My Bookshelf

If you are interested in developing your career, user research, or instructional design, I warmly recommend the books below.

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Life design:

• Designing Your Life by Burnett and Evans. This is the book that I wish I had read in college and during my 20s. And during my 30s, come to think of it.
• Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown. A book that was incredibly important during the actual process of my career transition when I had to pay sharp attention to my goals and commitments.
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UX research: 

• Just Enough Research by Erika Hall. A simply fantastic book. A wonderful, compact introduction to user research.
• Think Like a UX Researcher by Travis and Hodgson. This book delivers on the promise of its title. I found it to be a wonderful pathway into a deeper understanding the field.
• Surveys that Work by Caroline Jarrett. Survey design is hard. This book offers a comprehensive yet approachable guide to each step in the process.
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Instructional design:

• The Non-Designer's Design Book by Robin Williams. Just a couple chapters into this book, I knew that my basic layout/design sense was already markedly improved (which may or may not be saying much). I know I make design errors left and right, but this book has definitely saved me from making worse blunders.
• The eLearning Designer's handbook by Tim Slade. An excellent resource. I've reviewed it here.