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Jakob Nielsen's Top Book Recommendations
Want to know what books Jakob Nielsen recommends on their reading list? We've researched interviews, social media posts, podcasts, and articles to build a comprehensive list of Jakob Nielsen's favorite book recommendations of all time.
1
Even the smartest among us can feel inept as we fail to figure out which light switch or oven burner to turn on, or whether to push, pull, or slide a door. The fault, argues this ingenious—even liberating—book, lies not in ourselves, but in product design that ignores the needs of users and the principles of cognitive psychology. The problems range from ambiguous and hidden controls to arbitrary relationships between controls and functions, coupled with a lack of feedback or other assistance and unreasonable demands on memorization. The Design of Everyday Things shows that good, usable... more
Marius Ciuchete Pauneval(ez_write_tag([[250,250],'theceolibrary_com-large-mobile-banner-2','ezslot_5',164,'0','1'])); Question: Was there a moment, specifically, when something you read in a book helped you? Answer: Yes there was. In fact, I can remember two separate sentences from two different books: The first one comes from “The Design of Everyday Things” by Don Norman. It says: “great design will help... (Source)
Grey BakerI mainly read to decompress and change my state of mind, so it’s hard to point to an insight I read that helped me. Reading fiction has pulled me out of a bad mood more times than I can count, though, and always reenergises me to attack problems that had stumped me again. That said, I read and loved Norman Norman’s “The Design of Everyday Things”, and it’s helped me think through design problems... (Source)
Kaci LambeThese three books are about how people actually use design in their lives. They helped me understand this very basic idea: There are no dumb users, only bad designers. Take the time to create based on how your design will be interacted with. Test it. Iterate. That's how you become a good designer. (Source)
2
Do you want to build web pages but have no prior experience? This friendly guide is the perfect place to start. You'll begin at square one, learning how the web and web pages work, and then steadily build from there. By the end of the book, you'll have the skills to create a simple site with multicolumn pages that adapt for mobile devices.
Each chapter provides exercises to help you learn various techniques and short quizzes to make sure you understand key concepts.
This thoroughly revised edition is ideal for students and professionals of all backgrounds and skill... more
Each chapter provides exercises to help you learn various techniques and short quizzes to make sure you understand key concepts.
This thoroughly revised edition is ideal for students and professionals of all backgrounds and skill... more
Recommended by Jakob Nielsen, and 1 others. 3
Now celebrating its tenth anniversary, with nearly a quarter million copies sold, Ventana's Looking Good in Print has become a classic, which virtually launched an entire genre. In its three previous editions, this book garnered superlative accolades from both the general and computer media.The fourth edition moves dramatically forward into the now-mature desktop publishing world, covering every conceivable type of print publishing format. Filled with professional advice on myriad topics, users learn to design with the reader in mind, avoid common design pitfalls and much more. less
Recommended by Jakob Nielsen, and 1 others. 4
The classic survey design reference, updated for the digital age For over two decades, Dillman's classic text on survey design has aided both students and professionals in effectively planning and conducting mail, telephone, and, more recently, Internet surveys. The new edition is thoroughly updated and revised, and covers all aspects of survey research. It features expanded coverage of mobile phones, tablets, and the use of do-it-yourself surveys, and Dillman's unique Tailored Design Method is also thoroughly explained. This invaluable resource is crucial for any researcher seeking to... more
Recommended by Jakob Nielsen, and 1 others. 5
"Hackos and Redish wisely offer us the three things we most need about user and task analysis: practical advice, practical advice, and practical advice." -Ben Shneiderman, University of Maryland
"This book is well written, thorough, and loaded with techniques, examples, and resources that bring analysis to everyone." -Marcia L. Conner, Director of Usability & Learnability PeopleSoft, Inc.
User and Task Analysis for Interface Design helps you design a great user interface by focusing on the most important step in the process -the first one. You learn to go out and... more
"This book is well written, thorough, and loaded with techniques, examples, and resources that bring analysis to everyone." -Marcia L. Conner, Director of Usability & Learnability PeopleSoft, Inc.
User and Task Analysis for Interface Design helps you design a great user interface by focusing on the most important step in the process -the first one. You learn to go out and... more
Recommended by Jakob Nielsen, and 1 others. 6
Forms that Work: Designing Web Forms for Usability clearly explains exactly how to design great forms for the web. The book provides proven and practical advice that will help you avoid pitfalls, and produce forms that are aesthetically pleasing, efficient and cost-effective. It features invaluable design methods, tips, and tricks to help ensure accurate data and satisfied customers. It includes dozens of examples - from nitty-gritty details (label alignment, mandatory fields) to visual designs (creating good grids, use of color).
This book isn't just about colons and... more
This book isn't just about colons and... more
7
Moderating Usability Tests provides insight and guidance for usability testing. To a large extent, successful usability testing depends on the skills of the person facilitating the test. However, most usability specialists still learn how to conduct tests through an apprentice system with little formal training.
