There was some recent discussion on the Interaction Design (IxD) mailing regarding good books for the budding young IxD practioner. Some of them I’ve read, some of them I haven’t. The books I have on my own list tend to be more pragmatic, accessible books that I can show to clients.
Here’s the list…I’ll be adding on to it over the coming weeks:
The Art of Interactive Design by Chris Crawford — Chris Crawford is a famous game designer, and thus tends to speak in pragamatic terms. Game designers are the lone gunslingers of the interactive world, having pioneered techniques that tend to get written up years later in academia. However, if you don’t play games, you’ve probably missed these innovations.
The Visual Display of Quantitative Information, by Edward Tufte — Mentioned by practically everyone, Tufte’s books are insightful and useful as an example gallery. I have mixed feelings about his books; they’re interesting visual references but are sometimes mistaken for a fix-it guide for bad design. They’re not.
Understanding Comics, by Scott McCloud — This is one of my favorite books, addressing both creative and practical aspects of creativity. It’s also a pretty decent non-academic introduction to semiotic concepts. Written in comic book form, it’s an easy read, but don’t mistake that for simplicity. A favorite of many Graphic Designers.
Don’t Make Me Think : A Common Sense Approach to the Web, by Steve Krug — I like this book for its breezy but humble tone, peppered with practical insights into the human mind. When designing consumer apps, this is good stuff to keep in mind. As a book, it’s focus is on audience and their foibles, and that is a useful perspective to have drilled into your head.
Digital Ground : Architecture, Pervasive Computing, and Environmental Knowing by Malcolm McCullough — recommended by the list as a comprehensive introduction.
About Face 2.0: The Essentials of Interaction Design by Alan Cooper
- Software for Use, by Constantine and Lockwood. They apparently also have workshops
- The Elements of User Experience, by Jesse James Garrett
- [Observing the User Experience][otue], by Mike Kuniavsky
- Emotional Design, by Don Norman
- The Design of Everyday Things, by Don Norman
- The Timeless Way of Building, by Christopher Alexander
- Design for the Real World, by Victor Papanek
- Learning How to Learn, by Novak and Gowin
- Designing Visual Interfaces: Communication Oriented Techniques, by Kevin Mullet and Darrell Sano
Suggestions taken from posts by Petteri Hiisilä, David Heller, Kevin Narey, Rober Reimann via the IxD mailing list.
