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	Cost-Justifying Usability Randolph G. Bias & Deborah J. Mayhew, Academic Press, Inc., 1994. Summary: In an appropriate disclaimer, we wrote a chapter in this book. However, we do not receive any fees when it is purchased. This is the only extensive text on the cost-justification of usability. Randolph and Deb have put together an excellent text that has a great deal of useful data on why usability engineering is not only good for the customer but also excellent for the bottom line. This should be on the shelf of anyone practicing or promoting usability engineering.
	The Design of Everyday Things Donald A. Norman, Currency/Doubleday, 1990. Summary: Donald Norman with his partner Jacob Nielson have written many informative books. If you really want just one for your bookshelf I suggest this text. This text is easy to read, focused and very engaging. Essentially it presents an interesting view of the good and bad of design. I would recommend it to anyone interested in reading about User-Centered Design.
	Human-Computer Interaction and Complex Systems George R.S. Weir & James L. Alty, Academic Press, 1991. Summary: For anyone out there who really wants a look at the upper end of the human-computer interaction literature, this text is for you! This text is an excellent overview of human-computer interaction design for complex systems. However, it is helpful if you have a degree in math. The focus is almost exclusively on cognitive modeling for process control.
	The Humane Interface Jef Raskin, Addison-Wesley, 2000. Summary: Jef has written an excellent text on user interface design. This book is especially helpful if you are interested in a step-by-step explanation of user interface design methods such as GOMS analysis, Interface efficiency measurement and Fitts Law. The book contains many interesting examples covering a wide range of industries. There are some references to web development but the real strong point of Jef's book is in the definition of usability engineering methods as they apply to all types of interface design problems.
	Intelligent User Interfaces Joseph W. Sullivan & Sherman W. Tyler, ACM Press, 1991. Summary: An excellent text for anyone with some basic coursework in psychology. This text covers several critical aspects of user interface design including multimodal communications, models, plans, goals, and dynamic presentation design. Included are many case studies with information that can be transferred to the Web-interface design. Note: this text does not cover Web interface specifically but is better than all current Web-focused user interface design texts.
	A Designer’s Art Paul Rand, Yale University Press, 1985. Summary: Over the last 35 years, Paul Rand was the seminal figure in the creation of visual branding for large corporations. He created many famous designs including the corporate identities for IBM, ABC, UPS, and NEXT to mention a few. This text covers his design philosophy and presents many examples of his work. An excellent book by a world-class expert presenting core visual design principals backed up by the best solutions on the planet. Note: the text does not mention the Web.
	The Art of Design Management Thomas Schutte, Univ. of Pennsylvania Press, 1975. Summary: I am often asked by corporate CEOs, "What is the real business value of good design?" My response is often taken from this text that is composed of a series of short chapters written by corporate leaders and designers from the 1970's. By far the best chapter was written by Thomas J. Watson, Jr., Chairman of IBM. The title of his chapter "Good Design is Good Business" says it all. This text is out of print but can be found at used bookstores. Yes, the photographs are out of date but the basic message is even more relevant today.
	Building Strong Brands David A. Aaker, The Free Press, 1996. Summary: In spite of the fact that there is not a single mention of the Web in this book, it is still the best text on brand building by one of the acknowledged experts in the field. Almost every principle presented in this book can be mapped into Web branding. Too bad more Web-marketing managers have not read this book. There would be dramatically fewer giveaways and much more focus on customer experience design. Aaker’s other books are re-do's of this material.
	Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping Paco Underhill, Simon & Schuster, 1999. Summary: My friend Paco Underhill has created a very interesting and engaging book that attempts to explain what aspects of the retail shopping experience effect what and how we buy products and services. Although not truly a scientific presentation, it is based on many years of careful and structured observational research of shoppers navigating retail environments. Even Paco is not sure how his findings from the non-virtual world translate to E-Com....a must read for E-Com executives.
	Task Analysis Methods for Instructional Design Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1999. Summary: This book is the best detailed text on task analysis, the cornerstone of on-line user interface design, and instructional development. The authors include very detailed descriptions of what TA is and how it applies to instructional design. The principles presented in this text map directly to Web customer acquistion, retention and migration issues. Please note: this is a detailed and extensive discussion of the topic and is not light reading. If you really want to understand what goes into doing this stuff the right way, this is the book. No mention of the Web per se.
	Writing Better Computer User Documentation R. John Brockmann, John Wiley & Sons, 1990. Summary: A bit out of date but still an excellent text for anyone creating on-line documentation for the Web. Again, there is no mention of the Web but still good presentation of methods and best practices covering user documentation. A significant portion of this book is dedicated to on-line documentation.
	New Rules for the New Economy Kevin Kelly, Viking Press, 1998. Summary: If you have only one book to read about the "New Economy,” this is it. Hands down, Kevin Kelly nails it. Dozens of books that followed Kevin’s text are simple re-interpretations of his work. This book attempts to put into context what the "New Economy" is and why it is important. At the very least, it is well written and interesting reading.
	The Social Life of Information John Seely Brown & Paul Duguid, Harvard Business School Press, 2000. Summary: Written by one of the few true masters of human-technology integration problems, this book makes for generally excellent reading. John and Paul explore the overall role of social context in the creation of effective information technology solutions. Chapter Seven “Reading the Background” covers the social context of “Paper documents” and their role in understanding how users actually file and organize information...not exactly an IT solution but very insightful.
	The Structure of Scientific Revolutions Thomas Kuhn, Univ. of Chicago Press, 1996. Summary: This book, by the man who created the term “Paradigm shift”, is an outstanding text on how new ideas form, grow and mature to consume prior established ways of thinking and solving problems. The core theories behind this text form an excellent model for the growth of the Web. Note: this text was written several years ago and does not mention the Web.
	The Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution C.P. Snow, Cambridge University Press, 1959. Summary: For those of you who are really into the last word or as it were, the first word, this book is really worth reading. The text is based on a famous lecture given by C.P. Snow at Cambridge University in 1959 in which he delineates that widening gulf between science and art. Many have said that this is the seminal text that defines the increasing split between human needs and technology-based solutions.
	Where Wizards Stay Up Late Katie Hafner & Matthew Lyon, Econo-Clad Books, 1996. Summary: A must read for anyone who thinks they know or want to know how the Web really came about. This text is slow is some places and riveting in others. At the end of the day this books tells the story of who put “Inter” in the net. Note: I am talking here about the Internet not the “Web”; this book documents the Internet “pre-Web.”
	Weaving the Web Tim Berners-Lee, Harper San Francisco, 1999. Summary: The first half of the book is a terrific read covering Mr. Berners-Lee's protracted and oftentimes extremely difficult task of creating the primary interaction model for the web. It is hard to believe that he kept the project alive in the face of such opposition and poor funding. The second half of the book covering his view on the next evolution of the web is much less interesting but still worth a quick review. For an excellent historical view of the web's early development read this book and "Where Wizards Stay up late" also on this list.
	The Usability Engineering Lifecycle Deborah J. Mayhew, Morgan Kaufmann Publishers, 1999. Summary: Deborah has several texts in circulation, all of which are good references. This new book is an excellent "How to" covering development and execution of usability programs. It covers the topic of "User-Centered design" well and incorporates many excellent examples and case studies. There is also an updated chapter on cost-justifying usability that is easy to understand and apply. Minimal detailed reference to Web interfaces but the principles apply to all interface design problems.