This book is the resource for new and experienced moderators to learn about the rules and practices for interacting. Authors Dumas and Loring draw on their combined 40 years of usability testing experience to develop and present the most effective principles and... more
This book is the resource for new and experienced moderators to learn about the rules and practices for interacting. Authors Dumas and Loring draw on their combined 40 years of usability testing experience to develop and present the most effective principles and... more
Recommended by Jakob Nielsen, and 1 others. 8
This updated edition of Focus Groups: A Practical Guide for Applied Research walks readers step by step through the "how-tos" of conducting focus group research. Using an engaging, straightforward writing style, authors Richard A. Krueger and Mary Anne Casey draw on their many years of hands-on experience in the field to cut through theory and offer practical guidance on every facet of the focus group process, including tips for avoiding problems and pitfalls. The Fifth Edition is updated with the latest research and technological innovations and includes new... more
Recommended by Jakob Nielsen, and 1 others. 9
A new edition of the #1 text in the Human Computer Interaction field!
Hugely popular with students and professionals alike, Interaction Design is an ideal resource for learning the interdisciplinary skills needed for interaction design, human-computer interaction, information design, web design and ubiquitous computing.
This text offers a cross-disciplinary, practical and process-oriented introduction to the field, showing not just what principles ought to apply to interaction design, but crucially how they can be applied.
An... more
Hugely popular with students and professionals alike, Interaction Design is an ideal resource for learning the interdisciplinary skills needed for interaction design, human-computer interaction, information design, web design and ubiquitous computing.
This text offers a cross-disciplinary, practical and process-oriented introduction to the field, showing not just what principles ought to apply to interaction design, but crucially how they can be applied.
An... more
Recommended by Jakob Nielsen, and 1 others. 10
Analyzing user needs and designing for usability is an important aspect of software interface design. This book aims to be of use to the user-interface practitioner, and provides a concise introduction to usability engineering, with guidelines and examples. less
Recommended by Jakob Nielsen, and 1 others. Don't have time to read Jakob Nielsen's favorite books? Read Shortform summaries.
Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:
- Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
- Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
- Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
11
This text provides the practical tools, design techniques, and testing methods to implement web standards without losing any of the functionality of your web site. less
Recommended by Jakob Nielsen, and 1 others. 12
Did you ever wonder why cheap wine tastes better in fancy glasses? Why sales of Macintosh computers soared when Apple introduced the colorful iMac? New research on emotion and cognition has shown that attractive things really do work better, a fact fans of Don Norman's classic The Design of Everyday Things cannot afford to ignore.In recent years, the design community has focused on making products easier to use. But as Norman amply demonstrates in this fascinating and important new book, design experts have vastly underestimated the role of emotion on our experience of everyday... more
Recommended by Jakob Nielsen, and 2 others. 13
This book provides readers with standards for placing information online. Drawing on years of research and client feedback, the authors demonstrate what online documentation works and what doesn't. They also show companies how to keep online information from different parts of the company consistent. The book shows readers screen shots of both correct and incorrect presentations which can be accessed on the CD-ROM with point-and-click ease, concentrating on topics such as hypertext, graphics, user-interface design, multimedia, the Web, and Intranets. less
Recommended by Jakob Nielsen, and 1 others. 14
Today's web sites have moved far beyond "brochureware." They are larger and more complex, have great strategic value to their sponsors, and their users are busier and less forgiving. Designers, information architects, and web site managers are required to juggle vast amounts of information, frequent changes, new technologies, and sometimes even multiple objectives, making some web sites look like a fast-growing but poorly planned city-roads everywhere, but impossible to navigate. Well-planned information architecture has never been as essential as it is now.
Information... more
Information... more
Recommended by Jakob Nielsen, and 1 others. 15
Is your application or Web site ready for prime time?
A major revision of a classic reference, GUI Bloopers 2.0 looks at user interface design bloopers from commercial software, Web sites, Web applications, and information appliances, explaining how intelligent, well-intentioned professionals make these mistakes--and how you can avoid them. While equipping you with the minimum of theory, GUI expert Jeff Johnson presents the reality of interface design in an entertaining, anecdotal, and instructive way.
* Updated to reflect the bloopers that are common today, incorporating many... more
A major revision of a classic reference, GUI Bloopers 2.0 looks at user interface design bloopers from commercial software, Web sites, Web applications, and information appliances, explaining how intelligent, well-intentioned professionals make these mistakes--and how you can avoid them. While equipping you with the minimum of theory, GUI expert Jeff Johnson presents the reality of interface design in an entertaining, anecdotal, and instructive way.
* Updated to reflect the bloopers that are common today, incorporating many... more
Recommended by Jakob Nielsen, and 1 others. 16
In 2000, Jakob Nielsen, the world's leading expert on Web usability, published a book that changed how people think about the Web--"Designing Web Usability" (New Riders). Many applauded. A few jeered. But everyone listened. The best-selling usability guru is back and has revisited his classic guide, joined forces with Web usability consultant Hoa Loranger, and created an updated companion book that covers the essential changes to the Web and usability today. "Prioritizing Web Usability" is the guide for anyone who wants to take their Web site(s) to next level and make usability a priority!... more
Recommended by Jakob Nielsen, and 1 others. 17
Do you spend a lot of time during the design process wondering what users really need? Do you hate those endless meetings where you argue how the interface should work? Have you ever developed something that later had to be completely redesigned?
Paper Prototyping can help. Written by a usability engineer with a long and successful paper prototyping history, this book is a practical, how-to guide that will prepare you to create and test paper prototypes of all kinds of user interfaces. You'll see how to simulate various kinds of interface elements and interactions. You'll learn... more
Paper Prototyping can help. Written by a usability engineer with a long and successful paper prototyping history, this book is a practical, how-to guide that will prepare you to create and test paper prototypes of all kinds of user interfaces. You'll see how to simulate various kinds of interface elements and interactions. You'll learn... more
Recommended by Jakob Nielsen, and 1 others. 18
For courses in Human-Computer Interaction The Sixth Edition of Designing the User Interface provides a comprehensive, authoritative, and up-to-date introduction to the dynamic field of human-computer interaction (HCI) and user experience (UX) design. This classic book has defined and charted the astonishing evolution of user interfaces for three decades. Students and professionals learn practical principles and guidelines needed to develop high quality interface designs that users can understand, predict, and control. The book covers theoretical foundations and design... more
Recommended by Jakob Nielsen, and 1 others. 19
The dot.com crash of 2000 was a wake-up call, and told us that the Web has far to go before achieving the acceptance predicted for it in '95. A large part of what is missing is quality; a primary component of the missing quality is usability. The Web is not nearly as easy to use as it needs to be for the average person to rely on it for everyday information, commerce, and entertainment.
In response to strong feedback from readers of GUI BLOOPERS calling for a book devoted exclusively to Web design bloopers, Jeff Johnson calls attention to the most frequently occurring and annoying... more
In response to strong feedback from readers of GUI BLOOPERS calling for a book devoted exclusively to Web design bloopers, Jeff Johnson calls attention to the most frequently occurring and annoying... more
Recommended by Jakob Nielsen, and 1 others. 20
xploring the findings of recent research on how to humanize the technology of graphical user interfaces, this volume includes the authors' predictions for the future of design and policy in the technology of graphical user interfaces. less
Recommended by Jakob Nielsen, and 1 others. Don't have time to read Jakob Nielsen's favorite books? Read Shortform summaries.
Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:
- Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
- Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
- Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
21
We'll be partnering in this important new venture with DevelopMentor, a leading resource for developer information and education. DevelopMentor boasts a prestigious technical staff that includes some of the world's best-known developers and computer science professionals. DevelopMentor co-founder and best-selling Addison-Wesley author Don Box will serve as the DM Series Editor. less
Recommended by Jakob Nielsen, and 1 others. 22
This book introduces a customer-centered approach to business by showing how data gathered from people while they work can drive the definition of a product or process while supporting the needs of teams and their organizations. This is a practical, hands-on guide for anyone trying to design systems that reflect the way customers want to do their work. The authors developed Contextual Design, the method discussed here, through their work with teams struggling to design products and internal systems. In this book, you'll find the underlying principles of the method and how to apply them to... more
Recommended by Jakob Nielsen, and 1 others. 23
Although much of the hubris and hyperbole surrounding the 1990's Internet has softened to a reasonable level, the inexorable momentum of information growth continues unabated. This wealth of information provides resources for adapting to the problems posed by our increasingly complex world, but the simple availability of more information does not guarantee its successful transformation into valuable knowledge that shapes, guides, and improves our activity. When faced with something like the analysis of sense-making behavior on the web, traditional research models tell us a lot about learning... more
Recommended by Jakob Nielsen, and 1 others. 24
Human-computer interaction (HCI) has long been a focal area for innovative, multidisciplinary computing research and development. At the dawn of a new millennium, it is time to ask where this increasingly important field is going. What are the critical technical challenges and opportunities that will define HCI work in the years to come? What are the approaches that will sustain and enhance the vitality and effectiveness of HCI? In what ways will HCI differ from what it is today?
In this unique book, John M. Carroll, himself a prominent contributor to HCI understanding, presents...
moreRecommended by Jakob Nielsen, and 1 others. 25
With the world continuing to shrink into a "global village, " software companies are working to make programs that transcend language and cultural borders. One such way is through international user interfaces where the software is prepared so that it can be easily localized in each country. This book focuses on user interfaces, exploring what they can do, and what they need to do to become commercially viable. less
Recommended by Jakob Nielsen, and 1 others. Don't have time to read Jakob Nielsen's favorite books? Read Shortform summaries.
Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:
- Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
- Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
- Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.