🎮 Interactive Projects

Hands-on endeavors that invite active participation rather than passive consumption, blurring the line between creator and audience. For makers who learn best by doing.

Video Game Storytelling

by Evan Skolnick • 2014

Screenwriting's classic tools applied to games, so story and gameplay pull the same direction.

3.99

503

🎮 Game Writing 📖 Interactive Storytelling 📐 Story Structure

Video Game Storytelling 88%

Screenwriting's classic tools applied to games, so story and gameplay pull the same direction.

by Evan Skolnick 2014

3.99

503 ratings

🎮 Game Writing 📖 Interactive Storytelling 📐 Story Structure

Arduino For Dummies

by John Nussey • 2013

Make electronics that sense, move, and react, starting with a single blinking LED.

3.94

162

🧠 Microcontrollers 🔌 Physical Computing 🔧 Maker Movement

Arduino For Dummies 87%

Make electronics that sense, move, and react, starting with a single blinking LED.

by John Nussey 2013

3.94

162 ratings

🧠 Microcontrollers 🔌 Physical Computing 🔧 Maker Movement

Invent To Learn

by Sylvia Libow Martinez • 2013

How to trade direct instruction for iterative design, physical making, and real student ownership.

4.17

803

🛠️ Maker Education 📁 Project-Based Learning 📐 Constructionism

Invent To Learn 87%

How to trade direct instruction for iterative design, physical making, and real student ownership.

by Sylvia Libow Martinez 2013

4.17

803 ratings

🛠️ Maker Education 📁 Project-Based Learning 📐 Constructionism

Designing Interface Animation

by Val Head • 2016

Make your UI feel fast, smart, and alive. The motion rules for cognitive ease and 60fps performance.

4.16

🧩 Interface Animation 🎬 Motion Design 🎞️ Classical Animation

Designing Interface Animation 87%

Make your UI feel fast, smart, and alive. The motion rules for cognitive ease and 60fps performance.

by Val Head 2016

4.16

82 ratings

🧩 Interface Animation 🎬 Motion Design 🎞️ Classical Animation

The Kickstarter Handbook

by Don Steinberg • 2012

Your Kickstarter succeeds on 30 days, a video, and the crowd you build beforehand. The playbook.

3.74

133

🎯 Crowdfunding 💡 Creative Entrepreneurship 👥 Audience Building

The Kickstarter Handbook 87%

Your Kickstarter succeeds on 30 days, a video, and the crowd you build beforehand. The playbook.

by Don Steinberg 2012

3.74

133 ratings

🎯 Crowdfunding 💡 Creative Entrepreneurship 👥 Audience Building

A Game Design Vocabulary

by Anna Anthropy • 2013

The grammar of game design: how to script a back-and-forth that players lose themselves in.

3.94

134

📗 Game Design ⚙️ Game Mechanics 🧩 Game Systems

A Game Design Vocabulary 87%

The grammar of game design: how to script a back-and-forth that players lose themselves in.

by Anna Anthropy 2013

3.94

134 ratings

📗 Game Design ⚙️ Game Mechanics 🧩 Game Systems

Game Design Workshop

by Tracy Fullerton • 2008

The prototyping-first method that catches design disasters before you write a single line of code.

4.11

513

🎮 Game Design 📐 Rapid Prototyping 🔄 Iterative Design

Game Design Workshop 87%

The prototyping-first method that catches design disasters before you write a single line of code.

by Tracy Fullerton 2008

4.11

513 ratings

🎮 Game Design 📐 Rapid Prototyping 🔄 Iterative Design

Exploring Arduino

by Jeremy Blum • 2013

From a blinking LED to a web-connected robot: master Arduino's full range through hands-on projects.

4.28

281

💻 Embedded Programming 🔌 Physical Computing ⚡ Electronics Projects

Exploring Arduino 86%

From a blinking LED to a web-connected robot: master Arduino's full range through hands-on projects.

by Jeremy Blum 2013

4.28

281 ratings

💻 Embedded Programming 🔌 Physical Computing ⚡ Electronics Projects

Hertzian Tales

by Anthony Dunne • 1999

Electronic objects are behavioral scripts and portals to a hidden electromagnetic world.

