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Universal Principles of UX: 100 Timeless Strategies to Create Positive Interactions between People and Technology (Volume 4)
Master the art of user experience design through the 100 laws, guidelines, human biases, and general considerations in this comprehensive, cross-disciplinary encyclopedia. Richly illustrated and easy to navigate, Universal Principles of UX pairs clear explanations of each concept with visual examples of the ideas applied in practice. The book is organized into six broad
And, features principles as diverse
User Experience is a field notable for its expansiveness, complexity and persistent evolution. This book is not a chronological retelling of the history of user experience design. It is also not a technical how-to book that will show you how to become a perfect user experience designer one step at a time. It's a philosophical anthology of case studies, situations, problems, and contradictions encountered across more than fifteen years of working on real world client projects that will teach you how to think, rather than tell you what to do . Each principle is presented in a two-page format . The left-hand page contains a succinct definition, a full description of the principle, examples of its use, and guidelines for use. Sidenotes appear to the right of the text, and provide elaborations and references. The right-hand page contains visual examples and related graphics to support a deeper understanding of the principle. This landmark reference is the standard for designers, engineers, managers, and students who seek to broaden and improve their user experience design expertise.
The titles in the Rockport Universal series offer comprehensive and authoritative information and edifying and inspiring visual examples on multidisciplinary subjects for designers, architects, engineers, students, and anyone who is interested in expanding and enriching their design knowledge.
And, features principles as diverse
User Experience is a field notable for its expansiveness, complexity and persistent evolution. This book is not a chronological retelling of the history of user experience design. It is also not a technical how-to book that will show you how to become a perfect user experience designer one step at a time. It's a philosophical anthology of case studies, situations, problems, and contradictions encountered across more than fifteen years of working on real world client projects that will teach you how to think, rather than tell you what to do . Each principle is presented in a two-page format . The left-hand page contains a succinct definition, a full description of the principle, examples of its use, and guidelines for use. Sidenotes appear to the right of the text, and provide elaborations and references. The right-hand page contains visual examples and related graphics to support a deeper understanding of the principle. This landmark reference is the standard for designers, engineers, managers, and students who seek to broaden and improve their user experience design expertise.
The titles in the Rockport Universal series offer comprehensive and authoritative information and edifying and inspiring visual examples on multidisciplinary subjects for designers, architects, engineers, students, and anyone who is interested in expanding and enriching their design knowledge.
224 pages, Hardcover
Published March 7, 2023
78 people are currently reading
421 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
September 4, 2024
A excellent primer covering a breadth of UX and UI principles, I enjoyed this little book more than I was expecting!
♥️ I loved how vocal the author was about accessibility and designing for different users across the digital confidence spectrum, even devoting a section to seniors!
♥️ I liked the ethos that design moves on and how we need to steward loss of our work as design, technology, and user preferences shift and change.
♥️ I adored the section on how designers have a duty to raise the alarm about psychological manipulation or user exploitation from sales and marketing. More of this please!
♥️ The layout is readable, flows well, and is artfully designed with text and images. I appreciated the commitment to plain language and reduced jargon and corpspeak.
➕ I’m at the stage in exploring UX/UI design where I would have valued more on the “how” behind some of the practices.
☹️ The tone can be dry and if I’m being pedantic, the structure isn’t always congruous with the use of bullet points (the final bullet point being a recap of the preceding ones). I also noticed an overuse of the problematic word “stakeholder”.
Most designers will likely take something away from this guide. What it lacks in depth, it makes up for in breadth inspiring us to dive deeper into the tools and principles we’d like to explore more!
I’m deeply appreciative of Quarto Publishing for making this available on NetGalley - thank you! ✨
♥️ I loved how vocal the author was about accessibility and designing for different users across the digital confidence spectrum, even devoting a section to seniors!
♥️ I liked the ethos that design moves on and how we need to steward loss of our work as design, technology, and user preferences shift and change.
♥️ I adored the section on how designers have a duty to raise the alarm about psychological manipulation or user exploitation from sales and marketing. More of this please!
♥️ The layout is readable, flows well, and is artfully designed with text and images. I appreciated the commitment to plain language and reduced jargon and corpspeak.
➕ I’m at the stage in exploring UX/UI design where I would have valued more on the “how” behind some of the practices.
