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Your next summer 2024 Product/UX design reading list
Throwback to middle school scholastic book fairs and long summers filled with pool parties, fire flies, and reading books on the beach.
When I was in grade school, I used to love book fairs and summer reading assignments. I also specifically loved getting our optional list of books to read for Summer Reading. I loved the idea of being able to read on our own and take books at our own pace. I especially loved my college design summer reading list, which sometimes included things that weren’t just books; one of my professors included listen to an entire album of specific punk bands, or watch a certain documentary. I loved the idea of continued learning on your own time in the summer. Especially when younger, those summers always felt so special to me, the idea of spending time with family, taking trips or adventures around the neighborhood, experiencing totally new things and routines and learning.
After having graduated from college, I was looking to fill this void. I began reading daily after the pandemic, 5–10 pages before bed.
Several years after college, I began to miss the transition times from spring to summer, as I no longer had that timeline tying me to the academic cadences.
This year, I wanted to focus specifically Product Design, and becoming the best Product Designer I can be. I love reading, but wanted to incorporate several types of media to best learn and have plenty of options to consume.
So, without further ado, here’s what’s on my list for 2024!
Books:
The Creative ACT: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin
Closing the Loop: Systems Thinking for Designers by Sheryl Cababa & Kevin Bethune
Hypothesis Driven Development: A Guide to Smarter Product Management
The Pricing Roadmap by Ulrik Lehrskov-Schmidt
Lead Engaging Meetings by Jeff Shannon
Podcasts/Audio:
(I’m going to try to listen to 1 episode from each of these series)
