7 Must-Read Books for Researchers in 2021
Research is a team effort. Regardless of your job position, you'll soon or later be involved in a study for different reasons (from simple passive observation to much more active participation). Understanding and being able to conduct research are more than a soft skill nowadays in the tech world, it's a must. The theory itself won't help as it takes practice, but it's the best starting point to set the foundations of running unbiased, high-quality research. We hope this book selection serves that purpose!
Building User Research Teams
Why read?
Building User Research Teams is a practical guide covering how to build a research team of any size. It covers the whole journey, from convincing colleagues that they need a user research team, through to the development and implementation of the tools and processes needed, to running high-quality studies and mapping the future development of a growing research team.
225 pages, 2020
Just Enough Research
Why read?
Design research is a hard slog that takes years to learn and time away from the real work of design, right? Wrong. Good research is about asking more and better questions, and thinking critically about the answers. It’s something every member of your team can and should do, and which everyone can learn, quickly. And done well, it will save you time and money by reducing unknowns and creating a solid foundation to build the right thing, in the most effective way. In Just Enough Research, co-founder of Mule Design Erika Hall distills her experience into a brief cookbook of research methods. Learn how to discover your competitive advantages, spot your own blind spots and biases, understand and harness your findings, and why you should never, ever hold a focus group. You’ll start doing good research faster than you can plan your next pitch. Erika Hall has been working in web design and development since the late 20th century. In 2001, she co-founded Mule Design Studio where she directs the research, interaction design, and strategy practices. Erika speaks and writes frequently about cross-disciplinary collaboration and the importance of natural language in user interfaces. In her spare time, she battles empty corporate jargon at Unsuck It. She also co-hosts Running from the Law, a weekly podcast on business law and endurance fitness, and can probably outrun you. (Amazon)
154 pages, 2019
Talking to Strangers
Why read?
Malcolm Gladwell, host of the podcast Revisionist History and author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Outliers, offers a powerful examination of our interactions with strangers — and why they often go wrong. Something is very wrong, Gladwell argues, with the tools and strategies we use to make sense of people we don’t know. And because we don’t know how to talk to strangers, we are inviting conflict and misunderstanding in ways that have a profound effect on our lives and our world. Gladwell brilliantly argues that we should stop assuming, realize no one’s transparent and understand that behavior is tied to unseen circumstances.
400 pages, 2019
The Jobs To Be Done Playbook
Why read?
These days, consumers have real power: they can research companies, compare ratings, and find alternatives with a simple tap. Focusing on customer needs isn’t a nice–to–have, it’s a strategic imperative. The Jobs To Be Done Playbook (JTBD) helps organizations turn market insight into action. This book shows you techniques to make offerings people want, as well as make people want your offering.
180 pages, 2020
Think Like a UX Researcher
Why read?
Think Like a UX Researcher will challenge your preconceptions about user experience (UX) research and encourage you to think beyond the obvious. You’ll discover how to plan and conduct UX research, analyze data, persuade teams to take action on the results and build a career in UX. The book will help you take a more strategic view of product design so you can focus on optimizing the user’s experience. UX Researchers, Designers, Project Managers, Scrum Masters, Business Analysts and Marketing Managers will find tools, inspiration and ideas to rejuvenate their thinking, inspire their team and improve their craft.
306 pages, 2019
User Friendly
Why read?
In User Friendly, Cliff Kuang and Robert Fabricant reveal the untold story of a paradigm that quietly rules our modern lives: the assumption that machines should anticipate what we need. Spanning over a century of sweeping changes, from women’s rights to the Great Depression to World War II to the rise of the digital era, this book unpacks the ways in which the world has been―and continues to be―remade according to the principles of the once-obscure discipline of user-experience design.
416 pages, 2019
Practical User Research
Why read?
Explore how User Research has been influenced over the years by a range of disciplines, such as HCI, usability, anthropology, cognitive psychology, ergonomics etc. This book aims to contribute to the User Research community and covers topics that will help UX professionals, students and stakeholders to gain a better understanding of what User Research is.
293 pages, 2020