Understanding user experience (UX) is essential for designers in today’s digital world. This accessible guide demystifies UX principles, showing how thoughtful design shapes our daily interactions with products, services, and systems far beyond digital screens.

Through real-world examples and case studies, readers learn how to think like UX designers and apply these principles across diverse industries. The book covers crucial topics including essential research methods and participatory design approaches, prototyping and usability testing techniques, emerging technologies such as AI, as well as ethical considerations in modern design. It is applicable to a variety of disciplines, such as technical communication, digital media, computer science and business.

Whether you're a student exploring career options, a professional seeking to enhance your skill set, or simply curious about how good design shapes our world, this book provides the knowledge and insights needed to create more intuitive and accessible experiences.

Jason C.K. Tham is Associate Professor of Technical Communication and Rhetoric and Assistant Chair of the English Department at Texas Tech University, USA. He is also the Editor-in-Chief of Computers and Composition: An International Journal. His recent works include The Rhetoric of Design Thinking (Routledge, 2026), Designing for Social Justice (Routledge, 2025), UX Writing (Routledge, 2023), Designing Technical and Professional Communication (Routledge, 2021), and Design Thinking in Technical Communication (Routledge, 2021).