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Good research is about asking more and better questions, and thinking critically about the answers. Done well, it will save your team time and money by reducing unknowns and creating a solid foundation to build the right thing, in the most effective way.Erika Hall distills her experience into a guidebook of trusted research methods you can implement right away, no matter what size team you're on or budget you're working with. 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.WHAT'S NEW IN THE SECOND EDITION?While the mindset and methods of research haven't changed, our digital climate continues to evolve-from the siren song of Net Promoter Score to the latest social media experiment gone awry. The second edition of Just Enough Research features a brand-new chapter on surveys (chock full of math and centaurs!), as well as updated examples throughout, to continue guiding web professionals on the ethics and effects of research.THIS BOOK EXPLORES:Frameworks for designing a thorough research process for your productApproaches to gain alignment around shared goals through stakeholder interviewsHow to conduct and build best practices for effective user interviewsHow quickly run affordable tests to clarify big questionsEssential and methods for gathering and assessing quantitative data

The reality of working at a high-growth organization can be tough to endure. From product pivots to constantly shifting expectations to personnel turnover, it's enough to cause whiplash. If this is your first (or second, or even third!) rodeo in a tech job, and you're wondering how to stay upright amid the tumult, Surviving Change at Work will keep you grounded.Vanessa Gennarelli brings to bear years of hard-earned expertise in this essential handbook, sharing extensive research, case studies, and practical exercises to help you find clarity as you drive toward the next step in your tech career. Along the path, learn how to apply the art of persuasion and influence, and assess organizational lifecycles for better decision-making. You'll gain strategies for navigating shifts in culture with resilience, and frameworks for planning-and sustainably growing-your career.THIS BOOK EXPLORES:How to plot your career path by evaluating a company's business lifecycleSteps for navigating shifting culture dynamics and new structuresFrameworks for gaining influence and leading through transitionHow to identify your priorities and create an aligned career plan, now and for the future

When we think of design primarily in terms of visual representation, we neglect an essential piece of the creative process. The words we use to form concepts can also powerfully shape a design project from start to finish-giving clarity to goals, precision to names and structure, and purpose to stylistic choices.Elizabeth McGuane offers a fresh, empowering framework for design. Drawing from her experience on the forefront of web, mobile, and product design, she shows us how to harness the potency of words and language to uplift and illuminate rather than encumber. Learn how to effectively apply semantic concepts, use language to frame design problems clearly, and integrate elements of style such as metaphor and nomenclature, to strengthen your design process.THIS BOOK EXPLORESFrameworks for building shared language and strengthening collaborationHow to practically incorporate semantic concepts into any design processSteps for addressing product and design evolution through concept definition

Many UX techniques fall apart in the real world of overflowing backlogs, two-week sprints, and stubborn stakeholders. Yet wireframing persists, despite its much-anticipated demise. Wireframes are fast and easy to make, can be created and understood by anyone, and function as both creative ideation and practical communication tools.Leaning on decades of collective experience, Michael Angeles, Leon Barnard, and Billy Carlson show us how to use low-fidelity design to generate ideas, encourage feedback, and involve everyone in the process. This approachable book also harnesses wireframing to demystify UI design, so that anyone can join in creating successful digital products.TOPICS COVEREDFrameworks for implementing user interface design basicsTechniques for developing design concepts from idea to prototypeHow to use wireframing for cross-functional team participationHow to present wireframes and create effective feedback structures

From stone tablets to paper pages to backlit screens, humans have always created and shaped content to fit the containers available to us. But increasingly, the lines between our physical and digital surroundings are blurring-and we need to design usable and accessible content for an ever-expanding array of contexts.Preston So guides designers, content strategists, and engineers on a journey through the emerging realm of immersive content design. Learn to create incisive and inclusive user-centered experiences across augmented, extended, and virtual realities, transforming the physical world into an exciting new canvas for content.THIS BOOK EXPLORES:Immersive tech like beacons, digital signs, and extended realityAssessing and leveraging existing content for immersive environmentsTechniques for storyboarding, diagramming, and mapping spatial contentStrategies for designing accessible and inclusive immersive contentBest practices for testing immersive content

Responsive design has immeasurably improved multi-device, multi-browser visual layout-but it's only the first step in building responsively. Learn how to turn a critical eye on your designs as you develop for new contexts (what does mobile really mean?) and screen features, speedy and lagging networks, and truly global audiences. Serve the right content across platforms, and tune for performance. Scott Jehl tackles those topics and more, ensuring that the sites and apps you build today last far into the future.

