Did you know that 73% of successful UI designers are completely self-taught? That’s right – you don’t need a degree to create stunning user interfaces that users find great!
Whether you’re just starting your design or looking to upgrade your skills, the right books can replace all the time and money that you would spend on a college degree. I also started as a newbie with no clear direction; I was lost and confused, and I almost quit. But then I realized, ‘Let’s start simple. Let’s read a UI book.’ Now, years later, I read and recommend a fair amount of web design books, and today I will be showing you my top picks.
What Makes a Great UI Design Book for Self-Taught Learners?
There are a lot of different opinions on what makes a good UI Design book, and for a good reason, there are many things that could be taken into consideration, but here are my most important ones.
- Practical exercises and real-world examples that let you apply concepts immediately
- Clear explanations of design principles without overwhelming technical jargon
- Step-by-step tutorials that build your skills progressively
- Case studies from successful projects to understand design decision-making
- Visual examples and illustrations that demonstrate concepts effectively
- Actionable advice you can implement in your own projects right away
- Coverage of both theory and tools to give you a complete foundation
Book #1 – “Don’t Make Me Think” by Steve Krug
The first thing I liked when reading this book is its Simple language and common-sense approach to web Design. No matter your talent or skill level, you can learn from this book. Surprisingly, even though it is very simple and easy to understand, it covers all the most important UI topics like User testing, navigation design, and homepage optimization. This book will also teach you how to conduct your own usability tests on a budget and provide other practical takeaways. One of the biggest problems that Designers face is understanding the needs and the wants of users, which this book addresses perfectly by teaching you how users behave.
Complete beginners with zero design experience, career changers from other fields, and anyone who wants to understand user behavior fundamentals
Here’s a quick overview of the book:
- Why it’s perfect for beginners: Simple language and common-sense approach to web usability
- Key concepts covered: User testing, navigation design, and homepage optimization
- Practical takeaways: The three-click rule, scanning vs. reading behavior, and mobile usability
- Real-world application: How to conduct your own usability tests on a budget
- What you’ll learn: Why users behave the way they do and how to design for their needs
- Best for: Designers who want to understand the psychology behind good UI design
- Time investment: Can be read in a weekend, but concepts will last a career
Book #2 – “The Design of Everyday Things” by Don Norman
If you want to read a book that will tell you all about the psychological side of designing, this should be the one.
This book will teach you all about user behaviour and how to make users happy and impress them. I sometimes can’t believe how many people completely forget about the fundamentals of user expectations and how they interact with your design and its interface. You will also learn through reading this book about how to design systems and goals that will lead you towards success. Reading this book, you will also learn about human behaviour and how understanding human behaviour is crucial for interface design.
This book is best for Designers who want a deep psychological understanding, those interested in design theory, and anyone building complex user interfaces.
Book #3 – “Atomic Design” by Brad Frost
I recommend this book for Designers who want a deep psychological understanding of design, the theory surrounding it, and anyone who wants to build complex user interfaces.
You will also learn a lot about Affordances, signifiers, and mental models that shape user behavior and their expectations when they are interacting with your work. Even though most books fail to show you the practical side of designing and practical examples of UI, this book doesn’t have that problem, and it will make you love the practical side of designing. The whole book is great, but my personal favorite thing about this book is its ability to explain the core principles of designing.
Overall, if you are interested in universal design principles and user expectations, this is a perfect book for you.
Book #4 – “Laws of UX”
If you want to impress users and keep their attention, this book is a must for you. As the title says, this book will teach you all the Laws of user experience by using typography, color, and spacing to guide user attention. This is my personal favorite because I believe that even if you have a great design, if there is nobody to see it, then it doesn’t matter, and this book will teach you how to catch eyes.
