The only constant in the fast-paced world of UI/UX design is change!
Which means, if you’re a UI/UX designer looking to stay ahead, keep your skills sharp, and stay marketable to your clients, then you’re going to have to embrace a life of continuous learning.
And while quick tutorials and online courses can definitely help you get started, there’s just something about the heft and insight of a good book.
So, if your shelves are looking a little sparse right now and you’d like to fill them up with the best UI/UX books a designer can have, then today’s blog is here to help you get your list started.
We’ve compiled a list of the top UI/UX books to help you boost your skills and set yourself apart in 2025! Whether you’re a beginner, a seasoned pro, or anything in between, these must-reads are packed with the inspiration and advice you need!
Let’s get started!
Why UI/UX Designers Should Never Stop Learning
U/UX design is constantly changing!
Beyond keeping yourself updated with the best UI/UX tools, being a lifetime learner gives you the chance to refine your creativity, solve more complex challenges, and deliver user experiences that keep your clients coming back to you again and again!
Here are a few more reasons why every UI/UX designer should commit to their ongoing education:
- Stay Competitive in a Fast-Changing Industry — The design world evolves quickly, and staying on top of trends helps you keep your skills relevant and in demand.
- Learn New Tools and Techniques — From AI tools to better ways to prototype, continuous learning keeps you ahead of the curve.
- Understand Changing User Needs — As user habits and expectations change, learning helps you design experiences that feel fresh and relevant.
- Boost Your Creativity and Problem-Solving — Picking up new ideas and methods makes it easier to tackle unique challenges and come up with creative solutions.
- Build a Portfolio That Stands Out — Adding advanced skills and fresh ideas to your work helps you create a portfolio that catches attention and lands you better opportunities.
- Step Up as a Leader — Staying sharp and informed helps you share insights, inspire others, and build a reputation as an expert in your field.
The Top UI/UX Books for Designers
If you’re ready to sharpen your skills and get the insight you need to be a better designer, then we’re ready to help!
Check out the following list, separated by experience level, to find the perfect book for your place in your UI/UX journey!
Top UI/UX Books for Beginners
The world of UI/UX can be overwhelming for baby designers, but no fear!
We’ve all gotta start somewhere and if you’re looking for a good place to get started, then these books are it.
Check out our three favorites to kickstart your design journey!
1. Don’t Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability
Don’t Make Me Think by Steve Krug is a classic guide to user experience (UX) design, and emphasizes the importance of simplicity and intuitive navigation.
“Witty, commonsensical, and eminently practical,” this book is one of the best-loved and most recommended books on the subject of usability. This makes it a must-read for any creative aiming to create digital design projects that aren't just visually stunning but also user-friendly and powerfully effective!
Click the link above to grab your copy on Amazon for about $40.
2. The Design of Everyday Things
The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman is a guide to the principles of thoughtful and user-centered design.
This crowd favorite breaks down the psychology behind user interactions and offers practical tips for improving usability in everyday designs. Whether you’re designing physical products or digital products, this is a must-read for anyone passionate about creating great user experiences!
Get yourself a copy of the revised and expanded edition on Amazon for only $13!
3. Laws of UX: Using Psychology to Design Better Products & Services
Laws of UX by Jon Yablonski is a practical guide to show readers how even the best design can fail when it doesn’t consider the psychology of how humans perceive and process.
Packed with real-world examples and expert tips, Laws of UX is perfect for creatives who want to design with purpose. Whether you’re building apps, websites, or physical products, this book will make you think and start creating intuitive and user-friendly solutions that your users will love to interact with.
Click the link above to get your copy on Amazon for less about $38.
Top Reads for Seasoned Designers
Experienced UI/UX designers know that staying ahead of the curve means constantly learning new things and expanding their expertise!
The following books are handpicked to offer pro designers some new techniques and fresh perspectives to take your design work to the next level.
1. Seductive Interaction Design: Creating Playful, Fun, and Effective User Experiences
If you’ve ever wondered why no one sticks around even though you’ve created a great website or app or how you can get more people to see how valuable your services really are, then this is the book for you.
