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Scott Berkun

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Scott Berkun is an American author and speaker. Berkun studied computer science, philosophy, and design at Carnegie Mellon University. He worked at Microsoft from 1994 to 2003 on Internet Explorer 1.0 to 5.0, Windows, MSN, and in roles including usability engineer, lead program manager, and UI design evangelist.
22 books on the list
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Hack Your Bureaucracy book cover
Hack Your Bureaucracy
Get Things Done No Matter What Your Role on Any Team
Marina Nitze, Nick Sinai - 2022-09-13
Goodreads Rating
Hack Your Bureaucracy is a practical and empowering book for anyone looking to get big things done and make a lasting impact. With years of experience taking on some of the world's most challenging bureaucracies, authors Marina Nitze and Nick Sinai teach strategies anyone can use to improve their organization through their own stories and those of fellow bureaucracy hackers. This book shows how to get started, take initiative on your own, and transform your ideas into impact using small steps to achieve big change, keeping your end goal in sight, assembling an adept team and network, and turning every opportunity into a chance for change. Whether you're just starting your first entry-level job, run the entire company, or feel trapped by your condo association bylaws, Hack Your Bureaucracy has something for you.
Scott Berkun
2022-08-18T00:54:41.000Z
I'm loving my pre-release copy of Hack Your Bureaucracy by @MarinaNitze @NickSinai. Great advice like "look between silos" and "play the newbie card." It's the kind of book that will help so many smart but frustrated people figure it all out.      source
Recommended by
Anne-Marie Slaughter
We Should Get Together book cover
We Should Get Together
The Secret to Cultivating Better Friendships
Kat Vellos - 2020-01-01
Goodreads Rating
Discover the secrets to making and maintaining stronger friendships in We Should Get Together. Author Kat Vellos addresses the modern challenges of adult friendship, from constant relocation to social media distractions. Using expert research and personal stories, this guidebook offers practical tips, suggested activities, and conversation starters to help you deepen your connections and prioritize quality friendships in your life. Perfect for anyone seeking dedicated, life-enriching friends and who wants to be that kind of friend in return.
Scott Berkun
2022-04-25T20:31:16.000Z
If adult friendships are a challenge for you no matter where you live (it's hard) - I strongly recommend @KatVellos's book We Should Get Together. It explains the patterns for why it's hard and what you can do. Your city is unlikely the main reason.      source
Sources of Power book cover
Sources of Power
How People Make Decisions (The MIT Press)
Gary A. Klein - 1999-02-26 (first published in 1998)
Goodreads Rating
This influential modern classic explores the groundbreaking new way to approach decision making. The naturalistic approach proposed by author Gary Klein views people as gaining experience that enables them to use a combination of intuition and analysis to make decisions. Through real-life stories of individuals such as pilots and chess masters, Klein illustrates how this approach can be applied under real-life constraints such as time pressure, high stakes, personal responsibility, and shifting conditions. Adopted in fields including law enforcement training and petrochemical plant operation, this book offers a fresh perspective on decision making that has transformed various industries.
Scott Berkun
2021-09-15T22:55:23.000Z
I've read many books on decision making but this one had the most powerful impact on me. For the approach he takes alone, studying front line workers making life and death decisions, it's a worthy read. Sources of Power, Gary Klein      source
Um. . . book cover
Um. . .
Slips, Stumbles, and Verbal Blunders, and What They Mean
Michael Erard - 2007-08-21
Goodreads Rating
Discover the secrets of verbal blunders in this original and surprising book. Linguist Michael Erard explains why our everyday speech is filled with errors and what they say about us. With charming examples, learn why some blunders are judged more harshly than others and why "umlessness" is prized in speaking. Essential reading for talkers and listeners alike.
Scott Berkun
2021-07-01T19:39:34.000Z
That ~12k word fact about how much people speak at day comes from this excellent book by @michaelerard      source
Extra Bold book cover
Extra Bold
A Feminist, Inclusive, Anti-racist, Nonbinary Field Guide for Graphic Designers
Ellen Lupton, Jennifer Tobias - 2021-05-11
Goodreads Rating
"Extra Bold" is a must-read career guide for anyone in the design industry. This book is unlike any other career book you have read before! It offers practical advice and explores power structures & challenges unique to the design industry. Interviews with people in various stages of their careers and biographical sketches on individuals marginalized by sexism, racism, and ableism make this book both pragmatic and inquisitive. You'll also find practical guides on everything from starting out to cover letters and mentoring. The book rethinks design principles and practices through theories of feminism, anti-racism, inclusion and nonbinary thinking. Plus, it offers new voices to the dominant design canon. Collaboratively written by a diverse team of authors with original, handcrafted illustrations that bring warmth and narrative depth to the book.
