Nick Finck

Gifts for User Experience Geeks 2011
Nov 28th, 2011

It is time for another installment of Gifts for User Experience Geeks! Just in time for the 2011 holiday season. Be sure to check out the last three years (2008, 2009, and 2010). This list is a collection of items I have come across over the last year that would make the ideal gifts for UX geeks like Information Architects, Usability Specialists, Interaction Designers, and even Web Designers. I also put the call out to several of my colleagues to contribute suggestions and I have included those where I felt they were a good fit. Thank you to everyone who contributed! Hope you like the list. If you notice something not on my list or have corrections for the list let me know!

User Experience Software

Diagramming

• OmniGraffle Professional 5.3.6 for Mac ($199.99)
• OmniGraffle 1.6.1 for iPad ($49.99)
• Microsoft Visio Professional 2010 for Windows ($559.99)
• Expression Studio 4 Ultimate for Windows ($599)
• Balsamiq Mockups Desktop for Mac & Windows ($79)
• Adobe Fireworks CS5 for Mac & Windows ($299)

Sketching

• Ideate for iPad ($3.99)
• Autodesk SketchBook Mobile for iPhone, iPad, or Android ($1.99)
• Adobe Ideas for iPad ($5.99)
• Penultimate for iPad ($0.99)

Prototyping

• Adobe Proto for Android ($9.99)
• Invision Web-Based App ($8+/month)
• ProtoShare Web-Based App ($49+/month)
• Axure RP Pro 6 for Mac & Windows ($589)
• iRise Professional for Windows ($6,995/seat)
• UX Pin App Web-Based App (coming soon!)
• Antetype for Mac ($289)

User Research

• Cohdoo Highlight for iPhone ($4.99)
• Cohdoo Player for Mac ($3.99)
• Cohdoo Converter for Mac ($0.99)
• SurveyMonkey Web-Based App ($17/month for unlimited responses)
• Reframer Web-Based App ($29/month)
• Ethnio Web-Based App ($49/month for 500 responses)

Usability Evaluation

• Silverback 2.0 for Mac ($69.95)
• OpenHallway Web-Based App ($49/month)
• Loop11 Web-Based App ($350 for 1,000 participants)
• Morae 3.1 for Windows ($1,495)
• Chalkmark Web-Based App ($109/month)
• IntuitionHQ Web-Based App ($9/user test)
• Gazehawk Web-Based App ($495/10 participants)

Screen Sharing and Meeting

• GoToMeeting for Mac & Windows ($49/month)
• WebEx for Mac & Windows ($49/month)
• Adobe Acrobat Connect Pro for Mac & Windows ($45/month)

Screen Capture

• Camtasia Studio for Windows ($299)
• Camtasia Mac for Mac ($99)
• Snagit for Mac & Windows ($49.95)

Information Architecture and Content

• Treejack Web-Based App ($109/month)
• OptimalSort Web-Based App ($109/month)
• Simple Card Sort Web-Based App ($49.99/month)

Document Share & Review

• Dropbox for Mac, Windows, Linux, iPad, iPhone, Android, & Blackberry ($9.95/month)
• Review for Mac, & iPhone ($2.99)
• OneHub Web-Based App ($29/month)
• Draftboard Web-Based App ($12/month)
• Wrkview Web-Based App ($9/month)

Analytics

• Clicktale ($99/month for 20,000 pageviews)
• ChartBeat ($9.95/month for 1,000 concurrent visits)
• Google Analytics (free!)
• Woopra (free!)

Misc.