Seductive Interaction Design by Stephen P. Anderson shows you how to design sites and digital interactions based on the stages of seduction to motivate users to act! Perfect for designers who want to create truly memorable experiences!
Pick up a used copy on Amazon for $11 or find it on Kindle for $30!
2. A Project Guide to UX Design: For User Experience Designers in the Field or in the Making
A Project Guide to UX Design by Russ Unger and Carolyn Chandler is a must-read for designers navigating more complex UX projects.
It gives readers some practical advice on things like defining project goals, user research, and creating user-centered designs that balance functionality and usability. Perfect for the designer looking to stay ahead in the ever-changing world of UX design!
Click the link above to pick up a paperback copy on Amazon for just under $40!
3. Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products
Ready to see what it really takes to create products that your users can’t get enough of?
If you are, then Hooked is a book you don’t want to miss. This guide by Nir Eyal introduces readers to the “Hooked Model,” a four-step process for building customer habits and learning how other businesses keep their users coming back again and again. A must-read for designers eager to learn how to build the kind of products that people love.
Find your copy on Amazon for $15!
4. Think Like a UX Researcher: How to Observe Users, Influence Design, and Shape Business Strategy
If you’re looking for a book to challenge your preconceptions about UX research and show you how to think beyond the obvious, then Think Like a UX Researcher by David Travis and Phillip Hodgson is a book you need on your shelf!
This popular guide aims to teach readers how to better plan and conduct UX research, analyze data, persuade teams to take action, and more to further your UX career. A great read for anyone looking to boost their UX research skills and create designs that truly resonate with users.
Use the link above to pick up your copy on Amazon for less than $50!
5. Lean UX: Designing Great Products with Agile Teams
Lean UX by Jeff Gothelf and Josh Seiden is a game-changing guide for designers, product managers, and teams looking for a more efficient way to create user-centered products.
With a focus on integrating UX design into an agile development process, this book is full of practical advice and strategies for reducing waste, aligning teams, and making sure you create a product that truly meets your users’ needs!
An essential read for anyone aiming to deliver great experiences while keeping up with the demands of modern product development.
Pick up your copy for $35 by clicking the link above!
6. Articulating Design Decisions: Communicate with Stakeholders, Keep Your Sanity, and Deliver the Best User Experience
Many designers know exactly how difficult it is talking to other people about your designs. So, if you’re looking for a guide to help you better communicate your vision with stakeholders, clients, and other non-designers, then Articulating Design Decisions should definitely be on your reading list!
This guide, by Tom Greever, focuses on principles, tactics, and methods for presenting your app, website, or product design in order to get the support you need to meet your goals!
Click the link above to grab your copy for around $30.
Must-Reads for Future-Focused Designers
Staying ahead of the curve is a must in a field like UI/UX.
Whether you’re looking to create unforgettable experiences, tackle design challenges with your team, or come up with the next “big thing,” the right book can spark your creativity and be the inspiration you’re looking for!
Check out our picks below for some of the most insightful reads out there!
1. Design for the Digital Age: How to Create Human-Centered Products and Services
There’s a fine line between designing wonderful user experiences and driving your customers crazy with complicated and confusing tech!
Whether you design electronics, medical devices, or websites and other digital products, Designing for the Digital Age by Kim Goodwin is a practical guide to creating user-friendly products and services in today’s fast-paced digital world.
It provides readers with advice on everything from assembling effective teams, conducting user research, and turning insights into innovative designs. If you’re looking to elevate your design skills and make sure your work is always meeting user needs and business goals, this is a must-read for you!
Follow the link above to pick up a copy for $35 on Amazon!
2. Thinking, Fast and Slow
This best-seller by world-famous psychologist and winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics, Daniel Kahnerman, takes readers on a tour of the mind to explain two systems that drive the way we think!
And though Thinking, Fast and Slow isn’t specifically focused on UI/UX design, designers will find the principles covered are highly relevant! By understanding the psychology described in this guide, UI/UX designers can equip themselves with the tools they need to create user experiences that account for human behavior and result in a product that users will be happy to return to over and over again!
Pick up your copy of this must-read psychology guide on Amazon starting at $13!