4.26

125

🔮 Critical Design 📦 Poetics Of Objects 👆 Aesthetics Of Use

Hertzian Tales 86%

Electronic objects are behavioral scripts and portals to a hidden electromagnetic world.

by Anthony Dunne 1999

4.26

125 ratings

🔮 Critical Design 📦 Poetics Of Objects 👆 Aesthetics Of Use

Designing Games

by Tynan Sylvester • 2013

Build games as emotion machines: a systems guide to rules, choices, and difficulty.

4.47

517

🎮 Game Design 🧠 Player Psychology 🔄 Iterative Design

Designing Games 86%

Build games as emotion machines: a systems guide to rules, choices, and difficulty.

by Tynan Sylvester 2013

4.47

517 ratings

🎮 Game Design 🧠 Player Psychology 🔄 Iterative Design

Learn CSS in One Day and Learn It Well (Includes HTML5)

by Jamie Chan • 2015

Zero CSS to real web pages in one day: hands-on project that teaches layout and style.

4.06

142

🌐 Web Development 🖥️ Frontend Engineering 🛠️ Learn By Doing

Learn CSS in One Day and Learn It Well (Includes HTML5) Summary

Learn CSS in One Day and Learn It Well (Includes HTML5) 86%

Zero CSS to real web pages in one day: hands-on project that teaches layout and style.

by Jamie Chan 2015

4.06

142 ratings

🌐 Web Development 🖥️ Frontend Engineering 🛠️ Learn By Doing

Building Wireless Sensor Networks

by Robert Faludi • 2010

Turn Arduino and XBee radios into a self-healing sensor mesh: from two nodes to thousands.

3.82

192

📶 Wireless Networking 💻 Embedded Systems 📡 Sensor Networks

Building Wireless Sensor Networks Summary

Building Wireless Sensor Networks 86%

Turn Arduino and XBee radios into a self-healing sensor mesh: from two nodes to thousands.

by Robert Faludi 2010

3.82

192 ratings

📶 Wireless Networking 💻 Embedded Systems 📡 Sensor Networks

Python for Kids

by Jason R. Briggs • 2012

Start with a turtle that draws, end with a game you built yourself. Python for kids.

4.15

582

🐍 Python Programming 🧒 Coding For Children 🐢 Turtle Graphics

Python for Kids 86%

Start with a turtle that draws, end with a game you built yourself. Python for kids.

by Jason R. Briggs 2012

4.15

582 ratings

🐍 Python Programming 🧒 Coding For Children 🐢 Turtle Graphics

HTML5

by Mark Pilgrim • 2010

Plugins are dying: video, graphics, and storage now live in the browser itself. Here is how.

3.97

653

🌐 Web Development 💻 Frontend Development 🏷️ Semantic Markup

HTML5 86%

Plugins are dying: video, graphics, and storage now live in the browser itself. Here is how.

by Mark Pilgrim 2010

3.97

653 ratings

🌐 Web Development 💻 Frontend Development 🏷️ Semantic Markup

Information Architecture for the World Wide Web

by Peter Morville • 1998

Why most large websites feel like a maze, and the craft of making them findable.

3.93

4k+

🧱 Information Architecture 🌐 Web Design 💻 User Experience Design

Information Architecture for the World Wide Web Summary

Information Architecture for the World Wide Web 86%

Why most large websites feel like a maze, and the craft of making them findable.

by Peter Morville 1998

3.93

4k+ ratings

🧱 Information Architecture 🌐 Web Design 💻 User Experience Design

Blood, Sweat, and Pixels

by Jason Schreier • 2017

Behind the scenes of Destiny, Diablo, and Stardew Valley: chaos, crunch, and last-minute saves.