UX writing is good for business, while also playing a critical role in delivering a top-notch user experience. Standing at this pivotal intersection between business goals and user needs is an awesome place to be-as long as we have the mindset, tools, and collaborators to make the most of it.Through case studies, frameworks, and historical context, Yael Ben-David offers savvy and practical guidance to ensure our digital products support the user and the business-plus writers and designers!-all at once.THIS BOOK EXPLORES:Techniques for communicating the value of UX writing How to organize resources and gain support to prioritize UX writingMethods for collaborating with stakeholders to empower team members and create successful user experiences Steps for collecting, synthesizing, and sharing success metrics as mapped against business goals

Don't think public speaking is for you? It is-whether you're bracing for a conference talk or a team meeting. Lara Hogan helps you identify your fears and effectively face them, so you can make your way to the stage (big or small). Get clear, practical advice through every step, from choosing a topic and creating a presentation, to gathering and distilling feedback, to event-day prep. You'll feel confident and equipped to step into the spotlight.

The modern web is inherently global-and if we want to design successfully for it, we must be ready to meet the needs, perspectives, and expectations of multifaceted, multicultural audiences.With utmost timeliness, Senongo Akpem shares a clear and accessible methodology for designing across cultures: from performing socially conscious research, to building culturally responsive experiences, to developing meaningful internationalization and localization approaches. Expand your craft, and your mindset-and start creating a richer experience for everyone on the web, regardless of location, language, or identity.

Mobile isn't just smartphones, and it doesn't necessarily mean you are on the move. It's a proliferation of devices, platforms, and screen sizes - from the tiniest "dumb" phones to the desktop web. How can you be sure that your content will work everywhere, all the time?Karen McGrane will teach you everything you need to get your content onto mobile devices (and more). You'll first gather data to help you make the case for a mobile strategy, then learn how to publish flexibly to multiple channels. Along the way, you'll get valuable advice on adapting your workflow to a world of emerging devices, platforms, screen sizes, and resolutions. And all in less time than it takes you to fly from New York to Chicago.

From advanced selectors to generated content to web fonts, and from gradients, shadows, and rounded corners to elegant animations, CSS3 holds a universe of creative possibilities. No one can better guide you through these galaxies than Dan Cederholm. In this second edition, he tackles new properties and techniques, including micro layouts. Learn what works, how it works, and how to adapt for browsers where it doesn't.WHAT'S NEW IN THE SECOND EDITION?Many of the CSS3 properties Dan discussed in 2010 now have wider browser support, which means you can feel even more confident putting them to use. In this updated edition, Dan has carefully refreshed code samples, removed old hacks that are no longer necessary, and written a whole new chapter on micro layouts. There's no better time to dive in to-or polish up-your CSS3 skills.

You can't always predict who will use your products, or what emotional state they'll be in when they do. But by identifying stress cases and designing with compassion, you'll create experiences that support more of your users, more of the time.Join Sara Wachter-Boettcher and Eric Meyer as they turn examples from more than a dozen sites and services into a set of principles you can apply right now. Whether you're a designer, developer, content strategist, or anyone who creates user experiences, you'll gain the practical knowledge to test where your designs might fail (before you ship!), vet new features or interactions against more realistic scenarios, and build a business case for making decisions through a lens of kindness. You can't know every user, but you can develop inclusive practices that support a wider range of people. This book will show you how.

In the years since publishing the first edition, emotional design has gone from innovative to essential in designers' toolkits. Aarron Walter once again offers wise, inspiring guidance for the principles of designing for humans, and addresses newer challenges that have emerged for web professionals tasked with reaching an ever-shifting audience.Packed with engaging case studies and psychologically-grounded principles, Designing for Emotion has never been more relevant for modern business.WHAT'S NEW IN THE SECOND EDITION?Learn from updated case studies that push beyond where the web was in 2011 and reflect more of today's concerns such as privacy, representation, and safety. You'll also engage more deeply with your users when you apply takeaways from the new chapter on empathy and inclusion. Finally, make the case for working more thoughtfully in your own company with Aarron's fresh insight into the business value-and impact-of emotional design.

