First Designer In:
Reading Recommendations
Below are all the books and articles I’ve mentioned or cited throughout First Designer In. If you’ve been in this business for more than ten minutes, you’ll likely already have a bunch of the design books, or at perhaps a few of business ones as well.
Design Reading
The User Experience Team of One
A Research and Design Survival Guide
Universal Methods of Design Expanded and Revised
125 Ways to Research Complex Problems, Develop Innovative Ideas, and Design Effective Solutions
Org Design for Design Orgs
Building and Managing In-House Design Teams
Liftoff!
Practical Design Leadership to Elevate Your Team, Your Organization, and You
A quicker heuristic analysis
Don Norman’s 7 Stages of Action and Jakob Nielsen’s classic 10 point evaluation condensed into a potent 5 point product design review
Articulating Design Decisions
Communicate with Stakeholders, Keep Your Sanity, and Deliver the Best User Experience
Business Reading
The First 90 Days
Proven Strategies for Getting Up to Speed Faster and Smarter
The Agile Bicycle
A Better Analogy for Software Development
Difficult Conversations
How to Discuss What Matters Most
Somewhat Eclectic “Other” Reading
The Book of Survival
The Original Guide to Staying Alive in the City, the Suburbs, and the Wild Lands Beyond
Servant Leadership
A Journey into the Nature of Legitimate Power and Greatness
I Can't Make This Up
Life Lessons from Kevin Hart (I highly recommend the audiobook - it’s like a heartfelt 10 hour standup routine)
Need More Help?
For Founders & Investors
Companies getting ready to hire first FDI, or with a designer already on board who could use an assist, I can work with you on getting your company set up for success. You can schedule anything from a single AMA call to recurring monthly help. Check out the options to work with me here.
For Designers
I am available on ADPlist for free mentoring (for designers only). Also, if you haven’t bought the book yet, it’s a great low-cost option to get a ton of info and supplemental swipe files.