My Favourite Books on Life, Design & Productivity

I’m an avid reader. I didn’t use it, but over the last couple of years, I made an effort to change, and I’m happy I’ve succeeded. One of my best decisions was buying a Kindle because now I don’t have to carry books, and it gives me the freedom to switch anytime.

The majority of books I read are non-fiction, and fiction is something I’m still trying to pick up. Most of the books are around design or phycology. Psychology is something I like reading a lot, and I feel it helps me understand the user’s side.

​Here are some of my favourite picks. Honestly, the list is quite long but below are the ones I read twice or even more often—my all-time favourite reads. I hope you find one or two and add them to your library.

About Face 3: The Essentials of Interaction Design

This book is pretty much the bible of interaction design. It covers almost everything about interaction design. Very comprehensive and well-presented. It is widely considered one of the most important books ever written about Interaction Design. Alan Cooper pioneered vital concepts, and it's a must-read if you design digital products/applications.

​PS: This book cover you see above is just a little artwork I did because I couldn’t find a high-quality image. This is not the original cover of this book.

Emotional Design: Why We Love (or Hate) Everyday Things

I love Norman’s view, and his books are always special. This book is one of my all-time favourites. I have read it a couple of times, and whenever I’m confused about what to read, I pick this book and read any chapter. The chapter on “three levels of behavioural design: visceral, behavioural, and reflective” is at the core of this book. If you are interested in an “emotional design”, you must read this book. Read some of Norman’s amusing stories about objects that he owns.

Creativity, Inc

It’s the story of Pixar and its founders and how they managed to establish Pixar as a thriving business. This book has lots of useful tips on how to let employees express themselves creatively and give constructive feedback. Suppose you are into management its, a must-read. I especially liked the management lessons combined with the inner workings of Pixar and it’s founding story.

Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products

If you’re in the product, I’ll highly recommend this book. This book is a fantastic introduction to behavioural product psychology. If you ever wondered what makes people come back to digital products like Facebook, Instagram or games like World of Warcraft or PubG this book has the answer. A must-read to understand the psychology behind what drives our behaviour in a world where so many services are competing for our attention.

Jony Ive: The Genius Behind Apple’s Greatest Products

Jony Ive is a British designer and a great man behind the design of most Apple products. It’s not exactly a bible of Jony, but yes, if you would like to know about his before Apple days and during Apple days, if you would like to know stories about apple products, It’s a must-read.

There are so many books which I love. Well, the list is pretty long but these are my top picks. Feel free to check out my list at GoodReads. 

Enjoy and keep reading!