• IconFactory xScope for Mac ($29.99)
• Business Model Toolbox for iPad ($29.99)
• Gamestorming Card Deck for iPad ($4.99)

Add-Ons

• Konigi Wireframe Stencils for Omnigraffle (free!)
• Konigi UX Template for Omnigraffle (free!)
• Konigi Wireframe Icons for Omnigraffle ($12)
• Konigi Wireframe Icons for Axure ($12)
• Konigi Sketch Stencils for Omnigraffle ($12)
• Konigi Keynote Wireframe Toolkit for Keynote ($12)
• Keynote & Powerpoint Wireframe Toolkit for Keynote & Powerpoint ($12)

Other User Experience Goodies

Prototyping and Sketching

• Website Stencil Kit ($26.95)
• iPhone Stencil Kit ($26.95)
• iPad Stencil Kit ($26.95)
• Android Stencil Kit ($26.95)
• GUI Magnets (€19.99)

Paper Products

• UX Sketchbook ($12)
• iPhone® App Sketchbook ($12)
• iPad App Sketchbook ($12)
• Dot Grid Book ($14)
• Action Method Paper Products ($5-$15)
• Browser Sketch Pad ($13.95)
• iPhone Sketch Pad ($13.95)
• iPad Sketchbook ($13.95)
• Windows Phone Sketch Pad ($13.95)
• Moleskine Star Wars notebooks ($14.95+)
• Moleskine notebooks ($3+)
• MUJI Memo Pad - Four Frame ($1.75)
• MUJI Recycled Paper Thumbnail Sketch Note ($1.50)

Sticky Paper Products

• iPhone Sticky Pad ($8.95)
• Windows Phone Sticky Pad ($8.95)
• Manga Sticky Notes (€6)
• Post-It Notes ($6.99+)

Drawing Surfaces

• Cohdoo Phone Doo ($15)
• Browser Dry Erase Board ($26.95)
• iPad Dry Erase Board ($26.95)
• IdeaPaint ($199.50)
• Glass (and Magnetic) Whiteboard ($350+)
• Magic Whiteboard (£29.98)
• Post-it Portable Easel with Dry-Erase ($34.99)

Sketching Instruments

• Factory Floor Issue Longhand Set ($22)
• Staedtler Mars Technico 2 mm Lead Holder ($7.54)
• Sharpie Stainless Steel Fine Point Permanent Marker ($5.24)
• Pentel Sharp Kerry 0.50mm mechanical pencil & case ($14.91)
• Uni-Ball Jetstream 0.7mm gel pen ($2.99)
• Rotring Tikky Liner Gel Ink Pen ($33.00)
• Sakura Micron .45mm black marker ($2.09)
• Faber-Castell Pitt Artist pen gift box, Set of 24 ($40.06)
• Prismacolor Premier Double Ended Art Markers, Set of 48 ($90)
• Expo Low Oder Dry Erase Markers ($5.39)
• Eraser Brush (£7.50)
• Kokuyo Will Stationery Actic Egg Shape Eraser ($2.25)
• Kokuyo KadoKeshi Stick Mini Twist Eraser ($3)

Cards, Games, Snacks, & Calendars

• Mental Notes ($33)
• nForm UX Trading Cards (Priceless / only available at the IA Summit)
• IDEO Method Cards ($49)
• 2012 Engagement Calendar ($20)
• Oblique Strategies (£30)
• UX Fortune Cookie (5$/10 cookies+bulk discounts)
• Design with Intent (£24)
• The Brains, Behavior & Design Toolkit (Free!)

Hardware

• Apple iPad 2 ($499)
• Wacom Inkling ($199)
• Scratch-n-Scroll mousepad ($14.99)
• Aphix Device Holder ($16)
• Bluelounge CableDrop Cable Holder ($9.95)
• Bluelounge Notebook Kit ($19.95)
• Sling Back cord retractor ($15)
• LiveScribe Echo Smartpen ($99.95+)
• Adonit Jot ($19.99+)
• AluPen ($24.95)
• Logitech HD Pro Webcam C910 ($84.99)
• Wacom Intuos4 ($229+)
• Adonit Writer 2 for the iPad 2 ($79.99+)

Clothing

• Hierarchy T-Shirt ($22.95)
• UX~UI T-Shirt ($22.95)
• I Square Pixels ($16.99+)
• Viva Jakob T-shirt ($25)
• Don’t Make Me Think T-shirt ($25)
• Usability defined T-shirt ($25)
• Usabilitees T-shirts ($25.35-$25.85)

