Books like Laws of UX

01

The Design of Everyday Things

Donald Norman · Psychology

The Design of Everyday Things began as The Psychology of Everyday Things when first published in 1988, and Donald Norman revised it substantially for a 2013 edition that updated the examples for a digital age.

A kindred science read.

02

Don't Make Me Think

Steve Krug · Business

Don't Make Me Think is Steve Krug's short, plainspoken guide to web usability.

A kindred science read.

03

Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products

Nir Eyal · Business

Hooked is Nir Eyal's framework for designing products that people return to without external prompting.

A kindred science read.

04

Thinking, Fast and Slow

Daniel Kahneman · Psychology

Thinking, Fast and Slow is Daniel Kahneman's account of the two cognitive systems that govern human thought.

A kindred science read.

05

100 Things Every Designer Needs to Know About People

Susan Weinschenk · Psychology

Susan Weinschenk is a behavioral scientist and UX consultant, and this book is her translation of cognitive science research into practical guidance for designers.

Shares user experience and cognitive science with Laws of UX.

06

Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex

Mary Roach · Science

Bonk is Mary Roach's investigation into the science of human sexuality — not the pop psychology of relationships, but the actual research: what scientists have done inside laboratory settings to understand how sex works, what they've discovered, and why the field has been so difficult to pursue given institutional and cultural resistance.

Both dig into psychology.

07

Happy City

Charles Montgomery · Science

Happy City is Charles Montgomery's investigation into the relationship between the design of cities and the psychological well-being of their inhabitants.

Both dig into psychology.

08

Make It Stick

Peter C. Brown, Henry L. Roediger and Mark A. McDaniel · Science

Make It Stick is a book about how memory actually works, and why the study techniques most people rely on — re-reading, highlighting, massed practice — are among the least effective ways to learn.

Both dig into cognitive science.

09

The Better Angels of Our Nature

Steven Pinker · Science

The Better Angels of Our Nature is Steven Pinker's argument, supported by extensive historical and statistical data, that human violence has declined dramatically over long time periods and that this decline is real, not an artifact of reporting or perception.

Both dig into psychology.

10

Universal Principles of Design

William Lidwell, Kritina Holden, and Jill Butler · Science

Universal Principles of Design is a reference book organized as an encyclopedia: 125 design principles, each given a two-page spread with a clear definition, a visual example, and a brief note on application.

Both dig into design principles.

11

12 Rules for Life

Jordan Peterson · Self-help

12 Rules for Life is Jordan Peterson's attempt to distill what clinical psychology, comparative mythology, the Bible, and evolutionary biology say about how to live.

Both dig into psychology.

12

Algorithms to Live By: The Computer Science of Human Decisions

Brian Christian and Tom Griffiths · Psychology

Brian Christian is a writer and Tom Griffiths is a cognitive scientist, and together they argue that computer science has worked out rigorous solutions to many of the problems humans face every day — when to stop searching for a better option, how to manage your schedule, how to sort your memory — and that these solutions are both interesting and useful.

Both dig into cognitive science.