POP UX

Or, maybe how to learn just one factor of being a UX designer — interface designer, interaction designer, or content designer? Here in Philippines, schools or classes for designing for web or mobile or any software application for that matter is very unheard of (well for me). So it will be mostly self-learning:

• You can start with usability books by Steve Krug – but the thing with Krug’s books is that they are mostly about websites (note that websites are different from web apps). If you are into creating software applications, I guess it’s best you start with Alan Cooper’s book.
• If you think books are too expensive, and you do not have much patience of reading them. Try following designers’ blogs or even just their tweets. Creating Passionate Users blog by Kathy Sierra is a nice fun read — it’s such a waste that she stopped blogging. If you’re into eye-candy designs, you can check Smashing Magazine – from there you will find a good list of different designers who you can follow.
• Use as many software applications you can — from desktop to web to mobile and all sorts of applications. Then, observe how these applications are put up. You would notice that one application may be good at their interface design, another may be good at their workflow design, another maybe good at their content design. Just now, I notice that one thing that makes 37signals (note: I’m not a big fan of 37signals) is their content design. Their copywrite , their short instruction, their eeny weeny warning texts are simply delightful. So be mindful and observant in using applications  – from their landing page, to sign up, to their settings page.