Beyond a certain threshold of knowledge you really start learning how ignorant you are. By the time I discovered this beast I’d already sat in the lead design chair on some successful experience design projects, passed assessment to join the Chartered Society of Designers as an interaction design professional, and read at least a hundred books on my field. I pretty much thought I knew what I was talking about.

This book shattered that illusion. Flicking through the contents pages and seeing chapters on signal detection theory, selective attention, working memory, decision making under uncertainty, stress and human error was exciting — I knew nothing about these things or how they might improve my practice. It also felt a bit like being kicked in the nuts. Nothing dismantles the ego quite like realizing how little you know.

As far as book recommendations go, only a 1000% committed UX / human factors nut (or pervert) is going to enjoy this. I persevered because I could see the gold in it and ultimately it became a cornerstone text for the ten principles book.

What I recommend more is the bigger lesson I learned from reading it: accept that you might not know as much as you think and keep learning. You can always improve your skills if you can stay open minded.

See this post on LinkedIn