135 Free eBooks on User Experience, Usability, User Interface Design and more

Published August 6, 2018 by Stefan Rössler in User Experience
⚡ Updated on March 5, 2024

Human behavior is amazing. That’s probably why falling in love with user-centered design is so easy. It’s a broad subject based on human-computer interaction, psychological triggers, and behavioral patterns, and then spits out user interface design, user experience design, web design, and more.

It’s a science that pokes into users’ minds with relentless curiosity. And relentless curiosity is what all creatives have in common.

That curiosity got us to start Userbrain, a user testing tool where we help other creatives pick some user brains. Week after week, not just once in a while. We want to make user testing a habit.

That curiosity also got us wondering: “What free books on the subjects are spread around the Web that we haven’t found and read yet?”. That is why we went on a wild hunt to gather all the free ebooks we could find. It took us some time, but the count is in.

A library of 135 free UX ebooks

135 free ebooks are in this library. The topics we found range from Web design, User Experience, User Interface, Typography, Interaction Design, Usability Testing, Accessibility, and some Marketing & Conversion books.

We invite you to join our hunt and bring your catch to this library. It is an open library so everyone is welcome to take, and everyone is welcome to add.

P.S. We want to salute every one of the authors for taking the effort to write these books and make their knowledge available to everyone.

This list got a lot of “organic” shares. That means the authors efforts are valued, and their knowledge is reaching new curious & creative minds.

So thank you for spreading knowledge and for sharing this list and adding your findings to it, in the comments, on Twitter, and everywhere you can.

Quickly navigate all free ebooks:

Introductory ebooks

The UX Reader by MailChimp

Free ebook: The UX Reader

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • Essential, easy and fun information on creating a good looking website with primary coding knowledge.

Pixel Perfect Precision Handbook by ustwo

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • Why this book has grown from a 108-page simple guide to a 214-page designer bible that went through 3 editions.
  • Illustrated digital design knowledge with best practices for visuals in web design
  • How-to instructions for Photoshop with a focus on visual design

20 Things I Learned About Browsers And The Web by Google Chrome Team

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • A short but very interesting book on browsers by the people that know most about them – the Google Chrome team.
  • How browsers evolved through time.
  • The intricate works of a browser.
  • How they have impacted the way we surf the web.

UX Design for Startups by UXPin

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • 127 pages of real-life UX advice from UXPin CEO Marcin Treder.
  • A great guide for startups that helps them integrate UX into their workflow.
  • Learn about all the steps your startup needs to take to grow from good UX.
  • From validating your product assumptions and efficient UX design techniques, to quality research, measuring, and optimizing for growth.
  • Bonus: Get a list of 60+ handpicked UX design tools.

The User Experience Guide Book For Product Managers by UXPin

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • The difference between product managers and UX designers
  • How communication works in the design process
  • How product managers can use wireframes for maximum effect
  • Usability studies and UX design tools product managers should use

How to Launch Your UX Career and Get Paid by UXPin

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • What it’s like to be a UX professional and advice on launching your career
  • In the end you will know if a UX professional’s life is a good fit for you.

The Indispensable UX Designer: A Guide to Influential Design by UXPin

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • 10 qualities that separate great designers from the rest
  • Habits and tactics to make you an indispensable designer
  • How to understand the business goals to earn & keep your seat at the table
  • How to give meaningful design feedback

The Field Guide to Self-Employed Web Design by UXPin

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • Know the pros and cons of starting your own web design business
  • Avoid common mistakes made by new self-employed designers
  • Tips and tricks for building successful client relationships from the beginning
  • Bonus material from experts at Creative Market

Introduction to Good Usability by Peter Conradie

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • For user-centered design or usability learners, this is a good reference to get you into the amazing and fun-filled world of UX.

Design Your Imagination by WebGuru Infosystems

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • Essential, easy and fun information on creating a good looking website with primary coding knowledge.

Web Style Guide by Patrick J. Lynch and Sarah Horton

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • A book written in 1999 still remaining one of the best style guides for web interfaces.
  • How to plan, develop and manage a website or web project
  • Information on web teams and on interface design
  • Highly readable, this book is overflowing with examples and is beneficial for a newbie and trained experts alike.

Bright ideas for user experience designers by Userfocus

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • 100 pages of real-world advice on UX design
  • 7 myths about paper prototyping
  • What the Beatles can teach us about support
  • 5 shortcuts for laying out Axure pages in record time
  • Card games for information architects
  • Tips for writing user manuals

UX Masters: The Ultimate UX Manager’s Guide to Success by UX Motel

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • The fundamental principles of successful UX.
  • How to manage relations with other departments in the business.
  • Important tips and tricks that you can implement within your UX team.

The Fable of the User-Centred Designer by David Travis

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • 40 pages long story on user-centered design written by the guy who knows his usability – Dr. David Travis.
  • An interesting journey of one young man as he learns the secrets of good user-centered design.
  • It leaves you with a much better comprehension for the framework of the user-centered approach to UX and UI design.

