Top Interaction Design books recommended by experts

At MentorCruise, we are all about making the most out of the experience of others. As part of that, we've connected and asked dozens of experts and professionals about their favourite Interaction Design books – and here are the answers.

Table of Contents

Fundamentals of Interaction Design

Understanding the concepts of Interaction Design starts with understanding the fundamentals. On your way to mastery, it's crucial for you to understand how certain concepts were derived, and why things work like they do. Starting with these resources is the best way to do so.

Rocket Surgery Made Easy

It's been known for years that usability testing can dramatically improve products. But with a typical price tag of $5,000 to $10,000 for a usability consultant to conduct each round of tests, it rarely happens.
In this how-to companion to Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability, Steve Krug spells out a streamlined approach to usability testing that anyone can easily a…

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About Face: The Essentials of Interaction Design

The interaction design profession is blooming with the success of design-intensive companies, priming customers to expect "design" as a critical ingredient of marketplace success. Consumers have little tolerance for websites, apps, and devices that don't live up to their expectations, and the responding shift in business philosophy has become widespread. About Face is the book that brought int…

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

The Elements of User Experience cuts through the complexity of user-centered design for the Web with clear explanations and vivid illustrations that focus on ideas rather than tools or techniques. Jesse James Garrett gives readers the big picture of Web user experience development, from strategy and requirements to information architecture and visual design. This accessible introduction helps …

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The Design of Everyday Things

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.

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UI is Communication: How to Design Intuitive, User Centered Interfaces by Focusing on Effective Communication

User interface design is a challenging, multi disciplinary activity that requires understanding a wide range of concepts and techniques that are often subjective and even conflicting. Imagine how much it would help if there were a single perspective that you could use to simplify these complex issues down to a small set of objective principles. In UI is Communication, Everett McKay explains ho…

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Designing with the Mind in Mind: Simple Guide to Understanding User Interface Design Rules

In this completely updated and revised edition of Designing with the Mind in Mind, Jeff Johnson provides you with just enough background in perceptual and cognitive psychology that user interface (UI) design guidelines make intuitive sense rather than being just a list or rules to follow.
Early UI practitioners were trained in cognitive psychology, and developed UI design rules based on it.…

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Additional Interaction Design Reading

These books are not required for you to learn Interaction Design, but they are highly recommended for you to deepen your knowledge.

Interaction Design: Beyond Human-Computer Interaction

A revision of the #1 text in the Human Computer Interaction field, Interaction Design, the third edition is an ideal resource for learning the interdisciplinary skills needed for interaction design, human-computer interaction, information design, web design and ubiquitous computing.
The authors are acknowledged leaders and educators in their field, with a strong global reputation. They brin…

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Designing Interactions

Digital technology has changed the way we interact with everything from the games we play to the tools we use at work. Designers of digital technology products no longer regard their job as designing a physical object—beautiful or utilitarian—but as designing our interactions with it. In Designing Interactions, award-winning designer Bill Moggridge introduces us to forty influential designers …

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

This list is curated by MentorCruise and can include Amazon affiliate links. Have any other suggestions? Add here.

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With 15+ years navigating design careers across New York City, San Francisco, China, Singapore, and Australia, I've been through the ups and downs of building a career in this industry. I've worked at companies like Twitter, Pinterest, Yahoo, Grab, and now Canva - experiencing everything from startup chaos to corporate …

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I'm a Berlin-based UX Design Leader with over 20 years of crafting seamless digital experiences. Currently shaping the future of online interactions at HelloFresh, I’m a seasoned pro in blending creativity with strategy to deliver products that users love and remember. My journey in the world of new & online …

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Hi, I'm Annalisa! :) With 10 years of experience in product design, I specialize in creating user-centric solutions for B2B and SaaS products. I've had the privilege of working with a range of brands, from large corporations to innovative startups, from B2B to B2C. My focus is on refining design …

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