The Elements of User Experience is an invaluable book for all user experience enthusiasts. It is based on Garrett's conception of five "planes" that exist in planning, creating, and fulfilling optimal user experiences. These planes develop in a set order, but overlap, and include the themes of Strategy, Scope, Structure, Skeleton, and Surface. Garrett presents a very thorough and thoughtful discussion of how the planes fit together, and as a whole, work together to impact user experience. It's an extremely enlightening book, and at 189 pages, a quick read.

More info: http://www.jjg.net/elements/

Don't Make Me Think is a classic, and a must-read for all web usability practitioners. Its basic premise is that website users do not want to have to stop and think about what they have to do to complete tasks on a website; rather, the experience should be seamless. Not only will the user wish to leave the website that is hard to use or confusing, the website creator's message will not be conveyed: a lose-lose situation. To avoid this scenario, Krug presents a variety of ways to give web users the information they need efficiently and free of useless clutter. Don't make them think!

More info: http://www.sensible.com/

Information Architecture for the World Wide Web (a.k.a. "the polar bear book") is a complete guide to IA. Morville and Rosenfeld cover the gamut of topics within information architecture, and then some: classification schemes, labeling, navigation, search, strategy, design and documentation, ethics, as well as strategic considerations for large-scale IA projects. This book goes into great detail concerning all aspects of IA while providing a "big picture" view of the indespensible role IA plays in the success of web applications. I constantly refer to this text.

More info: http://oreilly.com/catalog/9780596527341/

Killer Web Content is a straightforward text that aims to have web content creators take a hard look at what they're producing and work to make it clear and simple for Web readers, who want their information quickly, and to-the-point. McGovern warns of the "smelly content" that can result from lack of updates, and states that - contrary to popular belief - content is NOT king. Rather, the reader of web content is king. His common-sense arguments throughout the book are extremely valuable: "Write for how people search." "Get linked or get lost." "Before you write, think about how your content will be classified." It's good advice!

More info: http://www.gerrymcgovern.com/killer-web-content.htm

Mobile Interaction Design is an excellent resource. Jones and Marsden have engaged in extensive research, and present many case studies involving usability methods applied to mobile devices. Early on in the text, Jones and Marsden challenge the notion that mobile interaction design is unfulfilling when compared to designing for high resolution screens. They argue that while a tiny screen size might initally seem limiting from a design perspective, imaginative ideas and innovative technology are far from scarce in this area. Moreover, opportunities for communication and collaboration using mobile devices are continually emerging.

More info: http://www.experientia.com/blog/book-mobile-interaction-design/

This podcast originates from the studios of User Interface Engineering, and consists of interviews with top usability experts such as Jakob Nielsen, Donna Maurer, and Indi Young. In addition to the interviews, there are often helpful episodes with titles such as "Applying Fitts' Law", "Robust Personas" and "The Scent of Information". Jared Spool is the primary interviewer on this podcast. It's always interesting and often entertaining.

More info: http://www.uie.com/brainsparks/audio/

Design Critique is not limited to Web usability issues; it also explores product usability and human factors. Timothy Keirnan is the host. The show includes product critiques as well as insightful interviews with user experience professionals such as Andy Budd, Kim Goodwin, and Dana Chisnell.

More info: http://www.designcritique.net/

This podcast comes from Australia and offers a wide range of pertinant topics relating to usability. Gerry Gaffney is the host, and I find his interview style to really engaging. His guests are usability gurus from all over the world (not just the U.S.) and this is refreshing. One of my favorite episodes was called "Intel Outside - an Interview with Genevieve Bell". Genevieve is a high tech anthropologist who travels the world to learn about the way various cultures use technology.

More info: http://www.uxpod.com