Taking Your Talent to the Web by Jeffrey Zeldman

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • A 400-page book on everything you need to get into web design written by the guy behind A List Apart.
  • Why this book had a 5-star rating on Amazon before they released it for free.
  • A great read for print designers who want to design websites, art directors who want to move to the world of web, and professionals who want to deepen their web skills and understanding.

Getting Real by 37signals aka Basecamp

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • Why this free ebook is the most popular and downloaded book on how to approach building a startup or your next project.
  • The right way to build web applications from the makers of Basecamp (which is now used by more than 15.000.000 people! Wow, that does not happen easily!).
  • Everything from the beginning and sketching your idea on paper, to delivering the final product to the public.
  • Plus tips and tricks for customer support and keeping things alive and kicking.

A Practical Guide to Designing for the Web by Five Simple Steps and Mark Boulton

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • This guide will teach you the best techniques for designing your website, using the tried and true principles of graphic design.
  • It takes an approach that includes researching the usage of the site, understanding typography, utilizing color for navigation as well as presentation and creating a usable and satisfying layout.

Human Computer Interaction Course Notes by Dr. Keith Andrews

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • Dr. Keith Andrew’s notes for his HCI lectures
  • Now you too can follow along with course notes in HCI and build a foundation of the principles of UX.
  • Well worth reading for UX beginners and advanced UXers as well!

Mental Models in Human-Computer Interaction by John M. Carroll and Judith Reitman Olson

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • The effects of unchanging human psychology, learning, and mental models on great design
  • While very academic, it contains many useful insights on user-centric design.

Converting the Believers by Peter Meyers

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • Learn how to use analytics, usability and testing to systematically improve online sales.

UX Storytellers – Connecting the Dots by Jan Jursa

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • A massive ebook with interviews and stories from 42 UX gurus on their experiences of being a UX professional.
  • Full of great narratives and rich metaphors, it’s an insightful read that you can pick up anytime anywhere.
  • Insight into UX gurus career paths and design processes, with useful links and references all around the book.
  • Almost every scenario ever experienced by a designer is covered.

Six Circles – An experience design framework by James Kelway

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • This book will provide you with a framework for how to create and utilize an experience design framework in your organization.
  • This is required reading for anyone that is designing or creating experiences for organizations, no matter whether it’s an app, product or website.

The Vignelli Canon by Massimo Vignelli

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • A glimpse inside the mind of one of the important figures of modernist design.
  • Clear ideas on what should be the foundations of mostly visual design.
  • Numerous examples that convey applications in practice from product design to graphic design to corporate design.
Back to quick navigation

Wireframes, Mockups, Prototypes

The Guide to Wireframing by UXPin

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • Who uses wireframes, why and how?
  • 50 wireframing styles you should know about
  • 4 non-digital wireframing tools and 4 digital wireframing tools
  • Pattern and template libraries
  • Design principles for wireframing

The Guide to Mockups by UXPin

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • What are mockups and what makes a good mockup?
  • Best practices for designing mockups in Photoshop and Sketch
  • Advice on how to use mockups of all types and levels
  • 72 example-full pages and design advice

The Ultimate Guide to Prototyping by UXPin

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • 5 reasons why you need to prototype and how prototypes improve collaboration, communication, usability testing and more.
  • Why prototyping is mandatory for mobile.
  • How to choose the right prototyping process.
  • How to create prototypes from Photoshop and Sketch files.
  • Examples of best practices from companies like Zurb, Google Ventures, IDEO, Apple, and more

The Practical Handbook to Rapid Lo-Fi Prototyping by UXPin

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • Immediately actionable advice and excercises
  • Pros and cons of the most popular offline and digital rapid prototyping methods
  • How-to lessons on user flows and rapid prototyping

The Guide to Interactive Wireframing by UXPin

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • How to use wireframes in the UX design process.
  • A hands-on approach to rapid prototyping
  • Straightforward tutorials with plenty of screenshots, courtesy of Tom Green, Professor of Interactive Multimedia & tutorial author at about.com.

Building UI mockups developers won’t hate by UXPin

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • How to empathize and collaborate with developers for a mutual benefit.
  • How to communicate dev-friendly ideas.
  • 20 helpful resources and Photoshop and Sketch plugins

The Woork Handbook by Antonio Lupetti

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • A collaborative book about web design and programming
  • Useful guidelines to improve CSS coding and maintainability
  • Introduction to databases, Ajax, and JavaScript frameworks
Back to quick navigation

Web Design

Web Design is Dead by Ben Hunt

Free ebook: Web Design is Dead

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • Why the author believes the old way of doing web design is over.
  • What practices are taking over.
  • How designers can better adapt to the ever changing needs of the web.