Responsive design is more than the technical; it's a new way of communicating and working that affects every person on your team. Karen McGrane draws on data and stories from real-world teams to show you why going responsive is just good business sense-and how to set up your project (from concept to launch) for total success. Learn how to plan and scope work, collaborate in a responsive context, evaluate content, handle browser support and testing, and measure performance outcomes. No matter your role or project, go responsive with confidence.

We humans are messy, illogical creatures who like to imagine we're in control-but we blithely let our biases lead us astray. In Design for Cognitive Bias, David Dylan Thomas lays bare the irrational forces that shape our everyday decisions and, inevitably, inform the experiences we craft. Once we grasp the logic powering these forces, we stand a fighting chance of confronting them, tempering them, and even harnessing them for good. Come along on a whirlwind tour of the cognitive biases that encroach on our lives and our work, and learn to start designing more consciously.¿¿THIS BOOK EXPLORES:Why our brains take shortcuts-and why that matters in our workHow bias influences everything from user behavior to stakeholder decision-making to team dynamicsTechniques for noticing your own biases, and using them for good where you canMaking more humane and conscientious products and experiences

As the web has matured, so have search engines, algorithms, and marketing practices meant to attract pageviews. Modern SEO isn't about delivering traffic for traffic's sake-it's about helping real people find the right information, at the right time, and in the right place.In this practical, illuminating book, Rebekah Baggs and Chris Corak make the case that SEO plays a central role not just in search rankings, but in delivering an excellent user experience. After all, most interactions don't begin on our carefully crafted homepages, but on a list of search results-and only by connecting our efforts in content, design, development, and search optimization can we create a truly human-centered web that supports users throughout their entire journey.THIS BOOK EXPLORES:The history of SEO, how it got a bad rap, and how to make it betterThe importance of satisfying users' search intent with meaningful contentInvestigating search behaviors as part of user research and discoveryIntegrating SEO considerations into your design and development processesHow to avoid snake-oil practices and invest in holistic, human-centered SEO

Design discovery is crucial to a project's success-unite your team in an approach toward a common goal. Explore the role of discovery in product design, how to use and structure your favorite techniques for success, and how to synthesize and document what you learn. With Dan Brown's flexible framework for planning and practicing discovery activities, you'll set every design endeavor on the right path.

HTML5 isn't as confusing as it once was, but it still isn't straightforward. It's an evolutionary, rather than revolutionary, change in the ongoing story of markup-and if you're currently creating websites with any version of HTML, you're already using HTML5. Harness the power of this essential evolving spec with help from Jeremy Keith and Rachel Andrew. Brush up on syntax and updated elements, and get ready to work with responsive images, microformats, and microdata. Through clear, practical examples, you'll be up to speed in no time.WHAT'S NEW IN THE SECOND EDITION?A lot has changed since this little book was first published. Cowritten and introduced by Rachel Andrew, the second edition highlights exactly how to implement those changes. From wrangling JavaScript APIs to revisiting the canvas and managing rich media, this updated original continues to be the perfect primer.

Content strategy is the web's hottest new thing. But where did it come from? Why does it matter? And what does the content renaissance mean for you? This brief guide explores content strategy's roots, and quickly and expertly demonstrates not only how it's done, but how you can do it well. A compelling read for both experienced content strategists and those making the transition from other fields.

Let's face it: CSS is hard. Our stylesheets are more complex than they used to be, and we're bending the spec to do as much as it can. Can Sass help?A reluctant convert to Sass, Dan Cederholm shares how he came around to the popular CSS pre-processor, and provides a clear-cut path to taking better control of your code (all the while working the way you always have). From getting started to advanced techniques, Dan will help you level up your stylesheets and instantly start taking advantage of the power of Sass.

The design of information on the web changes the way people find, understand, and use that information-for better or for worse. Lisa Maria Marquis shows you how to leverage the principles and practices of information architecture in order to craft more thoughtful and effective digital spaces. Learn how to analyze your site's content and structure, build clear and consistent taxonomies, and develop more strategic sitemaps. Because when we're intentional about how we organize web content, we create better experiences for everyone.

