The smell of new books makes me enjoy even more reading them, and since my days in college I’ve been filling shelves with lots of design books.

Most of them cover specific topics, such as packaging, branding design, iconography and general creativity. But among them there are some that are worth reading even if you are not a designer by profession.

That’s why I’ve created this list. It does not address only topics related to visual or technical aspects of software. These books will  help you understand what people need when they interact with what you create. In other words: with them you will have a better understanding on the essence of good design.

 

Design of Everyday Things

The book provides a great perspective of design. After reading this you will be challenged to look at everyday things from a design point of view (good or bad).

“It is an equally tremendous read for anyone who has to use anything created by another human. It could forever change how you experience and interact with your physical surroundings, open your eyes to the perversity of bad design and the desirability of good design, and raise your expectations about how things should be designed”

 

Don’t Make Me Think

Web design and technology have improved since this book was written, but for a better understanding of UX and UI concepts, it is a must have.

“Don’t Make Me Think! showed me how to put myself in the position of the person who uses my site.  […] This is essential ammunition for those whose bosses, clients, stakeholders, and marketing managers insist on doing the wrong thing.”

 

Visual Complexity – Mapping Patterns of Information

This book is about how to outline, simplify and present complex information in a visual way for a better understanding.

“Our ability to generate information now far exceeds our capacity to understand it. […] Designers, researchers, and scientists have begun employing an innovative mix of colors, symbols, graphics, algorithms, and interactivity to clarify, and beautify, the clutter. This book presents interesting examples of information-visualization.” 

 

101 Design Methods: A Structured Approach for Driving Innovation in Your Organization

This book provides a very approachable, consistent, and understandable methodology for design.

“101 Design Methods approaches the practice of creating new products, services, and customer experiences as a science, rather than an art, providing a practical set of collaborative tools and methods for planning and defining successful new offerings.”

 

Simple and Usable: Web, Mobile, and Interaction Design

This is a very short book and its content is good for new ideas or quick reminders of the right way to go about designing interaction.

“In a complex world, products that are easy to use win favor with consumers. […] It shows how to drill down and simplify user experiences when designing. It explains why simplicity is attractive, explores its laws, and presents proven strategies for achieving that. Remove, hide, organize and displace become guidelines for designers, who learn simplicity by seeing before and after examples and case studies where the results speak for themselves.”