The State of Web Design: 2016 Edition by UXPin

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • 24 examples of how Slack, Samsung, Ford, Under Armor and others use these practices.
  • How to use a mobile-first approach by focusing on your content.
  • How to use modular UI design to create reusable elements.
  • A brief introduction to flexbox and what you can do with it.
  • How to handle responsive images and more.

Web Design Trends 2016 by UXPin

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • The new flat design and 5 characteristic components of it.
  • 10 free resources and tools on flat design.
  • How to combine minimalism with other styles.
  • 10 free resources and tools on functional minimalism.
  • Visual examples from companies like Adidas, Intercom, Dropbox, Reebok, Apple, BMW, Spotify, Jawbone, Versace, Google, and many more.

Flat Design Trends 2016 by UXPin

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • The hottest and latest techniques in flat design with dozens of visual examples.
  • How big companies, such as Nike and Corona, are using flat design to attract their users.
  • Tips and techniques for using typography, color, videos, and effects in a flat design.

Top 10 Web Design Trends of 2015 by UXPin

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • A basic understanding of 10 web design trends and examples for how to use them effectively.
  • 40 tips and further resources to each of the 10 presented trends.
  • How to use cards, animations, and other flat design techniques for deeper interactivity.
  • How to be more confident in using typography in your design.
  • How to use colors and captivating photography.

Web Design Book of Trends 2013-2014 by UXPin

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • 11 trends of 2013-14 shown and explained.
  • 165 visual examples of remarkable design.

Responsive Web Design Best Practices by UXPin

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • Tutorial written by responsive designers for you to use immediately.
  • 2 case studies, 5 responsive design layouts and useful navigation patterns
  • How to use patterns and make useful responsive navigations.
  • How to use media queries, typography, responsive images and more.

Responsive & Adaptive Web Design by UXPin

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • Why and how to achieve a consistent experience accross devices.
  • Responsive and adaptive design techniques
  • Understanding a mobile-first process.
  • Examples from The Guardian, Smashing Magazine, Lookout and Hulu Plus.

The Best Web Designs of 2015–2016 by UXPin

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • Loads and loads and loads of compelling examples from companies like Tumblr, Google, Airbnb, Dropbox, Reebok, Coin, Bose, Nest, and dozens more.
  • Inspiration on clever card UI use, brilliant typography, vibrant colors, flat design 2.0, and more.
Back to quick navigation

User Experience

The Basics of User Experience Design by Interaction Design Foundation

the basics of ux design free ebook

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • Conducting user interviews
  • Introduction to Design Thinking
  • User Experience Design for Mobile
  • How to run your own user research

The Essential Elements of Successful UX Design by UXPin

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • A set of best practices for designing meaningful products.
  • 24 examples from companies like Apple, Buffer, Treehouse, Slack, and others.
  • 14 resources for successful UX design principles.
  • How to design useful products with goal-centered design and minimal viable products (MVPs).
  • How to improve the usability of your product and make your product more desirable.

The UX Research Methodology Guidebook by UserTesting

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • Overview of different types of research (and when to use them)
  • Introduction to research methodologies like remote usability testing, prototype testing, competitor studies, and much, much more …
  • How to organize and share your research results.

The Field Guide to UX Strategy by UXPin

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • Examples for how to communicate UX strategy to your team, define your vision, and turn it into action.
  • How to think about all your different stakeholders (including users and beta testers).
  • How to define the Why, How, and What for your UX strategy.
  • How to use data to inform your UX strategy and validate your UX strategy.

Getting Started With UX Design Process & Documentation by UXPin

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • Descriptions of the most helpful UX documents for any design project in all stages of your project.
  • How to create your personalized UX library.
  • The whole UX process deconstructed, from user research and prototyping, to design and usability testing.
  • UX resources worth browsing every day

The Guide to UX Design Process & Documentation by UXPin

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • All about the 7 product stages and the 25+ documents that help maximize their value.
  • Expert opinions on how to think about each design stage and its deliverables.
  • How to use deliverables in lean and agile environments.

3 Common UX Mistakes Killing Good Design by UXPin

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • Pretty self explanatory 🙂
  • Best practices examples from Squarespace & Duolingo

Designing a brilliant user experience through color, font, and icons by UserTesting

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • Learn about color theory and UX, and how color impacts your conversion rates.
  • Determine which font is right for your users.
  • Types of icons and their impact on the user experience.

Idiot Buttons: The Placebo Effect in UX Design by Oliver McGough

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • Learn how to manipulate users minds with the “Illusion of Control”.
  • See how Quora increased the perceived value of their content.
  • Discover how Sketch subtly puts your mind at ease.

Agile UX in the Enterprise by UXPin

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • How to apply agile UX in the enterprise environment and how to succeed at it.
  • All the things you have to have in mind during the whole process.
  • The challenges and solutions of doing agile UX in enterprise throughout every phase – from research to development to testing.

