Ask HN: How to learn UX as a backend engineer?

What are some good resources (books, books, videos etc) to learn UX design for developers who rarely do any frontend work? The idea is not to be an expert in UX but to start understanding fundamentals. To be able to think like a UX designer.

  • UX is a huge field with a lot of entry points so it’s difficult so suggest a single resource to start with.

    However I’d suggest that coming from an engineering background, you might find joy in learning about user testing first as that’s usually a big eye-opener that helps you understand why the field of UX design is important.

    A classic book to start with is ā€œDon’t Make Me Thinkā€ by Steve Krug[0], which covers usability testing and even how to conduct a session yourself.

    Then there’s ā€œThe Design of Everyday Thingsā€ by Don Norman[1], whom many consider the ā€˜father’ of the modern field of UX. That one can be a bit dense though.

    If you want to think like a designer, then learning about Design Thinking[2] is a good place to start.

    Hope that helps!

    [0] https://www.amazon.com/Dont-Make-Think-Revisited-Usability/d...

    [1] https://www.amazon.com/Design-Everyday-Things-Revised-Expand...

    [2] https://www.ideou.com/pages/design-thinking