By: Adrienne Nip | February 27, 2021
If you’re looking for books to inspire your upcoming MSTC Capstone project or are wanting to do some tech comm-related reading over the weekend, you’re in the right place! We’ve compiled a list of 5 tech comm books that cover a variety of topics that you should consider adding to your reading list.
DON’T MAKE ME THINK: A COMMON SENSE APPROACH TO WEB USABILITY BY STEVE KRUG
Written by usability consultant Steve Krug, this book covers the key usability principles he believes everyone involved in web design should know. This book was written for designers, developers, project managers, and others involved in the web design process who may not be able to hire a consultant, guiding them to do on their own what a usability consultant would do. If you’re looking to learn the basic principles of web design, this may be the book for you.
You can access the text through the NCSU library here.
RHETORICAL ACCESSIBILITY: AT THE INTERSECTION OF TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION AND DISABILITY STUDIES BY LISA MELONCON
Citing the United Nations, there are an estimated 650 million people with disabilities, with 15% of the United States population having some level of disability. This book focuses on the common theoretical grounds technical communication and disability studies both share, and the obligations technical communicators have to create accessible content for those with disabilities. Each chapter is written by various contributors, covering topics including accessibility challenges faced by low literacy individuals (visual disabilities, low English proficiency), the importance of inclusive language use and its ramifications, challenges of teaching accessibility and teaching writing online, and accessibility in web design.
You can access the text through the NCSU library here.
THE CONTENT STRATEGY TOOLKIT: METHODS, GUIDELINES, AND TEMPLATES FOR GETTING CONTENT RIGHT BY MEGHAN CASEY
Described as an essential guide that contains everything you need to know about content creation and strategy, Meghan Casey’s book is a compilation of resources you can reference regarding many challenges you may face in your content management career. These resources include tables, activities, quick tips, and other sample documents. Designed to make sense of the overwhelming amount of information available online, this handbook organizes content strategy tools and insights from industry experts. This is a fantastic resource for anyone involved in content creation.
You can access the first chapter or purchase the text here.
TRANSLATION AND LOCALIZATION: A GUIDE FOR TECHNICAL AND PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATORS EDITED BY BRUCE MAYLATH & KIRK ST. AMANT
This book was written to overcome the many myths and misconceptions surrounding translation, like the commonly held belief that translation is a “secretary in the back room thumbing through a bilingual dictionary, substituting words.” Each chapter in this book was written by translators and instructors of translation who emphasize the need for language that can reach international audiences. If you’re interested in how to succeed as a technical communicator working in international settings, this is the book for you.
You can access the text through the NCSU library here.
100 THINGS EVERY DESIGNER NEEDS TO KNOW ABOUT PEOPLEBY SUSAN WEINSCHENK
The first in the series of two, Susan Weinschenk compiles a list of her favorite 100 design tips she learned from personal experience as a behavioral scientist as well as knowledge acquired from reading numerous books and research articles. This book is a great general overview of human behavior, explaining how humans see, think, decide, are motivated, and much more, and includes tips on how designers can design while understanding to help create better user experiences.
You can access the text through the NCSU library here.
Know of other good books you’d like to recommend? Comment below to share your recommendations!