Designing Better UX With UI Patterns by UXPin

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • Introduction to neurodesign
  • A useful shortcut to pattern recognitions
  • Examples from companies like Dribbble, Jawbone, Duolingo, Dropbox, MailChimp, Medium, and more …
  • 4-step approach to finding the right pattern for your needs

10 Pro Tips for Smarter UX Design Process by UXPin

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • How to use the scientific design processes to be more creative.
  • How to change perspectives and uncover new insights that lead to better design.
  • Lots of visual examples to illustrate each tip and point.

Timeless UX Design Trends by UXPin

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • How to design web services instead of web pages.
  • 4 websites that go beyond web design.
  • Examples of how 7 top companies like Vine & Volkswagen design websites as part of a multi-device experience.

UX Design 2015 & 2016 by UXPin

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • 71 examples from companies like Waze, Tinder, Nest, Lookout, Vine, Hulu, Netflix, Spotify
  • Adaptive and responsive design for multi-device consistency, and why both are better than m-dots.
  • How to use onboarding, invisible UIs and feedback to empower users.

UX Design Process Best Practices by UXPin

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • An overview of the 3 stages of design and how to document them.
  • Best practices for requirements gathering, user research, UI design, usability testing, and more …
  • How to conduct (and document) stakeholder and user interviews.
  • How to do (and document) user surveys and competitive analysis.
  • How to create personas, user stories, scenarios, and customer journey maps.
  • How to create low- and high-fidelity prototypes.
  • A practical approach to usability testing

50 User Experience Best Practices by Above The Fold

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • Why this classic of an UX eBook outlasted even the UX design agency that created it.
  • 50 tips to improve your UX across the board, spanning the fields of user research, process flow, content strategy, planning and front-end development.
  • A casual tone and memorable graphics

UX Gamification Redefined by UXPin

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • How gamification evolved, what went wrong with it, and how it came back.
  • 7 examples of great gamification from Duolingo, Sublime Text, GitHub, Trello, Kiip, Nike+ Apps, and Reddit
  • How to gamify designs based on the habit loop.

8 Steps to Building Features Your Users Actually Want by Craig Morrison

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • Identify the problem your feature should solve and define how you measure success.
  • Mockup the frontend, collect user feedback and refine.
  • Release partially, collect qualitative feedback, and decide if the feature stays.
Back to quick navigation

User Interface

Task-Centered User Interface Design by Clayton Lewis and John Rieman

Free ebook: Task-Centered User Interface Design

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • 8 usability studies conducted in 4 countries.
  • Learn the most important thing – how people actually use websites and apps.
  • How mental activities such as perception, learning, memory, and problem solving affect usability.
  • A walk through the steps of designing systems based on user-centered tasks.

Tactical UI Design Patterns by UXPin

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • How users interact with design patterns.
  • How to apply empathy to UI design patterns.
  • How to plan, prototype and apply UI patterns.
  • 100+ web UI pattern examples from Abercrombie & Fitch, Adobe, AIGA, ESPN, Full Sail University, Hotels.com, IMDb, Microsoft Developer Network, the Atlantic, Discovery Channel, and more.

Storytelling in Web UI Design by UXPin

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • Topics on involving users as characters, gamifying interfaces, supplementing actions with interactivity, using easter eggs, and creating user journey maps.
  • 7 examples analyzed in-depth from Squarespace, Foursquare, Tesla, and others.

The Visual Storyteller’s Guide to Web UI Design by UXPin

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • Why visuals are such a compelling tool for retention, information processing, evoking emotions and more.
  • 3 powerful types of imagery in visual storytelling
  • How to select the right visual style for your storytelling.
  • 29 analyzed examples from Tesla, Fitbit, Microsoft, Squarespace, Foursquare, and more.

The Building Blocks of Visual Hierarchy by UXPin

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • How to strategically influence the user flow and decisions with visual hierarchy.
  • Quick tips on creating visual hierarchy with size, color, layout, spacing and style.
  • 18 examples from companies like MailChimp & RelateIQ

Winning Over Users With Attractive UI Design by UXPin

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • How beautiful designs impact your usability and draw attention.
  • Topic on design consistency, types of symmetry, the functional & emotional role of visuals, best practices for attractive design, and more.
  • 22 visual examples from the likes of Dior, Pinterest, Apple, Squarespace, Hulu, and more.

Elegant Web UI Design Techniques by UXPin

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • Past and future of the use of colors on the web.
  • 40 examples from Google, Squarespace and more.
  • 10 free resources and tools for you to use.

Color Theory in Web UI Design by UXPin

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • Best practices for contrast and complementary colors, mixing colors and more.
  • 24 illustrated examples from Mozilla, Squarespace, Cadbury, and others.
  • 7 color tools you can use on your next project.

Zen of White Space in Web UI Design by UXPin

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • How to design with the power of nothing.
  • 14 in-depth examples of white space best practices
  • The dangers of too much or too little white space, and how to find a golden ratio.
  • A list of typography tools and grid generators to help you with your next design.

