In being a student of design and wanting to pursue a job in the field of product design, I try to research and learn as much as possible about the field and the design world as a whole. This pursuit has lead me to many different books, articles, websites and blogs. All of these material is an essential source for growth, education and inspiration in the field of design.
The Design of Everyday Things
By: Donald Norman When I started reading this book, I was immediately blown away by its contents. The author, Donald Norman is regarded as an expert in the fields of design, usability engineering and cognitive science. His idea of "user experience" was a real eye opener. Being an engineering student I often get bogged down in the technical aspects of design, while overlooking the very important side of user interaction. Since starting this book I have become much more conscientious of "user experience", not only with the projects I am working on, but products that I interact with on a daily basis as well. The Art of Innovation
By: Tom Kelley This book is on my "to read" list. I was drawn to this book becasue of the author, Tom Kelley who was a co-founder of IDEO. This is the first book he wrote, and acts as a guide to managing creativity in a business environment. Amazon explains the book well: "In entertaining anecdotes, Kelley illustrates some of his firm's own successes (and joyful failures), as well as pioneering efforts at other leading companies. The book reveals how teams research and immerse themselves in every possible aspect of a new product or service, examining it from the perspective of clients, consumers, and other critical audiences." Because of my desire to go into the consumer product design and development industry, I believe this book will provide useful knowledge and tools going forward. |
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