Scott Berkun
2021-06-09T15:48:22.000Z
An important book for all designers. Just finished - much wisdom and many powerful stories that deserve more attention + the book itself is beautiful and a pleasure to read cover to cover. Kudos to @ellenLupton @kaleena_sales @PAPress @thelesliexia #extrabold #design #ux      source
Chop Wood Carry Water book cover
Chop Wood Carry Water
How to Fall in Love with the Process of Becoming Great
Joshua Medcalf - 2015-12-14
Goodreads Rating
"Chop Wood Carry Water" is a captivating tale about a boy's pursuit to become a samurai warrior. Through the guidance of his wise mentor, the young protagonist learns that the biggest obstacle he must overcome is himself. This inspiring story brings the Train to be Clutch curriculum to life, enlightening readers with powerful lessons of resilience, perseverance, and self-discovery.
Scott Berkun
2021-06-01T15:55:10.000Z
This is a book that changed my life. I read it as part of a unique freshman seminar elective at @DrewUniversity called Zen and The Art of Critical Thinking. I think about ideas from this book, including the story of the title, every day.      source
Recommended by
Ben Greenfield
What Should I Do with My Life? book cover
What Should I Do with My Life?
The True Story of People Who Answered the Ultimate Question
Po Bronson - 2005-11-29 (first published in 2002)
Goodreads Rating
Discover inspiring true stories of people who have found the answer to life's biggest question: What Should I Do with My Life? Po Bronson writes with humor, empathy, and insight about individuals of all ages and backgrounds who have overcome fear and confusion to discover a larger truth about their lives. This book struck a powerful chord upon its release, causing many to rethink their priorities and find their true place in the world. The new edition includes nine additional profiles that reflect the diversity of those who followed their own path.
Scott Berkun
2021-05-05T12:51:05.000Z
Many inspiring replies here. If you’re thinking about a big change I can’t recommend @pobronson’s book What Should I Do With My Life? enough.      source
Meeting Design book cover
Meeting Design
For Managers, Makers, and Everyone
Kevin M. Hoffman - 2018-03-15
Goodreads Rating
Transform your meetings from boring to creative and from wasteful to productive with Meeting Design. This guidebook by Kevin M. Hoffman delves into design principles and innovative approaches that can help you make the most of your organization's meetings. Discover how to design meetings that will be essential to your company's success.
Scott Berkun
2021-03-25T15:19:51.000Z
Meetings are and will always be a design problem. There's even a good book by @kevinmhoffman on how to have better meetings by approaching them this way. But as much as work culture hates them, we mostly still pretend we have them figured out.      source
The Responsible Object book cover
The Responsible Object
A History of Design Ideology for the Future
Marjanne van Helvert - 2017-02-28
Goodreads Rating
Discover the history and evolution of socially responsible design in The Responsible Object. From William Morris to Victor Papanek, this book explores the Western design tradition of the past 150 years and how it has influenced contemporary sustainable design. With 20 mini-posters featuring slogans from the text, learn about the ideologies behind products and materials designed to change the course of our future.
Scott Berkun
2021-03-08T19:56:36.000Z
In research for How Design Makes The World I looked hard for a book on design as a force for progress (or not). This was the best I found. Inspiring. The Responsible Object: A History of Design Ideology for the Future, by Marjanne Van Helvert.      source
Scott Berkun
2021-02-28T18:44:10.000Z
Whenever I feel down about the fate of humanity I go back to this book. It may not work for you, but my mind finds a kind of relief, and a glimmer of hope, in gaining perspective on how bad things can be.      source
Are We Human? Notes on an Archaeology of Design by Beatriz Colomina
You Belong to the Universe by Jonathon Keats
We Learn Nothing by Tim Kreider
The Myths of Innovation by Scott Berkun
How Designers Think, Fourth Edition by Bryan Lawson
Really Useful by Joel Levy
The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien
How Buildings Learn by Stewart Brand
Why Design? by Anna Slafer
Technopoly by Neil Postman
Are Your Lights On? by Donald C. Gause
No No No No Yes -book Design Uncovered by Edited