White Space in Web UI Design by UXPin

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • How to tackle the feared white space and come out on top.
  • 11 elegant examples analyzed in-depth.
  • How white space actually gets your users to interact more.

Zen of White Space in Web UI Design by UXPin

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • 23 examples of white space best practices from Apple, Square, Lever, Wunderlist, SketchApp, and others.
  • How to create a sense of luxury and emphasize content with white space.
  • Effective types of white space in web design.
  • How to create relationships with space.

Web UI Design for the Human Eye: Principles of Visual Consistency by UXPin

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • How to uncover users’ expectations before the design stage.
  • Examples from Squarespace, Wunderlist, Jukely, Redhat, and others.
  • How to be original with UI but still familiar so that your usability doesn’t suffer.

Consistency in UI Design by UXPin

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • 22 amazing examples of the best use of color in web design.
  • Topics on color palettes, contrasting colors, emotions of color, texture and more.
  • 10 free resources and tools to help you with your next design.

Web UI Trends Present & Future: The Vibrancy of Color by UXPin

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • Flat color palettes, high contrast colors, the emotions of color, how to pair color and texture, and more.
  • 22 captivating examples representing the best use of color in web design.
  • List of resources and tools for using color in web design.

Web UI Trends Present & Future: The Elegance of Minimalism by UXPin

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • How to get into the minimalism mindset, create harmony and contrast, and design with space.
  • Why minimalism is not for every site.
  • 28 examples of best minimalist designs according to the boys at UXPin.

Web UI Trends Present & Future: The Evolution of Flat Design by UXPin

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • How flat design came to be and evolved, and its pros and cons.
  • 18 illustrated examples showcasing the past, present, and future of flat design.
  • 10 free resources and tools

Web UI Design Patterns 2014 by UXPin

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • Understand the different purposes and uses of mockups versus wireframes and prototypes.
  • Best practices for using mockups in the design process.
  • A short but actionable book with to the point explanations.

Web UI Design for the Human Eye: Content Patterns & Typography by UXPin

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • How to effectively use the content-first design approach.
  • All about the F and Z reading patterns.
  • How to visually communicate through typography.
  • Visual case studies from 27 companies including Design Milk, Amazon, The New Yorker, TED, Dropbox, Hulu, Abduzeedo, CreativeBloq, and AirBnB.

Web UI Design for the Human Eye: Colors, Space, Contrast by UXPin

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • What are and how to apply Gestalt principles to web UI design.
  • How to design space through subtraction, visual relationships, contrast, vibrancy and more.
  • Visual case studies from 33 companies including Tumblr, Etsy, Google, Facebook, Twitter, Medium, Intercom, and Bose.
  • How to do a 5-second test for visual hierarchy.

Web UI Trends Present & Future: Dramatic Typography by UXPin

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • How to use dramatic typography to draw attention and appeal to people’s visual senses.
  • 21 examples of the web’s most beautiful typography.
  • Tips for working with type of all sizes, from small to oversized.
  • 10 free resources and tools

Web UI Trends Present & Future: Card Design Patterns by UXPin

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • 19 live examples including Google, Trello, Dribbble, and Bezar.
  • Pros and cons of card design, how cards work with responsive design, understand cards in Material Design, get pro tips for a visually striking card interface, and more.
  • 10 free card design resources and tools

Web UI Design Best Practices by UXPin

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • How UI shapes UX.
  • How to effectively use knowledge about your users and their needs to drive further decisions.
  • In-depth explanations of visual hierarchy, interface design and UX design.
  • 63 web UI patterns you can implement.
  • How to effectively collaborate in the design process.

Web UI Design Patterns 2014 by UXPin

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • How to use UI patterns.
  • How to use design to get input.
  • How to design successful and clear navigations.
  • 63 web UI patterns you can implement.
  • Examples of best solutions from the best companies in 2014.

Search User Interfaces by Marti A. Hearst

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • Why copying someone’s search user interface is not all that smart.
  • What complex issues lie below the surface of search interfaces.
  • Large body of research that explains what works and why, in a practical way ready for applying.
  • How to analyze, create, and understand the full range of problems and new potentials for search design.
Back to quick navigation

Typography

Practical Typography by Matthew Butterick

practical typography free ebook

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • One of THE best free resources for learning all about typography.
  • Excellent advice for anyone who wants their writing to look professional.
  • Quick, clear, entertaining sections that inspire and encourage you to act immediately and feel the power of what Butterick is discussing.
  • Entertaining writing with sarcastic comments that give you all the education you need to be a typography power user.