☹️ The tone can be dry and if I’m being pedantic, the structure isn’t always congruous with the use of bullet points (the final bullet point being a recap of the preceding ones). I also noticed an overuse of the problematic word “stakeholder”.
Most designers will likely take something away from this guide. What it lacks in depth, it makes up for in breadth inspiring us to dive deeper into the tools and principles we’d like to explore more!
I’m deeply appreciative of Quarto Publishing for making this available on NetGalley - thank you! ✨
October 21, 2023
Hace más falta libros como estos, ejemplos de proyectos reales recientes y recorriendo todo el proceso de diseño desde el descubrimiento hasta la entrega final, tiene reflexiones muy interesantes que incluso retan algunos patrones que hasta hoy creía una ley escrita en piedra.
August 3, 2025
90-100 carried this book. Some of the principles felt out of place (voice assistants?). The book itself is of course illustrated really well and makes for a nice coffee table ornament.
March 3, 2024
I loved this! As a web designer and developer (who also does quite some Online Marketing), this is such a great insight to the work of the real professionals. I wish this existed as a paperback, or in a smaller format. The text sometimes is too close to the fold. I wanted to take this with me to read on the go, the short chapters are great for that. But it's heavy and huge. I do understand that the images need to be a certain size though.
January 15, 2023
I found this interesting to flip through. Each set of pages covers a topic in the UX process. I have a background in ID, so there's some crossover that allowed me to appreciate this book. However, I think it's more of a coffee table book than any guide in general of UX.
January 19, 2023
UX is shorthand in the software industry for “user experience.” It’s often used in conjunction with UI, or “user interface.” In the world of the web, good user interfaces and user experiences can lead to successful, profitable websites – regardless of their function. Likewise, bad UIUX almost always leads to a website’s failure. Thus, specialists are often paid well to design and implement these aspects with skill. But in a world of ever-changing designs, how can one know what good design is? In this book, one such specialist Pereyra describes 100 practices that undergird her decades of experience in this industry.
In these anthologies of principles, the goal is always to find something universal and timeless; such is the case here, where Pereyra announces her intent in the title. The devil, of course, is in the details, and some topics (like usability or Google’s design predilections) seem awfully rooted in time and events. Nonetheless, she does describe one principle in each chapter – like “friction isn’t always bad” or “create a user flow.” Then she unpacks each principle with visual illustrations and examples from her life’s work.
Many of these principles can seem contradictory. These contradictions, as anyone experienced in UIUX knows, are an inherent part of the game. Two principles of “less is more” but “less is a bore” illustrate this paradox precisely. She also puts down her stake deeply in some present-day controversies. She is against so-called “objective” design (measured by metrics, not art) and insists that designers’ subjectivity, seen in work experiences and intuition, play an essential role in good design.
Aspiring UIUX designers will find this book useful. In addition, the artful illustrations (always a plus in a book on visual design) will make this book suitable for coffee tables. Anyone who (like me) designs user interfaces on screens can benefit from empathizing with end-users. The melding of art and science makes this field particularly appealing and challenging. In practice, computer programmers (again, like me) often do amateur UIUX work, and learning from an expert like Pereyra can add significant value to a product. There aren’t a ton of books in this nascent field; Pereyra’s 100 principles will likely illuminate designers’ paths for some time to come.
In these anthologies of principles, the goal is always to find something universal and timeless; such is the case here, where Pereyra announces her intent in the title. The devil, of course, is in the details, and some topics (like usability or Google’s design predilections) seem awfully rooted in time and events. Nonetheless, she does describe one principle in each chapter – like “friction isn’t always bad” or “create a user flow.” Then she unpacks each principle with visual illustrations and examples from her life’s work.
Many of these principles can seem contradictory. These contradictions, as anyone experienced in UIUX knows, are an inherent part of the game. Two principles of “less is more” but “less is a bore” illustrate this paradox precisely. She also puts down her stake deeply in some present-day controversies. She is against so-called “objective” design (measured by metrics, not art) and insists that designers’ subjectivity, seen in work experiences and intuition, play an essential role in good design.