Content design teams need the right conditions to thrive-but when they're hampered by bottlenecks or putting out fires, it's hard for them to do their best work, secure support, and grow strategically.Enter content operations. With smart, operational approaches, Rachel McConnell helps you identify and remove the barriers to strong, effective content work. You'll learn how to create common standards, improve collaboration, iron out wrinkles in the design process, and build advocacy-so you can lead your team with impact.THIS BOOK EXPLORES:What operations are and how they enhance your workWhen and how to scale your content practiceOvercoming blockers and streamlining workflowsBuilding stronger bonds within and between teamsFostering a content community of practice

Interfaces have long been visual affairs, with content confined to the text and images behind our screens. But that's changing. Humans have started talking to interfaces-and interfaces are talking back.Now we need to ensure those interfaces can converse effectively, thoughtfully, and naturally. Preston So introduces us to the exciting new frontier of voice content design, and the questions that designers, content strategists, and engineers need to answer in order to build richly structured, inclusive communication with the powerful medium of voice.THIS BOOK EXPLORES:Steps for preparing your existing content for voice interfacesFrameworks for crafting effective dialoguesEffectively diagramming communication flowsHow to consider accessibility, inclusivity, and editorial integrity in voice content designTechniques for quality testing voice content

CSS Grid Layout will transform the way you design and develop for the web-and Rachel Andrew will change the way you grok the spec. Learn to use Grid Layout within a system that includes existing methods to perform the tasks they were designed for-and take advantage of this pivotal moment in the evolution of layout.

How do we make digital systems feel less robotic and more real? Whether you work with interface or visual design, frontend technology, or content design, learn why conversation is the best model for creating device-independent, human-centered systems. Research and information design expert Erika Hall explains what makes an interaction truly conversational and how to get more comfortable using language in design. From understanding the human interface, to effectively using the power of personality, to getting it all done, you'll find out how the art of communication can elevate technology.

Writing a book is a career milestone that only the most elite professionals and thought leaders can achieve-right? Wrong! With the right combination of preparation, commitment, and ambition, anyone can (and should) share their professional expertise in a book. Adding your voice to the conversation leads to a stronger, more inclusive tech industry.Whether you want to work with a publisher or on your own, Katel LeDû and Lisa Maria Marquis walk you through crafting a stellar proposal, break down the reality of writing and editing a manuscript, and demystify the marketing and publishing process-so when you're ready to contribute, you'll know what to expect.THIS BOOK EXPLORES:Developing a unique perspective to address a specific audience with your book topicHow to find the right publishing path for your bookSteps for getting organized and keeping up momentum during draftingFrameworks for editing your own work (and what to expect when working with an editor)How to develop a practical, manageable marketing plan to fit you and your book

Touch introduces physicality to designs that were once strictly virtual, and puts forth a new test: How does this design feel in the hand? Josh Clark guides you through the touchscreen frontier. Learn about ergonomic demands (and rules of thumb), layout and sizing for all gadgets, an emerging gestural toolkit, and tactics to speed up interactions and keep gestures discoverable. Get the know-how to design for interfaces that let you touch-stretch, crumple, drag, flick-information itself. It's in your hands.

Typography is your design's voice and the most powerful tool you have to communicate with your readers. Learn how to wield type with care and wit: how to evaluate typefaces, consider technical constraints, create flexible typographic systems, and put together your own collection of favorite faces.Jason Santa Maria wants you to see type beyond code or flourishes. You'll discover how typography shapes the way we read and how you can adapt the craft's practices for the screen. So go ahead. Choose, combine, and set typefaces with ease-and invite readers in.

Progressive web apps represent the next big digital opportunity: they look and feel like native apps, they work offline, and they're available to anyone-no app store required. But with that freedom and flexibility come challenging questions about how to create the most value for your users (and your bottom line). Jason Grigsby answers the what, why, and how of progressive web apps, from making the case in your organization to reaching your users in bold, new ways. Build your audience, increase revenue, and widen the web's reach-all with the power of progressive web apps.