A list of the best books about user experience, usability and Information design.

These will all make you see use of web pages and applications in a different way, encouraging User Centred Design (UCD) which allow your users needs and requirements to be met and not just yours or your clients.

Emotional Design - Why we love (or hate) design

Information design

Mental Models: Aligning Design Strategy with Human Behavior

Communicating Design: Developing Web Site Documentation for Design and Planning

Designing Interactions

Designing for Interaction: Creating Smart Applications and Clever Devices

Prioritizing Web Usability

Don’t Make Me Think - A common sense guide to usability

The Elements of User Experience: User-Centered Design for the Web

The user is always right

After reading Mr Nice, which was a fantastic insight into his ‘high’ life and times, I discovered Howard Marks and I have a few things in common, here they are:

• Both lived in Brighton
• Both flown on Continental Airlines from Houston to Gatwick (Marks from Prison, Me from SxSw)
• Both visited Notorious Pat Pong District of Bangkok, Thailand
• Both visited the Famous Hobbit House bar in Manila, Philippines

Mark’s now leads a quiet life in Europe, come back to Brighton soon Howard.

Without a doubt, the best CSS / XHTML training you can give yourself is pick up any of these books to learn about front end web development.

Most of the books involve learning and adapting web pages using CSS based layouts. Some are new, some are classics. I have learnt valuable tips on working practices for CSS management, color palette selection, and also layouts using CSS3.

Books like ‘Don’t make me think, and ‘Bulletproof..’ make you question ‘Why should I do it this way..?’. Then they cover alternatives you may not have considered. Some of these books are in their Second edition, a testament to how well they are written and deservedly gaining a place on any discerning geeks bookshelf.

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When I bought Transcending CSS I wondered what I would learn from the book, as there are a lot of others based on front end design and coding of valid XHTML/CSS based web code.

However, as the author Andy Clarke is a well renowned designer and speaker at various web conferences, he can give both newcomers and experienced designers/coders valuable information.

>> For making your life easier, making you think differently, and see everyday objects as being your design inpspiration on the web.

What I learnt from Andy’s chapters in ‘Transcending CSS’:

1. Design Scrapbook > using iPhoto to store scanned design ideas, paper sketches, and inspirational design styles, types and logos. For future reference and design inspiration.
Photo of iPhoto Scrapbook


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