Aspiring UIUX designers will find this book useful. In addition, the artful illustrations (always a plus in a book on visual design) will make this book suitable for coffee tables. Anyone who (like me) designs user interfaces on screens can benefit from empathizing with end-users. The melding of art and science makes this field particularly appealing and challenging. In practice, computer programmers (again, like me) often do amateur UIUX work, and learning from an expert like Pereyra can add significant value to a product. There aren’t a ton of books in this nascent field; Pereyra’s 100 principles will likely illuminate designers’ paths for some time to come.
January 24, 2023
This is definitely a “something different” review for me. I want to thank Quarto / Rockport Publishing for making this available to me prior to its release date (March 7, 2023). Wearing my professional hat, I manage an online industry supply chain service. My background is the supply chain, not software, and certainly not design or UX, and so I jumped at the opportunity for what looked to be a good overview of UX principles.
And that’s exactly what this book is. For an experienced UX designer, I’m not sure this book would provide much in the way of new information - although, candidly, I know exactly zilch about what else is published in this field. But for someone working UX adjacent, this was exactly what I needed. I imagine it would also be equally good for someone new (or aspiring) to the field.
As the title suggests, this is an overview of principles, rather than a text book on how to follow them. While I read it cover to cover (and in digital form), I think this book will work much better in print. I really can imagine it as a glossy hardcover on someone’s coffee table, or in an office, for people to dip in and out of, flicking through until something catches your eye for a deeper dive.
Accessible and insightful and beautifully laid out - really, would you trust a book on UX that wasn’t a joy to navigate?
The principles that stood out to me for further consideration:
-Broken pages shouldn’t feel broken
-A word is worth a thousand pictures (aka, that icon is less ubiquitous than you think it is)
-Not all data needs to be visualised
-First and last items are remembered most
-Friction isn’t always bad
-Don’t just design for novices
-Interrupt only when necessary
Clearly, this is a book for a specific audience, but year on year there’s a lot more of us who are indeed working UX adjacent. This is a well-timed book, and a great resource for vast swathes of digital professionals.
And that’s exactly what this book is. For an experienced UX designer, I’m not sure this book would provide much in the way of new information - although, candidly, I know exactly zilch about what else is published in this field. But for someone working UX adjacent, this was exactly what I needed. I imagine it would also be equally good for someone new (or aspiring) to the field.
As the title suggests, this is an overview of principles, rather than a text book on how to follow them. While I read it cover to cover (and in digital form), I think this book will work much better in print. I really can imagine it as a glossy hardcover on someone’s coffee table, or in an office, for people to dip in and out of, flicking through until something catches your eye for a deeper dive.
Accessible and insightful and beautifully laid out - really, would you trust a book on UX that wasn’t a joy to navigate?
The principles that stood out to me for further consideration:
-Broken pages shouldn’t feel broken
-A word is worth a thousand pictures (aka, that icon is less ubiquitous than you think it is)
-Not all data needs to be visualised
-First and last items are remembered most
-Friction isn’t always bad
-Don’t just design for novices
-Interrupt only when necessary
Clearly, this is a book for a specific audience, but year on year there’s a lot more of us who are indeed working UX adjacent. This is a well-timed book, and a great resource for vast swathes of digital professionals.
December 20, 2024
Universal Principles of UX is an incredibly helpful book for anyone who designs, whether for "user experience" or any other application. Even as a consumer, it provides insight into the numerous interfaces you interact with every day, from your phone apps, to computer software, to the internet, to menus at a restaurant. It will give you an appreciation for the work that goes into well-designed experiences, and the language to describe what makes others infuriating. My son and I shared this book, taking turns reading principles to each other. He's studying game design, and I working in animation and podcasting, so we each had our own relevant takeaways and personal examples.
Author Irene Pereyra has much experience to speak from - her design team Anton & Irene (https://antonandirene.com/) has an impressive client list, and she shares many examples from her own work creating wireframes, testing, building and maintaining web projects over the past decade. Each principle gets its own spread, with an explanation and relevant examples. Some are intuitive, and others are counterintuitive. Here's a small sample to whet your appetite:
1 The user comes first, 4 Always surpass expectations, 5 Design is not neutral, 6 Words matter, 8 Attractive products are more usable, 9 People remember the unusual, 10 First and last items are remembered most, 11 Less is more, 12 Less is a bore, 13 Friction isn't always bad, 17 Nothing lasts forever, 21 Children are not small adults, 22 Design for learnability.
