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Category: Design

The Real World of Technology (Book Review)

Posted on August 24, 2016August 24, 2016 in Book reviews, Culture, Designby Scott Berkun

Despite our cultural obsession with new technology, we forget that the idea of new technology is old. We also…

Questions For The Next Design Revolution

Posted on September 15, 2015November 30, 2020 in Design, lecturesby Scott Berkun

(I gave the opening comments at a keynote panel on The Next Industrial Design Revolution for IDSA’s Future of…

Designers, Morality and the AK-47

Posted on July 28, 2015July 13, 2016 in Design, Philosophyby Scott Berkun

Recently Mike Monteiro wrote about whether the AK-47 is worthy of study for a design student. I agree and…

5 Questions that decide if Facebook crossed the line

Posted on June 30, 2014June 30, 2014 in Design, Web 2.0 / social softwareby Scott Berkun

There are 4 points and 5 questions at the heart of the latest drama around Facebook and ethics, and…

When is it ethical to sell low quality products?

Posted on January 2, 2014January 15, 2015 in ask berkun, Design, Software/Web developmentby Scott Berkun

This month I’m posting every day, picking the top voted reader question and answering it.  With 50 votes, today’s winner, submitted…

What designers can learn from the AK-47

Posted on December 23, 2013December 23, 2013 in Designby Scott Berkun

Mikhail Kalashnikov, the primary inventor of the AK-47, died yesterday in Russia. His invention is possibly the most popular…

Thoughts on Death to Bullshit & Information Overload

Posted on July 25, 2013September 21, 2016 in Design, Philosophyby Scott Berkun

I recently watched Brad Frost’s interesting talk Death To Bullshit (slides). He takes strong positions about information overload and…

Book Review: Designing Together

Posted on June 27, 2013June 27, 2013 in Book reviews, Designby Scott Berkun

I was honored to write the forward for Dan Brown’s new book, Designing Together, because I thought it was excellent.…

Book Review: Microinteractions

Posted on June 4, 2013June 4, 2013 in Book reviews, Designby Scott Berkun

They say the devil is in the details, but the angels are in there too. That is, if you…

Summary: Best Posts on Getting Feedback

Posted on May 21, 2013February 29, 2016 in Designby Scott Berkun

I’m speaking today at An Event Apart San Diego about Feedback Without Frustration. Here’s a summary of my best…

The No UI debate is rubbish

Posted on March 13, 2013March 20, 2015 in Designby Scott Berkun

A debate is rising on whether the old platitude No UI is the best UI is good or bad.…

The Amazing Invention of Braille

Posted on January 4, 2013January 4, 2021 in Creative Thinking, Design, Design Makes The World, Innovationby Scott Berkun

While studying to write the Myths of Innovation I read hundreds of accounts of how world changing inventions were…

How to Thank a Customer

Posted on December 13, 2012January 7, 2013 in Designby Scott Berkun

Some people just give good thanks. I bought a t-shirt online awhile ago from Sean McCabe, an artist who…

What I learned going back to UX school

Posted on December 10, 2012January 7, 2013 in Design, usabilityby Scott Berkun

Last week I was on an expert panel, giving feedback to final project presentations at the HCDE 518 User…

Quote of the day

Posted on October 16, 2012October 16, 2012 in architecture (real), Designby Scott Berkun

The Brooklyn Bridge is one of my favorite buildings. I’ve studied its history and the story of how it…

News: I’m working on a UX book with Jackson Fish

Posted on September 25, 2012 in Books, Designby Scott Berkun

When my friends Hillel Cooperman and Jenny Lam started their UX company JacksonFish, I thought, how awesome. Every designer…

Lessons on Failure From the Jetpack Joyride game

Posted on April 12, 2012November 30, 2020 in Designby Scott Berkun

At Failcon 2012 Luke Muscat, the designer of the game Jetpack Joyride, talked about learning from failure. His thoughts…

The top mistakes UX designers make: the writeup

Posted on January 31, 2012June 6, 2019 in Design, usabilityby Scott Berkun

Last week I spoke at the Puget Sound SIGCHI meeting. Since it’s a group of designers and user researchers,…

How WordPress.com is made

Posted on December 22, 2011 in Design, Software/Web developmentby Scott Berkun

Some of you know, in addition to my writing and speaking work, I work as a team lead for…

Usability issue for Kindle on Amazon.com

Posted on December 6, 2011 in Books, Design, ui review, usabilityby Scott Berkun

Noticed a small usability issue with how Amazon.com promotes Kindle editions of print books. This is what’s known as…

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Scott Berkun is the author of eight popular books on creativity, leadership, philosophy and speaking. You can hire him to speak, ask him a question or follow him on Twitter and Facebook.

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Scott's Awesome Books

How Design Makes The World

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4_5 Stars

“Nobody’s better at explaining how the world really works than Scott Berkun.” – Jeffrey Zeldman, co-founder of A List Apart

The Dance of the Possible

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5 Stars

"You'll find a lot to steal from this short, inspiring guide to being creative. Made me want to get up and make stuff!" - Austin Kleon, author of How To Steal Like An Artist

The Ghost of My Father

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4_5 Stars

“Thought-provoking read, and highly recommended…” – Thomas Duff

The Year Without Pants: WordPress.com & the Future of Work

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4_5 Stars

“If you want to think differently about entrepreneurship, management, or life in general, read this book.” — Tim Ferriss

Mindfire: Big Ideas for Curious Minds

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4_5 Stars

“The ideas contained in the essays are persuasive and it’s a fun, well focused read. ” — Simon Moore

Confessions of a Public Speaker

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4_5 Stars

“Berkun tells it like it is… you’ll gain insights to take your skills to the next level.” — Tony Hsieh, CEO Zappos.com

The Myths of Innovation

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4_5 Stars

“Berkun sets us free to try and change the world.” — Guy Kawasaki

Making Things Happen: Mastering Project Management

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4_5 Stars

“Highly recommended for CEOs, project managers, and hackers alike.” — Matt Mullenweg, Founder WordPress.org

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About Scott

Scott Berkun is the author of eight popular books on creativity, leadership, philosophy and speaking (more about Scott's background).

You can hire him to speak, ask him a question or follow him on Twitter and Facebook.

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