7 UX Design Books for Beginners

There are thousands of great books out there covering every imaginable corner of design…so where do you even start?

In this list, we’ve curated a classic core library of UX books that will allow you to dive deep into the concepts and principles of UX design—and how to apply them in the everyday workspace.

1. The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman

This may be the most quoted UX book in existence…and for good reason. It’s an insightful, relevant primer on how—and why—some products satisfy customers while others only frustrate them.

2. Don’t Make Me Think, Revisited: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability by Steve Krug

This classic by Steve Krug was first published in 2000, and has inspired hundreds of thousands of designers and developers in the years since. It covers principles of intuitive navigation and information design. Witty, commonsensical, and eminently practical, it’s one of the best-loved and most recommended books on the subject.

3. Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products by Nir Eyal

Why do some products capture our attention, while others flop? In this book, Nir Eyal walks you through a four-step process to help bring users back repeatedly—without depending on costly advertising or aggressive messaging.

4. Build: An Unorthodox Guide to Making Things Worth Making by Tony Fadell

Tony Fadell led the teams that created the iPod, iPhone and Nest Learning Thermostat and learned enough in 30+ years in Silicon Valley about leadership, design, startups, Apple, Google, decision-making, mentorship, devastating failure and unbelievable success to fill an encyclopedia.

So that’s what this book is. An advice encyclopedia. A mentor in a box.

5. Change By Design: How Design Thinking Transforms Organizations and Inspires Innovation by Tim Brown

In Change By Design, IDEO CEO Tim Brown explains design thinking—a collaborative, human-centered approach to innovation—and how it can help to transform products and organizations.

6. Lean UX: Designing Great Products With Agile Teams by Jeff Gothelf and Josh Seiden

In the third edition of this award-winning book, authors Jeff Gothelf and Josh Seiden help you focus on the product experience rather than deliverables. You'll learn tactics for integrating user experience design, product discovery, agile methods, and product management.

7. Rocket Surgery Made Easy: The Do-It-Yourself Guide to Finding and Fixing Usability Problems by Steve Krug

In this how-to companion to Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability, Steve Krug spells out a streamlined approach to usability testing that anyone can easily apply to their digital products. (As he said in Don't Make Me Think, "It's not rocket surgery".)