Someone at work had ordered this, but it was sitting on my couch unclaimed for a while, so I decided to take it home. Glad I did!
Author Irene Pereyra has much experience to speak from - her design team Anton & Irene (https://antonandirene.com/) has an impressive client list, and she shares many examples from her own work creating wireframes, testing, building and maintaining web projects over the past decade. Each principle gets its own spread, with an explanation and relevant examples. Some are intuitive, and others are counterintuitive. Here's a small sample to whet your appetite:
1 The user comes first, 4 Always surpass expectations, 5 Design is not neutral, 6 Words matter, 8 Attractive products are more usable, 9 People remember the unusual, 10 First and last items are remembered most, 11 Less is more, 12 Less is a bore, 13 Friction isn't always bad, 17 Nothing lasts forever, 21 Children are not small adults, 22 Design for learnability.
Someone at work had ordered this, but it was sitting on my couch unclaimed for a while, so I decided to take it home. Glad I did!
February 16, 2024
The book has three fatals flaws:
1) It’s basically self promotion. Every example I’ve seen is from a project that the author made. To mention these from time to time where they make sense would be alright but not to this extend.
2) There’s a whole lot of truisms and unnecessary entries. One is called “Words matter” and talks about “UX copy” (which doesn’t exist, but the author had to use the term UX to seem to be talking about her subject of course). It goes on saying that text on the internet should be brief and to the point. Wow. The insight. I never would have guessed. Also, why make this a whole entry in the first place in a book about UX?
3) Lastly, the author couldn’t help herself but mention her political leanings at almost every instance possible. I don’t care. It’s supposed to be a book about design. Spare me your politics.
The first two books of that series (“Universal Principles of Design” and “Universal Methods of Design”) were really rather good and convenient resources to suggest to a beginner. Even as a pro, you could learn one or two things. This book, however, is a disgrace.
1) It’s basically self promotion. Every example I’ve seen is from a project that the author made. To mention these from time to time where they make sense would be alright but not to this extend.
2) There’s a whole lot of truisms and unnecessary entries. One is called “Words matter” and talks about “UX copy” (which doesn’t exist, but the author had to use the term UX to seem to be talking about her subject of course). It goes on saying that text on the internet should be brief and to the point. Wow. The insight. I never would have guessed. Also, why make this a whole entry in the first place in a book about UX?
3) Lastly, the author couldn’t help herself but mention her political leanings at almost every instance possible. I don’t care. It’s supposed to be a book about design. Spare me your politics.
The first two books of that series (“Universal Principles of Design” and “Universal Methods of Design”) were really rather good and convenient resources to suggest to a beginner. Even as a pro, you could learn one or two things. This book, however, is a disgrace.
October 19, 2024
I'd give it a solid 4 out of 5. The book's packed with great tips about UX and UI. Some of them were super helpful and it’s clear the author really knows her stuff when it comes to design and prototyping. She does a great job breaking down different processes.
One thing I noticed, though, is that some chapters were a bit abstract. Like, the advice on choosing the right typeface – it boiled down to "bad fonts make your site worse, good fonts make it better." A bit too vague for my taste. But overall, I really enjoyed it.
There are some cool stories in there, like one about reducing complexity by using silhouettes of soldiers from the Civil War instead of detailed drawings. It's a neat example of simplifying without losing meaning.
Overall, I’d definitely recommend this to anyone. It’s full of wisdom and great tips. Just a heads-up: it’s probably best for people who already know a bit about design, as it assumes some familiarity with concepts like personas and other design lingo. But yeah, a great read for anyone who interested in design!
One thing I noticed, though, is that some chapters were a bit abstract. Like, the advice on choosing the right typeface – it boiled down to "bad fonts make your site worse, good fonts make it better." A bit too vague for my taste. But overall, I really enjoyed it.
There are some cool stories in there, like one about reducing complexity by using silhouettes of soldiers from the Civil War instead of detailed drawings. It's a neat example of simplifying without losing meaning.
Overall, I’d definitely recommend this to anyone. It’s full of wisdom and great tips. Just a heads-up: it’s probably best for people who already know a bit about design, as it assumes some familiarity with concepts like personas and other design lingo. But yeah, a great read for anyone who interested in design!
April 4, 2023
The book Universal Principles of UX by Irene Pereyra is deemed a cross-disciplinary encyclopedia. It explains User Experience in 100 guidelines with clear explanations of each practice.
