To truly thrive as a UX designer and unlock your full potential, it's essential to broaden your perspective beyond the technical aspects of design.
UX design is a multidisciplinary field that incorporates psychology, marketing, and business. Therefore, by embracing new ideas and ways of thinking, you can cultivate innovation and pursue personal growth with passion and purpose.
This means delving into various areas of knowledge rather than just focusing on hard skills. Doing so can bring a fresh and unique perspective to your UX design work and distinguish yourself from others.
Check out these 5 books that can boost your career as a UX Designer!
1) The Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives, by Leonard Mlodinow
We are not always prepared to deal with random situations – positive or negative – that happen in our lives.
We usually label these situations with some social standards. For example, something positive we claim is luck. If it was something negative, it is life sending us a sign, a message. Have you ever heard something like this?
This is the theme addressed in the book The Drunkard's Walk by Leonard Mlodinow.
With irreverent and amusing language, the author gives examples and tools to deal with unexpected circumstances in various aspects of life.
The book is divided into two parts. The first part discusses the presence of random situations in everyday life that are often mistaken for "luck" or "chance."
In the second part of the book, Mlodinow presents cases where we find ourselves relying on luck and chance, leading us to perceive patterns that are actually nonexistent, such as in the case of astrology.
A curious fact about the author is that he was in the World Trade Center at the time of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. And he survived.
This book is interesting for those who work in UX Design because it helps better understand people's habits and beliefs. It shows us how we can help them make more informed and less "magical" choices.
The book is available on Amazon.
2) Brain Rules, John Medina
This book is a handy way to understand a little more about how the brain works in a simple and practical way. Although few people say it, there are rules of brain functioning that everyone should know. And this is what John Medina shows in 12 Basic Rules.
Thus, throughout the book, the author describes such rules as:
- Survival;
- Exercise;
- Sleep;
- Stress;
- Plasticity (the brain's capacity for adaptation and change);
- Attention;
- Memory;
- Integration;
- Vision;
- Music;
- Genre;
- Exploration.
By applying what the author calls the 12 Brain Rules, you will be able to understand the importance of each of these areas to the brain.
We recommend this reading for you to better understand how the human mind works, how users interact, and what the motives are for their actions.
Whenever users interact with a product or service, psychological relationships are created that can be solved or improved from our understanding of the brain.
Besides the book, as part of his project, the author also maintains a website, where you can see videos and articles on the subject.
The book is available on Amazon.
Reading Tip: The Importance of Psychology in UX Design
3) How to Win Friends and Influence People, Dale Carnegie
The famous book written by Carnegie shows how to improve relationships with people in professional and personal environments. In this sense, advice, methods, and ideas on how to revolutionize situations and make life lighter through your relationships are addressed.
In this way, the author covers topics such as:
- How to make friends quickly and easily;
- Increasing your popularity;
- Convincing people in the way you think;
- How to gain new customers;
- Improving public speaking;
- Increase enthusiasm and empathy among colleagues.
Although the book has already had several editions and was not written in the years when the Internet became popular, it is still very current because its theme is timeless: relationships.
Carnegie suggests that building relationships with people is a challenge that can always be improved through the use of techniques and a fresh perspective.
For this reason, the book is highly recommended reading for UX Designers, since relationships and their challenges are part of our daily lives. Whether with other designers, programmers, people from other teams, or, most of all, users.
So if you want to improve your ability to talk, convince and connect within UX Design, this is a must-read.
The book is available on Amazon.
4) Thinking, Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman
Daniel Kahneman's book delves into the intricacies of human thought processes. Using uncomplicated language, the author elucidates two distinct modes of thinking.
The first is rapid, instinctual, and emotional, while the second is more methodical, reflective, and rational.
Both modes inform our cognition, shaping our judgments and decisions.
Through thought-provoking questions, the book offers practical advice to improve your decision-making skills and is applicable both in personal and professional contexts.
Reading the material as a team can be quite engaging as it helps to clear up any mental clutter that could hinder crucial decisions in maximizing a UX Design project.
The book is available on Amazon.
Reading Tip: Why Are Balanced Teams So Important To UX?
5) Start With Why, Simon Sinek
A book for inquiring minds who want to make a difference wherever they go.
Great companies' leaders often begin by asking the question "Why?" as their starting point.
Sinek has some interesting thoughts on how inspiration and manipulation can affect how people behave.
Therefore, this is a very interesting book for those who coordinate UX Design projects because it talks directly about how to exercise leadership in a healthy and effective way.
In addition, the book talks about how to build strong partnerships. This means keeping everyone on the same page and working towards the same goals, even when things get tough. It's all about staying connected and working together as a team.
This book is definitely worth reading, even if you haven't yet landed a management position in UX Design. It provides valuable insight into what it's like to work with a leader and offers helpful tips on effectively communicating your suggestions to them.
The book is available on Amazon.
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