The best designers are always learning.
If you’re looking to think deeper, lead better, and design with intention, this is my running list of recommended resources.
Templates + downloads
A curated collection of my personal templates that I’ve built over my years as a design professional. I’m passing them on in hopes of helping others.
The basics - start here
Foundational reads for designers at any level
100 Things Every Designer Needs to Know About People by Susan Weinschenk
Just Enough Research by Erica Hall
The Elements of Content Strategy by Erin Kissane
Interviewing Users by Steve Portigal
Practical Empathy by Indi Young
100 More Things Every Designer Needs to Know About People by Susan Weinschenk
The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman
Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products by Nir Eyal
Don't Make Me Think by Steve Krug
Sin & Syntax: How to Craft Wicked Good Prose by Constance Hale
Microcopy: The Complete Guide by Kinneret Yifrah
Practical UI by Aham Dannaway
About Face by Alan Cooper
Outside the screen - extended reading in related fields
Cross-disciplinary reads that expand your design lens
Understanding Industrial Design by Simon King
Designing for Emerging Technologies by Jonathan Follett
Styled: Secrets for Arranging Rooms, from Tabletops to Bookshelves by Emily Henderson
Happy City: Transforming Our Lives Through Urban Design by Charles Montgomery
Envisioning Information by Edward R. Tufte
Design of the 20th Century by Charlotte & Peter Fiell
Everyday Bias by Howard J. Ross
Pattern Pulse Vol 2 by Rachel King
Design management and leadership
Strategic reads for team growth and influence
LiftOff! Practical Design Leadership to Elevate your Team, Your Organization, and You by Chris Avore and Russ Unger
Articulating Design Decisions by Tom Greever
Resilient Management by Lara Hogan
Functional area-specific resources
Books, blogs, tutorials, and tools to broaden your horizon
Research
Communicating Research Findings (UX Matters)
A More Actionable UX Research Readout — Inform Design & Build Empathy (The Startup)
UX Ops
Little bit of everything
Superhi (code, visual design, UI design, and project management courses)
Data science + AI