Irene Pereyra has years of experience in the field of UX and her own design studio, Anton & Irene. It is with this experience that Pereyra has put together examples of these guidelines in use. Not only are you reading from an expert in the field, but you also get examples based on real work, and an illustration to hone in on the principle being explained.
At Curating Edits, this book came at a perfect moment, as I have come across several people who have asked for recommendations for books on User Experience, and UX/UI Design and it felt repetitive to only have a few go-to books on the topic.
The Universal Principles of UX is not a technical how-to book. It will not teach you how to create the perfect User Experience. In the best way possible, you are seeing an actual example, which makes it easier to visualize topics that you come across while learning UX and starting your career in UX.
The categories in this book are: Consider, Empathize, Define, Research, Design, and Validate. The principles you will read about are “Design is not neutral”, “Make the choice easy”, and “Some complexity cannot be reduced”. My favorite which will help many in UX/UI are the principles: “Map the ecosystem”, “So you think you can scroll”, and “Don’t grade your own homework”.
Another great point about this book is that it refreshes what you read. It guides you back to earlier principles depending on the category you are reading from. That was helpful as it reinforces what Pereyra is communicating, again in addition to the visual and the real-life example. Pereyra's experience of working on the Nickelodeon app was my favorite example along with the illustrations. Loved it!
Irene Pereyra has years of experience in the field of UX and her own design studio, Anton & Irene. It is with this experience that Pereyra has put together examples of these guidelines in use. Not only are you reading from an expert in the field, but you also get examples based on real work, and an illustration to hone in on the principle being explained.
At Curating Edits, this book came at a perfect moment, as I have come across several people who have asked for recommendations for books on User Experience, and UX/UI Design and it felt repetitive to only have a few go-to books on the topic.
The Universal Principles of UX is not a technical how-to book. It will not teach you how to create the perfect User Experience. In the best way possible, you are seeing an actual example, which makes it easier to visualize topics that you come across while learning UX and starting your career in UX.
The categories in this book are: Consider, Empathize, Define, Research, Design, and Validate. The principles you will read about are “Design is not neutral”, “Make the choice easy”, and “Some complexity cannot be reduced”. My favorite which will help many in UX/UI are the principles: “Map the ecosystem”, “So you think you can scroll”, and “Don’t grade your own homework”.
Another great point about this book is that it refreshes what you read. It guides you back to earlier principles depending on the category you are reading from. That was helpful as it reinforces what Pereyra is communicating, again in addition to the visual and the real-life example. Pereyra's experience of working on the Nickelodeon app was my favorite example along with the illustrations. Loved it!
November 29, 2023
While this book won’t teach you how to become a UX practitioner or how to execute specific parts of the UX design process, even as a seasoned UX designer I learned a few things from it. Well cited with specific examples from UX and other related fields, there are lots of interesting facts, ideas, and concepts discussed throughout the book.
May 15, 2025
Reading this book is like opening a treasure chest! The author shares her knowledge through her immense design experience while supporting her points with scientific backed research. This is a book that will keep me revisit from time to time to look for inspiration!
As in 2025, we are even being closer to the end of the Bauhaus era of designing...
As in 2025, we are even being closer to the end of the Bauhaus era of designing...
July 1, 2024
Good for building a couple mental models.
September 29, 2024
100 best practices and examples of web design
December 14, 2024
Absolute garbage. The author is clueless about UX. Avoid this book.
March 29, 2025
Good book with a quick review and examples (case study) on the Universal principles of user experience. Must read list book...over a coffee/ tea. Fin read
June 20, 2025
" Good book with a quick review and examples (case study) on the Universal principles of user experience. Must read list book...over a coffee/ tea. Fin read "
May 1, 2025
It feels like the author started with the title first and was determined to come up with exactly 100 principles simply because it’s a nice, round number. This resulted in a lot of unnecessary, repetitive entries and too many irrelevant personal stories that come across as bragging. You can find far more useful information for free with a quick Google search. This book is a complete waste of time and money, unless it's your first introduction to UX.
April 12, 2023
wonderful book
I liked very much because here a lot of insights for me, that I had in my head, but I can’t explain it.
I liked very much because here a lot of insights for me, that I had in my head, but I can’t explain it.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews