Getting Started With Interaction Design
April 24, 2006

A friend of mine recently asked me where he could go to start learning about HCI/Interaction Design. Here's a modified version of my reply...

I recommend you start with books since that's where you'll find the best
overview information about concepts and methods.

There are many good books, but I'd start with these 4:

  1. The Inmates are Running The Asylum, by Alan Cooper
    Entertaining overview about why you need to do interaction design and not just go
    from requirements to code.

  2. Don't Make Me Think, by Steve Krug
    A classic, but easy read about usability

  3. About Face 2.0, by Alan Cooper (again) and Robert Reinmann
    In my opinion, the foundational text about interaction design.

  4. Contextual Design, By Beyer and Holtzblatt
    A classic book about contextual inquiry. The first 1/3 of the book is the most critical, I'd skim the rest.

Then subscribe to these 2 sites:
  1. Boxes And Arrows

  2. Functioning Form

and finally, subscribe to the IxDA Discussion List:
  1. IxDA
    I may be biased, being a board member and all, but I think this discussion list rocks.

posted by Frank

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