UX Resources

Over the last two years, I've worked at two different traditional agencies. Part of my mission is to advocate for UX, a term and a process that is very foreign at your average ad agency.

It's just a matter of time before someone asks me to define or explain UX. If you're wondering what UX is, it stands for User Experience and, in simple terms, it the process by which an experience in designed and developed for a user (with the primary goal being to meet the user's needs). UX is comprised of a number of disciplines, including user research, information architecture and content strategy. I would suggest that visual design is also a key component of UX.Here's how Wikipedia defines UX.

In addition to defining UX, someone usually asks where they can learn more. I recently put together this list, which is by no means definitive. If you have additional suggestions, please post them!

::: CONFERENCES + CLASSES :::

UX Week
From the rock stars at Adaptive Path, usually held in late summer in SF.

IA Summit
Usually held in March or April, and usually somewhere nice and warm.

DUX
Can't find current site but I believe there will be a 2009 event

Infocamps
In Seattle, there is a UX Infocamp coming up in October.

University of Washington Information Architecture Summer Institute
This is a one-week summit help every summer. I have been a guest lecturer the past two years and I highly recommend it. It's a great immersive.

Puget Sound SIGCHI
Often holds events. If you;re not in the Seattle area, there is likely a SIGCHI chapter in your area.

::: BOOKS :::

The Inmates are Running the Asylum, by Alan Cooper

The Design of Everyday Things, by Donald Norma

Don't Make Me Think!, by Steve Krug (thx @narisas!)

A list of more UX books across UX disciplines can be found here.

And one more list (thanks @cind!)

::: WEBSITES + BLOGS :::

Boxes and Arrows
A must-read for UX folks.

IxDA
IxDA is a professional association with forums on its site.

The IA Institute
The IA Institute is another professional organization.

Top 10 UX blogs
Great list, I read most of these, and I highly recommend Bokardo.

Scatter Gather
This is the content strategy blog from Razorfish.