4.20

25k+

🎮 Video Game Development 🎬 Behind The Scenes 📰 Tech Journalism

Blood, Sweat, and Pixels 86%

Behind the scenes of Destiny, Diablo, and Stardew Valley: chaos, crunch, and last-minute saves.

by Jason Schreier 2017

4.20

25k+ ratings

🎮 Video Game Development 🎬 Behind The Scenes 📰 Tech Journalism

A Project Guide to UX Design

by Russ Unger • 2009

The methods and documents that carry a UX project from first requirement to final design.

3.87

2k+

🖥️ User Experience Design 🎯 User Centered Design 🔍 User Research Methods

A Project Guide to UX Design 86%

The methods and documents that carry a UX project from first requirement to final design.

by Russ Unger 2009

3.87

2k+ ratings

🖥️ User Experience Design 🎯 User Centered Design 🔍 User Research Methods

Paper Prototyping

by Carolyn Snyder • 2003

Paper screens, a colleague at the controls: find the fatal flaws while fixing them is free.

3.78

207

🎨 User Experience Design 🧪 Usability Testing ✂️ Rapid Prototyping

Paper Prototyping 86%

Paper screens, a colleague at the controls: find the fatal flaws while fixing them is free.

by Carolyn Snyder 2003

3.78

207 ratings

🎨 User Experience Design 🧪 Usability Testing ✂️ Rapid Prototyping

Level Up!

by Scott Rogers • 2010

The game design manual that puts controls, camera, and characters first, then shows you the rest.

4.09

1k+

🎮 Video Game Development 🛠️ Practical Game Design ⚙️ Game Mechanics

Level Up! 86%

The game design manual that puts controls, camera, and characters first, then shows you the rest.

by Scott Rogers 2010

4.09

1k+ ratings

🎮 Video Game Development 🛠️ Practical Game Design ⚙️ Game Mechanics

HTML5 for Web Designers

by Jeremy Keith • 2010

Ditch plugins and browser hacks: native audio, video, and responsive images arrive with HTML5.

3.98

3k+

🌐 Html5 💻 Front-End Development 🧱 Html And Css

HTML5 for Web Designers 86%

Ditch plugins and browser hacks: native audio, video, and responsive images arrive with HTML5.

by Jeremy Keith 2010

3.98

3k+ ratings

🌐 Html5 💻 Front-End Development 🧱 Html And Css

A Theory Of Fun For Game Design

by Ralph Koster • 2004

Games tap into your brain's learning circuits. The rush of fun is the moment something clicks.

3.90

3k+

🎮 Game Design 📚 Game Studies 🧠 Learning Through Games

A Theory Of Fun For Game Design 86%

Games tap into your brain's learning circuits. The rush of fun is the moment something clicks.

by Ralph Koster 2004

3.90

3k+ ratings

🎮 Game Design 📚 Game Studies 🧠 Learning Through Games

Information Is Beautiful

by David McCandless • 2001

Concept is the secret: why a simple, clever data drawing can reveal more than a supercomputer.

4.12

4k+

📊 Data Visualization 🎨 Data Art 👁️ Visual Literacy

Information Is Beautiful 86%

Concept is the secret: why a simple, clever data drawing can reveal more than a supercomputer.

by David McCandless 2001

4.12

4k+ ratings

📊 Data Visualization 🎨 Data Art 👁️ Visual Literacy

The Nature of Code

by Daniel Shiffman • 2012

Code that breathes: how to build simulations that move, think, and evolve on your screen.

4.57

502

🎨 Creative Coding 🖼️ Generative Art 🟩 Cellular Automata

The Nature of Code 86%

Code that breathes: how to build simulations that move, think, and evolve on your screen.

by Daniel Shiffman 2012

4.57

502 ratings

🎨 Creative Coding 🖼️ Generative Art 🟩 Cellular Automata

The Language of New Media

by Lev Manovich • 2001

Why a film is now a database, a screen is a control panel, and cinema became animation.

