Acknowledgments

To have the space to credit everyone who helped me on this journey to the level and extent that they deserve, I’d have to author a whole other book. Since I don’t have the page count to double the size of this book, I’d like to call out a few people¹ who were instrumental in the creation of The Art and Science of UX Design.

1 In alphabetical order within each section

My wife, Carrie Conta, for seeing the good in me, loving me unconditionally, and believing in me enough to be my partner for the rest of our days.

Our dog, Rosie, for keeping me going by providing the most emotional support a living animal could provide.

My mother and father, Christina Conta and Edward Conta, for not only instilling the values of hard work and perseverance within me but giving me the space and permission to apply those values to wherever I chose to focus.

My sister and her husband, Jennifer Conta and Tim Lam, for supporting me in all my endeavors and patiently listening to my ramblings whenever I discussed a topic in depth that I loved.

The editorial team at Pearson, for taking my raw words and ideas and forming them into a coherent, comprehensive book for you to read—Anshul Sharma, Laura Norman, Lisa Fridsma, Robyn Thomas, Rosa Wan, Scout Festa, and Tracey Croom.

My peer editors, who provided excellent, constructive feedback on the theories and structure of this book to ensure it represents a wide range of industry opinions and perspectives—Al Deliallisi, Derek Frisicchio, and John Ray.

My peers during my time at General Assembly, of whom there are too many to list fully, but a few in particular I’d like to mention for helping me grow into the designer I am today—Erin Hill, Ian Berger, James Fichera, Katherine Apelian, Mike Sanchez, Richard Park, and Tracy Michael (go Polar Bears!).

My peers in the industry, again, of whom there are too many to list fully, but several I’d like to call out for their constant unwavering faith in me and my efforts over the years—Andrew Gatto, Arushi Jaiswal, Caroline O’Toole, Celeste Rose, Haroon Ghafoori, Mark Sherrill, Max Majonis, and Sam Shapiro.

My design mentor, Jayse Lee, for helping me get my start in UX and believing in me enough to devote countless hours to my education and development.

My career mentor, Bryant Alexander, for also helping me get my start in UX and giving me the confidence to keep reaching for what I want from my career (and for his kind words in this book!).

My mentees and students, for giving me the permission to help them with their problems and the opportunity to develop the principles and exercises in this book.

All my friends who have helped me along the way and for keeping me humble and honest as we grew alongside each other, but in particular those who helped me on this journey—Kyle Gallagher, Matt Ferrando, Mike Stanton, Miles Rodriguez, and Nieves.

And finally, the Nielsen Norman Group and every other designer and institution that came before me, who have laid out the amazing frameworks this book is built from.