The Elements of Typographic Style Applied to the Web by Richard Rutter

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • How to make the best use of text in web design.
  • How to achieve great readability and delight your audience.
  • Top-notch typographic style information

Meaningful Mobile Typography by UXPin

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • How to choose the right typeface for mobile, use the right size, pair colors and more.
  • 17 great examples of some of the best mobile typography out there.
  • 10 excellent resources and tools
Back to quick navigation

Interaction Design

The 5 Building Blocks of Interaction Design by UXPin

the 5 building blocks of interaction design free ebook

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • How usability is essential to your design process.
  • A 5-step process for improving your interactions.
  • The basics of goal-driven design including personas, scenarios, and experience maps.
  • The difference between affordances & signifiers in design.
  • The importance of learnability to hook users on your product.

Interaction Design Best Practices: Mastering Words, Visuals, Space by UXPin

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • The 5 pillars to successful interaction design
  • 5-step process to improving interactions
  • Using content to create amazing user conversations.
  • Human reading patterns, emotion in copy, and microcopy.
  • Importance of size, distance, and space in interaction design.

Interaction Design Best Practices: Mastering Time, Responsiveness & Behaviour by UXPin

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • Why and how time matters in interaction design.
  • Influencing user decisions with interaction design.
  • How and when to use animations.
  • How to design for user behavior.
  • How applying delight transforms user experiences.

Demystifying Delightful Interaction Design by UXPin

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • The building blocks and 5 pillars of delightful interaction design.
  • Where delight does and does not fit in web design.
  • 24 examples from the likes of MailChimp, Virgin America, Bitly, and Medium.
  • How to use delight to the max and not hurt usability.

Interaction Design Unlocked Vol.1: Designing the Details by UXPin

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • 5 psychology secrets for enduring interaction design.
  • 4 deconstructed examples of delightful interaction design + 30 more examples.
  • The importance of copywriting and different forms of it.
  • Learn about micro-interactions and how to use them.
  • How to connect emotionally and design with mental triggers.

Interaction Design & Complex Animations by UXPin

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • Modern interaction design techniques
  • 47 examples from AirBnB, Dribbble, Disney, and others.
  • The past, present, and future of animations in web UI design.
  • 10 free resources and tools to use on your projects.

Interaction Design Trends 2015 & 2016 by UXPin

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • 36 examples from the likes of Uber, Dropbox, Slack, and others.
  • 20+ additional resources on copywriting, minimalism, framing, and more.
  • How to communicate clearly and simplify user flows.
  • How to design persuasive paths for your users.
  • How to delight your users in context and write copy that works.
Back to quick navigation

Designing for Mobile

50 Ways To Please Your Customers by Mobify

50 ways to please your customers free ebook

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • 50 great tips for designing for amazing mobile websites.
  • 2 major problems you need to address when designing your mobile experience.
  • 5 strategic approaches to creating successful multi-screen designs.
  • 50+ mobile design best practices.
  • Lots of visual examples on everything from layout to typography to performance.

Mobile Developer’s Guide To The Galaxy by Customlytics

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • A comprehensive handbook for beginners and experienced players in the mobile galaxy.
  • 270 pages (that went through 15 editions since 2009) about creating app concepts, mobile UI and UX design, coding and app marketing.
  • Walkthrough of almost every facet of mobile development – perfect for planning stages.
  • Introductory guide with good hyperlink reference leads.

The Four Mobile Traps: The Most Common Mistake Made by Mobile Apps and Websites by Michael Mace (YouTube video)

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • Trap #1 – Clinging to legacy: “Porting” a computer app or website to mobile
  • Trap #2 – Creating fear: Feeding mobile anxiety
  • Trap #3 – Creating confusion: Cryptic interfaces and crooked success paths
  • Trap #4 – Creating boredom: Failure to quickly engage your users

Mobile UI Design Patterns by UXPin

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • What are and how to use UI design patterns.
  • Everything from using gestures, animations, buttons, navigations, grids, cards, you name it.
  • Over a 100 pages of illustrated examples of problems and solutions.

Timeless Mobile Design Trends by UXPin

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • 15 examples illustrating the best flat mobile designs available.
  • Flat 2.0 design techniques, flat responsive design
  • How to pair flat with minimalist design, use animations in flat design and more.
  • 10 excellent mobile flat design resources

Mobile UI Design Trends Present & Future by UXPin

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • 24 great examples showcasing some of the best card-based mobile designs.
  • The future of mobile card design and how they relate to user behavior patterns.
  • 10 excellent resources and tools for your projects.

Mobile Book of Trends 2014 by UXPin

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • 156 pages of great visual examples.
  • 12 sections including: typography, flat design, gestural interfaces, pure guidelines and more.
  • A bonus: 10 must-have metro apps for Windows Phone

Mobile Design Book of Trends 2015 & 2016 by UXPin

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • 79 examples of the best techniques for mobile UX.
  • 61 ressources and tools for gestures, layered mobile interfaces, and more.
  • Best practices from Slack, Nike, Google, Apple, Buzzfeed, Spotify, Waze, Tinder and others.
  • How to design gestures for Apple’s 3D Touch.
  • A thorough analysis of Google’s Material Design, with tips on tactile surfaces, adaptive design and how it all fits with other trends.
  • 10 resources and tools at the end of each chapter.