Who it’s for: Developers transitioning to design, self-taught designers ready for advanced techniques, and anyone wanting to polish their visual design skills
Here’s an overview of the topics you will learn:
- Visual hierarchy mastery: Using typography, color, and spacing to guide user attention
- Layout and composition: Grid systems, alignment, and white space strategies
- Color theory application: Choosing palettes that work and avoiding common mistakes
- Typography for interfaces: Font selection, sizing, and readability optimization
- Before and after examples: Detailed breakdowns of design improvements
- Practical tips: Actionable advice you can apply to any project immediately
- Advanced techniques: Professional-level skills for creating polished interfaces
Book #5 – “About Face” by Alan Cooper:
If you are at least somewhat Experienced designers seeking comprehensive methodology or working on complex applications, and designers interested in enterprise-level solutions, this book is a match made in heaven for you. You will deepen your knowledge about how users interact with digital products and how you can maximize sales through better design. I would mostly recommend this book if you are interested in designing for online stores and platforms that sell digital products, but there are plenty of other things you can learn.
Here’s an overview of the topics you will learn:
- Interaction design principles: How users interact with digital products effectively
- Persona development: Creating realistic user profiles to guide design decisions
- Goal-directed design: Aligning interface design with user objectives
- Workflow optimization: Designing efficient task flows and user journeys
- Advanced UI patterns: Complex interface solutions for sophisticated applications
- Enterprise design: Considerations for business software and internal tools
- Comprehensive methodology: Complete framework for approaching UI design projects
How to Get the Most Out of These UI Design Books
The thing that works best for me is staying consistent, no matter how little I read. I am very passionate about this topic, but let’s be honest, everybody has their days where they feel like they don’t want to read. It is very important in those times that you stay consistent.
- Create a reading schedule: Dedicate 30-60 minutes daily to consistent learning
- Take detailed notes: Write down key concepts and create your own reference guide
- Practice immediately: Apply each concept to a personal project or redesign exercise
- Join design communities: Discuss concepts with other self-taught designers online
- Build a portfolio: Document your learning journey through before/after project examples
- Supplement with online resources: Combine books with tutorials, courses, and design inspiration
- Find a mentor: Connect with experienced designers who can guide your development
Additional Resources to Complement Your UI Design Education
Books are my favorite way to learn about UI and UX design, but I would still recommend you look at other resources so you can become the best UI designer you can be.
- Online communities: Designer Hangout, Reddit’s r/userexperience, and Dribbble forums
- Design inspiration platforms: Behance, Awwwards, and UI Movement for staying current
- Practical tools: Figma, Sketch, and Adobe XD for hands-on practice
- YouTube channels: Design tutorials and critiques from industry professionals
- Podcasts: Design Better, User Defenders, and What is Wrong with UX for ongoing learning
- Online courses: Coursera, Udemy, and Skillshare for structured learning paths
- Design challenges: Daily UI and other creative exercises to build your portfolio
Conclusion
Learning UI design as a self-taught designer isn’t just possible – I believe it is actually an advantage because it motivates you to work and learn harder. I promise you that these five books provide everything you need to build a solid foundation in user interface design, from basic usability principles to advanced visual techniques.
Start with “Don’t Make Me Think” to understand user psychology, then you should read “The Design of Everyday Things” for foundational principles. Once you’re comfortable with the basics, “Atomic Design” will teach you systematic thinking, while “Refactoring UI” will polish your visual skills. Finally, “About Face” will give you the advanced interaction design knowledge that will make you go from good to a great designer.
Remember, reading is just the beginning. The real progress happens when you start applying these concepts to your own projects. I look at it like this: if you watch YouTube videos of people doing a back flip for 5 years, you still will not be able to do a back flip, but if you practice it with the support of a video, or in this case, a book, you will learn much faster.
Your journey as a self-taught UI designer starts with turning the first page. I advise you to read all of these books at a time that is comfortable for
[…] I gave a list of my favorite books with practical projects based content which you can read here-5 Best UI Design Books for Self-Taught Designers, but I still belive that courses are a better format for every aspect of project based […]