apart
- All About UX
- Boxes and Arrows
- Design Shack
- DesignModo
- Interaction Design Foundation
- Little UI Details
- LukeW
- Nielsen Norman Group Articles and Videos
- Sidebar
- Smashing Magazine
- UX Booth
- UX Collective
- UX Magazine
- UX Mastery
- UX Matters
- UX Movement
- UX Myths
- UXPin Knowledge Base
- Usability Geek
- Usability Post
- User Onboarding
- UserTesting Blog
- Web Designer Depot
On Product Design
Product Design Books
- Successes Start with a Great Product
- Inspired: Create Tech Products Customers Love
- Building a StoryBrand
- On Writing
- The Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impact
On Design Thinking
Design Thinking Books
- Design Thinking Handbook
- Change by Design
- Creative Confidence: Unleashing the Creative Potential Within Us All
- The Shape of Design
On Defining the Problem
- Are You Solving the Right Problems
- Start With Problems, Not Solutions
- How to Sell the Problem Before Selling the Solution
- Writing Effective Problem Statements
- ClassPass’ Founder on How Marketplace Startups Can Achieve Product/Market Fit
About Ideation
Ideation Books
On Interaction Design
- Boost Your UX with These Successful Interaction Design Principles
- A Comprehensive Guide To Mobile App Design
- The Right Way to Ask Users for Mobile Permissions
- Fabulous: Motivating App Engagement
Interaction Design Books
- Designing Interactions
- The Elements of User Experience: User-Centered Design for the Web and Beyond
- The Best Interface is No Interface
On Information Architecture
Information Architecture Books
- Information Architecture for the Web and Beyond
- How to Make Sense of Any Mess: Information Architecture for Everybody
On Design Systems
Design Systems Books
On Data Analytics
- The Four Cringe-Worthy Mistakes Too Many Startups Make with Data
- Scaling Dropbox with Data
- I’m Sorry, But Those Are Vanity Metrics
- The Only Metric That Matters
Data Analytics Books
- Lean Analytics: Use Data to Build a Better Startup Faster
- Data Science for Business: What You Need to Know about Data Mining and Data-Analytic Thinking
- Naked Statistics: Stripping the Dread from the Data
On Sales and Marketing
Conclusion
User experience design is more than just creating pretty user interfaces. It involves design thinking, analytics, big data, information architecture, sociology, psychology, and even sales and marketing.
I hope the resources you find here will help you jumpstart your UI/UX journey.
And until next time… May the source be with you 🦄.
Section Contents
▶ Ramp Up in User Experience Design