3. Speculative Everything: Design, Fiction, and Social Dreaming by Anthony Dunne and Fiona Raby
Speculative Everything: Design, Fiction, and Social Dreaming by Anthony Dunne and Fiona Raby is a guide on how to use design as a tool to create not only things but ideas!
Rather than predicting trends, this book explores "what if" scenarios to inspire debate about the futures we want (or maybe don’t want). Through fascinating examples, the authors show how speculative design can challenge norms and expand creative thinking. A must-read for designers eager to push boundaries and reimagine what’s possible.
Click the link above to pick up your copy for only $27 on Amazon!
Bonus Picks
Not every great design book fits neatly into a category, but the following picks are must-reads for any designer looking to sharpen their skills, expand their creative thinking, and approach their work with fresh perspectives!
1. Sprint: How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just Five Days
Ever been a part of a good design sprint?
If you haven’t, then Sprint by Jake Knapp is the perfect guide to get you started! Developed at Google Ventures, this book introduces a unique five-day process to help you and your team tackle big problems, rapidly move from ideas to prototypes, and test solutions before actually investing time and resources into them. Perfect for UI/UX designers and teams of all sizes looking for an effective and practical framework to create impactful, user-tested designs that work!
Get your sprint started by clicking the link above and grabbing your copy for only $17!
2. UX Strategy: Product Strategy Techniques for Devising Innovative Digital Solutions
If you’ve been looking for an easy-to-apply framework for executing your UX design, UX Strategy by Jaime Levy offers you a practical approach that bridges the gap between UX design and business strategy.
Through business cases, real-world examples, and other historical context, this book will give you some valuable perspective to help you and your team create the kind of innovative digital solutions that users want.
A copy of this book is about $30! Click the link above to grab yours now.
3. Emotional Design: Why We Love (or Hate) Everyday Things
Emotions always come into play when we humans think, choose, and act.
Cognitive scientist and author Don Norman knows this and, in Emotional Design, he takes his readers through how emotions can influence our interactions with design.
This insightful read dives into the psychology behind why certain designs delight us, while others frustrate and disappoint. It’s a great read for UI/UX designers who are looking to create products that don’t just work, but make an impact on users.
Pick up your copy for only $11 by clicking the link above!
<div class="c-blog_comp-cta cc-component-2"><div class="c-blog_comp-cta-left"><div class="c-blog_comp-cta-left-wrap"><img src="https://global-uploads.webflow.com/61cdf3c5e0b8155f19e0105b/63695243d096983691046ac3_Potential-Creative.png" loading="lazy" alt="" class="c-blog_comp-cta-left-img"></div></div><div class="c-blog_comp-cta-right cc-dark"><div class="c-blog_comp-content"><div class="c-text-wrapper cc-mb-32"><div class="c-title-4 cc-bold"><strong>Like to work as a freelancer with consistent income?</strong></div></div><div class="c-text-wrapper"><div class="c-text-2">Designity's collaborative model is designed to give you all of the perks of being a freelancer without the income instability.<br></div></div></div><div class="c-blog_comp-wrapper"><a href="http://designity.com/creatives" target="_blank" class="c-button w-button"><strong>Join Our Creative Community</strong></a></div></div></div>
Looking for a Place to Put Your UI/UX Skills to Work?
We hope you’ve enjoyed our list of the top UI/UX books of designers and have picked out one or two (or more) to add to your shelf.
And if you’re looking for an outlet for all that design insight and knowledge and you’re tired of the freelance market or you’re looking for something more flexible, then we have one last recommendation before you go:
Why not join the Designity community?
Designity is made up of the top 3% of all the talented creatives who apply and we’re always looking for fresh, new UI/UX designers to join our ranks!
So, if you’re ready for a place that offers you competitive pay, a huge variety of different projects with different clients in different industries, and the freedom to work remotely, set your own schedule, and pick the clients you want, then what are you waiting for?
We don’t believe in resumes, just in seeing what you can do! Put your skills to the test with our one-of-a-kind application and show us what you’ve got! Whether you’re a designer, writer, or marketing pro, we’re waiting for you!
Are you ready to take the next step toward your new creative career?