A Guide to Mobile User Experience Research by Userzoom

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • Mobile usage: research to date
  • Mobile research: methods & tools
  • Mobile remote usability testing
  • Tips for designing a mobile unmoderated remote study.
  • A case study on mobile unmoderated remote research.
Back to quick navigation

Usability Testing

The Guide to Usability Testing by UXPin

the guide to usability testing free ebook

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • The importance of research and testing.
  • Defining usability goals and metrics.
  • How to choose tests and participants.
  • How to design gestures for Apple’s 3D Touch.
  • Value of various scripted tests.
  • 30 website and mobile usability testing methods.

How to Recruit Participants for Usability Studies by Nielsen Norman Group

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • How to set up and manage a recruiting program to get the right users for usability studies.
  • Know when it’s appropriate to outsource to a recruiting agency or use in-house recruiting.
  • Learn how to plan for recruiting, screen and schedule participants, and run the test sessions.
  • Sample scripts and forms to use in your own projects.

Bridging the Distance: Tips for Remote, Moderated Usability Tests by UserTesting

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • 5 tips for how to moderate a usability testing session.
  • How to explain the remote process to your participants.
  • How to deal with disturbances and pay attention to non-visual clues.

The Marketer’s Guide to User Testing by UserTesting

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • Introduction to user testing and how it can help marketers.
  • 5 steps to getting actionable customer insights with user testing.
  • Free template to measure your overall brand impression and usability.

How to Improve your User Testing Experience by UserTesting

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • 7 mobile testing best practices (test the right platforms, test early, test often, commit at least 50% of user testing to mobile, and more).
  • Bonus: Mobile testing checklist

What I Learned from User Testing by Come Bohu

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • 7 of the most common usability issues like multi level navs are not user friendly, links should look like links, not all icons are universal, and more.
  • Solutions for giving your customers a great experience.

A Complete Guide to User Testing Your Next Project by UserTesting

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • How to define your objective and identify what you need to measure.
  • Create your tasks, write great questions, and test out your test.
  • 6 tips every researcher should memorize.

When Unmoderated Remote Usability Testing is the Best Choice by Userzoom

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • The value behind in-lab usability testing.
  • The value behind unmoderated remote usability testing.
  • When to use unmoderated remote usability testing for your research.

User Tested by Janelle Estes and Andy McMillan

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • How to put customers back into the center of your business model.
  • Best practices for maintaining positive relationships with your clients and delivering a better product with less wasted time.
  • How to leverage user testing to deliver value to your clients.

User Testing and Design: Improving Yelp’s Website by UXPin

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • Guiding principles for the design process
  • How to deconstruct and analyze a business.
  • How to use found insights to make user testing and design decisions.
  • How to gather and maximize use of collected qualitative and quantitative data.
  • Wireframes and interactive prototypes of Yelp’s redesigns.

Getting Out of the Office: Testing Mobile App Prototypes With Users by UserTesting

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • Why to test prototypes with users, and how to save time, resources, and sanity.
  • Hot to incorporate user testing with your prototype cycle.
  • A short list of their favorite prototyping tools including InVision, Axure, Balsamiq and others.

3 Methods to Master Agile UX Testing by Userzoom

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • How UX integrates into the Agile environment.
  • Common UX myths about usability testing in an Agile Design Process.
  • Practical tips and measurable metrics for testing in Agile.
  • A case study on how Autodesk Inc. was able to pilot new techniques to integrate usability testing into their product development process.

Practical User Research for Enterprise UX by UXPin

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • How to sell the value of user research in the enterprise.
  • How to get the right support.
  • How to choose the right methods, and document your results to prove ROI.
Back to quick navigation

Style Guides

The Critical Components of Web UI Style Guides by UXPin

the critical components of web ui style guides free ebook

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • How style guides help improve your UI design and collaboration.
  • 22 visual examples from the likes of Yelp, Starbucks, MailChimp, and Facebook.
  • All the components that make a style guide, like layout, typography, colors, branding, media treatment, iconography, naming conventions and more.

Style Guides for Web UI Design by UXPin

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • What are style guides and why they matter.
  • Examples from big companies like Adobe, Facebook, Atlassian, BBC, Ubuntu, Lonely Planet, and Yelp.
  • How to do mood boards, style tiles, brand style guides, and front-end style guides.
Back to quick navigation

Accessibility

Building Accessible Websites by Joe Clark

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • Not a theoretical discussion, but a guide to techniques and practices that improve the ability of websites to convey their messages.
  • Written with great clarity and elegance, it presents a powerful case for accessibility that is a pleasure to read.
Back to quick navigation

Collaboration

UX Design Collaboration With Developers by UXPin

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • Tips on how to make your collaborations on wireframing and prototypes with developers work out for the best.
  • UX storyboards, flowcharts, wireframes, interaction design, rapid prototyping, collaborative usability testing, and more.
  • Examples of efficient design documentation

The Designer’s Guide to Collaborating With Developers by UXPin

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • How to communicate openly and treat documentation as a dialogue.
  • How to include developers in different stages of design: planning features, wireframing, prototyping, mockups, and usability testing.
  • Collaboration secrets and advice for designers.

