10 Best UX Design Books to Read in 2025 (Updated List)

Good design solves problems.
Great design understands people.

If you're a UX designer looking to sharpen your skills in 2025, these are the UX design books worth your time. From timeless principles to fresh perspectives, each title here will help you go beyond trends and design with more intention, empathy, and insight.

📚 1. User Psychology 3 by Ameer Omidvar

A new essential in the UX bookshelf — User Psychology 3 goes beyond wireframes and UI patterns.
It explores the psychological forces behind attention, decision-making, and user behavior.

“You can’t fix what you don’t feel. And most UX problems are emotional, not technical.”

💡 Why it stands out:

• Focused on practical psychology for modern interfaces

• Visual, structured, and easy to digest

• Built for designers who want to understand why users behave the way they do

2. Don't Make Me Think by Steve Krug

A classic that every UX designer should revisit.
This book is all about making interfaces feel obvious.
Krug’s writing is clear, witty, and brutally practical.

3. The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman

This is where UX began.
Norman introduces the psychology of interaction, mistakes, and intuitive design.
It's dense but foundational.

4. 100 Things Every Designer Needs to Know About People by Susan Weinschenk

This one pairs well with User Psychology 3.
It covers behavioral science, attention, and perception — in a format that's approachable and directly applicable.

5. Lean UX by Jeff Gothelf & Josh Seiden

If you’re working in agile or product teams, this is essential reading.
It teaches how to collaborate faster and iterate smarter, making UX a team sport.

6. Hooked by Nir Eyal

Want to understand how apps form habits?
Hooked is a guide to building products people come back to — ethically.
Useful for UX designers working on engagement or retention.

7. Sprint by Jake Knapp

A how-to book on running product design sprints.
Ideal for UX designers in fast-moving teams.
Structured, actionable, and full of real case studies.

8. Refactoring UI by Adam Wathan & Steve Schoger

This book focuses more on visual design and clean UI decisions.
It’s perfect for UX designers who want to make their interfaces more visually polished — especially with no formal design training.

9. Laws of UX by Jon Yablonski

If you love design systems and psychology, this is a must-read.
It distills key UX heuristics into short, visual chapters.
Great reference for decision-making and documentation.

10. Designing Interfaces by Jenifer Tidwell

More of a pattern library than a book.
It’s a useful deep dive into interface models, layouts, and component logic.

🧠 The Bottom Line

There are thousands of design books out there.
But the best ones — like User Psychology 3 — do more than teach best practices.
They help you design with empathy, clarity, and a deeper understanding of how humans think.

If you're looking to build interfaces that resonate, not just function — this is your 2025 reading list.

🔗 Get your copy of User Psychology 3 →