A Better Web Designer

Being a self-employed web designer I’ve had chance to work on many projects demanding different skills other than just Visual design and HTML/CSS. These projects required additional knowledge of User Experience (UX) Design, Usability and IA. Most of the clients never mentioned these areas of expertise while hiring me. They just asked for a web designer who can design and code (HTML/CSS). Maybe some of them haven’t even heard of these skills or didn’t know how and where these (skills) fit in website design?

When I started designing websites, I wanted to learn more and more of Photoshop. After a few projects, I realized that some details, present in the work of great designers, were missing in my designs. As to gain attention towards the details I moved on to some meaningful sites like A List Apart. Hard work and dedication changed me from a pixel-pusher to someone who can understand and implement details (to some extent). I started learning more and more about Usability, UX and UI design.

In my recent projects, I’ve successfully implemented these skills which were very well appreciated by the clients. I would like to share a few books and blogs that helped me to become a better web designer.

User Experience Design

Books

Blogs

5 Handpicked articles on UX (via Relpost)

Usability

Books

Blogs

5 Handpicked articles on Usability (via Relpost)

Information Architecture

Books

Blogs

User Interface Design

Books

Blogs

5 Handpicked articles on UI (via Relpost)

16 Comments

Add your comment


  • # Ted Goas
    says on October 06

    Solid collection… and nice to see you paying homage to Digital Web!


  • # Orth Otic
    says on October 11

    Thanks. Don’t have time to sort the wheat from the chaff myself. Digital web is usually my only stop.


  • # Design Earth
    says on October 11

    Totally agree with you Amrinder, As clients only know web designers for Designing & HTML/CSS coding. Even UI & UX designing are the major terms in this field from where every application takes its first breathe.


  • # Julian
    says on October 18

    Thank you. I am a web developer and currently I’m going through the same path, so I need to learn also this stuff


  • # vivekdevaiah
    says on October 18

    Thanks for the share! really useful!


  • # Giacomo Colddesign
    says on October 18

    Nice article.. thanks for sharing!


  • # Theo
    says on October 18

    Long way to go to be a “true web designer” so thanks for sharing this useful list.


  • # Saifur
    says on October 19

    I would term it as ‘EVOLUTION’. The web has also grown up with time, a 15yrs back nobody even had a whiff about UX or UI. We should expect a few more similar terms being added in time to come.


  • # Brandon S. Adkins
    says on October 24

    Thanks for this list. I’m always interested in learning more and checking out books and blogs I haven’t before.


  • # Paulo Canabarro
    says on November 20

    Great list Amrinder, very useful as always, this is something I wanted to learn so I will deff jump on this book list


  • # Faiz Shafie
    says on November 20

    great list..great sharing bro..very useful for me


  • # Tiyo Kamtiyono
    says on December 17

    Thanks for the list above, I also have a passion to be a good web designer so that I can be Freelancer someday. Even right now, I didn’t have much time to learn yet.


  • # Kari Shaffer
    says on December 24

    I would term it as ‘EVOLUTION’. The web has also grown up with time, a 15yrs back nobody even had a whiff about UX or UI. We should expect a few more similar terms being added in time to come.


  • # Business Catalyst
    says on January 24

    You have a great conversation here by sharing it as a web designer. We have catch some interesting idea!


  • # Business Catalyst
    says on January 24

    You have a great conversation here by sharing it as a web designer. We have catch some interesting idea!


  • # Paresh Khatri
    says on July 02

    Superb collection man 🙂 I may order some of the books tomorrow or day after tomorrow 🙂 let me know if there still more which I must have…