Design Collaboration in the Enterprise: Building the Foundation of Brilliance by UXPin

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • The benefits to fostering a collaborative culture in the enterprise.
  • Dozens of techniques such as preventing useless feedback, collaborating without committees, balancing data with design, prioritizing features together, and more.
  • Best practices from companies such as Venmo, Amazon, Hubspot and Vice.

Design Collaboration in the Enterprise: Mastering Remote Collaboration by UXPin

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • How to collaborate regardless of location.
  • How to run remote workshops.
  • How to wireframe/prototype remotely.
  • List of 11 UXPin’s favorite tools for an easy remote design collaboration.
Back to quick navigation

Bonus: Marketing & Conversion

Knock Knock by Seth Godin

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • Filled with examples, easy and fast to read book by America’s greatest marketer.
  • How to use new online marketing tools to make any website work more effectively.

Inbound Marketing’s Most Wanted: 31 Website Design Crimes to Avoid at All Cost by SmartBug Media

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • Web design examination from an inbound marketer’s perspective.
  • 31 common mistakes when trying to draw new customers.
  • A structured list of best practices from the planning, execution and post launch.
  • Subsections on homepages, internal pages, and landing pages.

25 Ways to Increase your E-Commerce Revenue by AdWords Robot

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • 5 ways to tap into mobile-specific functionality.
  • 6 fixes to keep cart abandonment low.
  • 14 methods of making your site easy to browse.
  • A checklist of all 25 tips ready for printing.

The 2014 Mobile E-Commerce Strategy Playbook by Mobify

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • 4 strategic methods to increase mobile conversion rates, revenue and customer satisfaction.
  • The keys to successful mobile e-commerce strategy.
  • How to optimize design for conversion.
  • How to integrate tablet commerce into your mobile strategy.

Lead Generation Techniques for High Conversions and Great UX by UserTesting

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • Learn 3 different techniques to generate leads for your business.
  • How to create a laser focused content upgrade to increase your subscriber rates.
  • How to create a social squeeze page to give people valuable information.
  • How to write magnetic headlines and copy that resonates with your users.

How B2B Companies Can Use Customer Feedback to Get Ahead by UserTesting

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • 3 stages to grow your audience, delight customers, and boost sales.
  • 5 key tactics to building awareness.
  • 5 key tactics for boosting conversions.
  • 3 reasons why post-conversion matters deeply.

Measuring and Evaluating Your Omnichannel Customer Experience by UserTesting

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • A book for marketers, CX professionals, e-commerce managers, and researchers about why the omnichannel customer experience matters.
  • How to research the omnichannel CX using analytics, surveys, and user testing.
  • How to use your results to improve the omnichannel customer experience.

Analytics + UserTesting: The Secret Weapon of Conversion Rate Optimization by UserTesting

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • Using analytics to understand what is happening on your site.
  • Identify users and devices to test and determine where to start user testing.
  • Find pages with high optimization potential and rethink “positive” and “negative” stats.

Why Mobile Doesn’t Convert, and How to Fix It by UserTesting

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • How to overcome smartphone hardware limits.
  • Common usability mistakes by mobile commerce companies.
  • Why you should look beyond traditional conversions.
  • The most effective action plan to increase mobile conversions.

Reducing Cart Abandonment by UserTesting

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • Reason #1: Difficulty with the checkout process
  • Reason #2: Shipping surprises
  • Reason #3: Lack of trust
  • Reason #4: The user becomes distracted

Curbing Shopping Cart Abandonment by Xiaowan Lin

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • Quick and easy methods to convert lost customers and grow your online business.
  • Optimization strategies to increase customer loyalty and boost sales.
  • CX and UX best practices that every ecommerce site should follow.

Context-aware Optimization of Mobile Commerce Websites by Jean-Eric Pelet

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • 8 strategies to optimize your mobile ecommerce website and boost conversions.
  • Quick and easy wins to provide an optimal mobile user experience.
  • Boost customer loyalty and stand out from the competition with these best practices.

How to Design a Great E-Commerce Checkout Flow by Trevir Nath

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • Learn how to encourage your customers to add products to their cart.
  • Apply best practices to keep your customers engaged and push them to checkout.
  • Provide a great user experience and minimize shopping cart abandonment.

What Makes People Upgrade Products? by Harvard Business Review

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • What factors drive a purchase decision?
  • What features and functionality are important to them?
  • How does the Internet aid in making these decisions?
  • What types of sites do they visit?
  • From which site do they prefer to purchase a smartphone?
Back to quick navigation
Interested in UX Research? Check out our most recommended UX Research books.
Back to homepage