Events & Associations

• Membership to the Information Architecture Institute ($20-40)
• Tickets to the IA Summit 2012 in New Orleans, LA, USA (estimated at $750)
• Tickets to UXLX 2012 in Lisbon, Portugal (€ 245)
• Tickets to Interaction 2012 in Dublin, Ireland (€ 575.00)

User Experience Books

General UX

• A Project Guide to UX Design by Russ Unger and Carolyn Chandler ($23.09)
• The Elements of User Experience (2nd edition): User-Centered Design for the Web by Jesse James Garrett ($26.39)
• Undercover User Experience Design by Cennydd Bowles and James Box ($19.79)

UX Delight and Seduction

• Seductive Interaction Design by Stephen P. Anderson ($21.40)
• Designing for Emotion by Aarron Walter ($35.99)
• Emotional Design by Donald A. Norman ($11.53)
• Design and Emotion by Deana McDonagh, Paul Hekkert, Jeroen van Erp and Diane Gyi ($124.42)

UX Thinking

• Storytelling for User Experience by Whitney Quesenbery & Kevin Brooks ($39)
• Mental Models: Aligning design strategy with human behavior by Indi Young ($39)
• Design is the Problem: The Future of Design Must be Sustainable by Nathan Shedroff ($39)
• The Innovator’s Way by Peter J. Denning and Robert Dunham ($19.77)
• Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson ($17.88)
• Designing with the Mind in Mind by Jeff Johnson ($32.39)

Communicating UX

• Communicating Design (2nd edition) by Dan Brown ($29.69)
• Communicating the User Experience by Richard Caddick and Steve Cable ($29.54)

Mobile UX

• Designing the iPhone User Experience by Suzanne Ginsburg ($27.38)
• Tapworthy: Designing Great iPhone Apps by Josh Clark ($25.24)

Content Strategy

• Content Strategy for the Web by Kristina Halvorson ($16.41)
• The Web Content Strategist’s Bible by Richard Sheffield ($25.99)

Information Architecture

• Information Architecture for the World Wide Web (3rd edition) by Peter Morville & Louis Rosenfeld ($26.39)
• Information Architecture: Blueprints for the Web (2nd edition) by Christina Wodtke & Austin Govella ($29.70)
• A Practical Guide to Information Architecture by Donna Spencer (£12)

Interaction Design

• Cadence & Slang by Nick Disabato ($20)
• Designing for Interactions by Dan Saffer ($22.20)
• Designed for Use by Lukas Mathis ($30.68)
• Designing Interactions by Bill Moggridge ($28.35)
• Designing Interfaces by Jenifer Tidwell ($32.97)
• About Face 3 by Alan Cooper, Robert Reimann and David Cronin ($23.85)

UX Sketching

• Sketching User Experiences by Bill Buxton ($32.97)
• Sketching User Experiences: The Workbook by Saul Greenberg, Sheelagh Carpendale, & Bill Buxton ($19.95)

UX Evaluation

• Remote Research by Nate Bolt & Tony Tulathimutte ($39)
• Card Sorting: Designing Usable Categories by Donna Spencer ($39)
• Search Analytics for Your Site by Louis Rosenfeld ($39)
• Measuring the User Experience by Thomas Tullis and William Albert ($35.27)

Information Visualization

• Beautiful Visualization by Julie Steele and Noah Iliinsky ($49.89)
• Designing Data Visualizations by Julie Steele and Noah Iliinsky ($19.09)
• Visual Complexity by Manuel Lima ($31.50)
• Envisioning Information by Edward R. Tufte ($36.00)
• Visual Explanations by Edward R. Tufte ($33.75)
• Beautiful Evidence by Edward R. Tufte ($39.54)
• The Visual Display of Quantitative Information by Edward R. Tufte ($28.00)

Misc.

• Prototyping: A Practitioner’s Guide to Prototyping by Todd Zaki Warfel ($39)
• Web Form Design: Filling in the Blanks by Luke Wroblewski ($39)
• The Little UX That Went a Long Way by Dan Willis ($12.95)