When comparing About Face: The Essentials of Interaction Design vs Digital Design Essentials, the Slant community recommends About Face: The Essentials of Interaction Design for most people. In the question“What are the best books to read on user experience and design?” About Face: The Essentials of Interaction Design is ranked 6th while Digital Design Essentials is ranked 8th. The most important reason people chose About Face: The Essentials of Interaction Design is:
The first edition of About Face was published in 1995, and has been referenced in a variety of work since then. It's in-depth coverage of of interaction design make it a well known reference book in the industry. The author, [Alan Cooper](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Cooper), is a pioneer of interaction design.
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Well known book and author
The first edition of About Face was published in 1995, and has been referenced in a variety of work since then. It's in-depth coverage of of interaction design make it a well known reference book in the industry.
The author, Alan Cooper, is a pioneer of interaction design.
Pro Comprehensive guide
About Face takes an in-depth look at a breadth of topics relevant to interaction design. It covers everything from personal development and psychology to methods and further resources.
It's a large book at 720 pages for the fourth edition, and packed with information.
Pro Great as a reference
This book works as a great reference for explaining design decisions to clients or coworkers, as both explanations and examples are provided.
Pro Each topic includes a case study
Multiple case studies (over 100) are provided throughout the book to demonstrate the theory discussed.
Cons
Con Terrible binding
The fourth edition has had an issue with binding quality. There has been many reports of the book falling apart when opened or after a very short period of time.
Con Use of pseudo-terms
Con Basic overview of web design
This book is most beneficial for beginners just starting out with web design and UX as it's not a resource with much depth. Someone with an understanding of design essentials may find this book fairly repetitive and common sense.