3.86

1k+

🎓 New Media Theory 💻 Digital Culture 🖥️ Software Studies

The Language of New Media 86%

Why a film is now a database, a screen is a control panel, and cinema became animation.

by Lev Manovich 2001

3.86

1k+ ratings

🎓 New Media Theory 💻 Digital Culture 🖥️ Software Studies

Without Their Permission

by Alexis Ohanian • 2013

A college project became a top-ten site. Why that path is open to everyone.

3.70

2k+

🚀 Tech Startups 🌐 Internet Culture 📖 Founder Memoir

Without Their Permission 86%

A college project became a top-ten site. Why that path is open to everyone.

by Alexis Ohanian 2013

3.70

2k+ ratings

🚀 Tech Startups 🌐 Internet Culture 📖 Founder Memoir

Designing the User Experience of Game Development Tools

by David Lightbown • 2015

Game tools are an unmeasured productivity drain. A UX method for fixing what studios overlook.

4.13

🛠️ Game Development Tools 🖼️ User Interface Design 👥 User-Centered Design

Designing the User Experience of Game Development Tools Summary

Designing the User Experience of Game Development Tools 86%

Game tools are an unmeasured productivity drain. A UX method for fixing what studios overlook.

by David Lightbown 2015

4.13

16 ratings

🛠️ Game Development Tools 🖼️ User Interface Design 👥 User-Centered Design

Intelligent IoT Projects in 7 Days

by Agus Kurniawan • 2017

Build a firefighting robot, a talking speaker, and five more connected devices in one week.

🖥️ Internet Of Things 🔌 Embedded Systems 📚 Project-Based Learning

Intelligent IoT Projects in 7 Days Summary

Intelligent IoT Projects in 7 Days 86%

Build a firefighting robot, a talking speaker, and five more connected devices in one week.

by Agus Kurniawan 2017

🖥️ Internet Of Things 🔌 Embedded Systems 📚 Project-Based Learning

The Elements of User Experience

by Jesse James Garrett • 2002

User experience has five layers. Most teams start at the top and wonder why it cracks.

4.01

4k+

🎨 User Experience Design 👤 User-Centered Design 🔄 Design Process

The Elements of User Experience 86%

User experience has five layers. Most teams start at the top and wonder why it cracks.

by Jesse James Garrett 2002

4.01

4k+ ratings

🎨 User Experience Design 👤 User-Centered Design 🔄 Design Process

Product Design for the Web

by Randy J. Hunt • 2013

Why shipping early and designing the invisible parts matters more than getting the pixels right.

3.76

278

📱 Product Design ✨ User Experience 🔄 Iterative Design

Product Design for the Web 86%

Why shipping early and designing the invisible parts matters more than getting the pixels right.

by Randy J. Hunt 2013

3.76

278 ratings

📱 Product Design ✨ User Experience 🔄 Iterative Design

Persuasive Games

by Ian Bogost • 2007

A videogame's rules are arguments. Learning to read them changes how you see every screen.

3.84

360

🎮 Game Studies 📺 Media Theory 📜 Rhetorical Theory

Persuasive Games 86%

A videogame's rules are arguments. Learning to read them changes how you see every screen.

by Ian Bogost 2007

3.84

360 ratings

🎮 Game Studies 📺 Media Theory 📜 Rhetorical Theory

A Composer's Guide to Game Music

by Winifred Phillips • 2014

Game music bends to the player. The craft, technology, and business behind interactive scores.

4.21

175

🎮 Game Music Composition 🎧 Interactive Audio 🔄 Adaptive Music

A Composer's Guide to Game Music Summary

A Composer's Guide to Game Music 86%

Game music bends to the player. The craft, technology, and business behind interactive scores.

by Winifred Phillips 2014

4.21

175 ratings

🎮 Game Music Composition 🎧 Interactive Audio 🔄 Adaptive Music

jQuery

by Earle Castledine • 2010

Why jQuery conquered the web: the selector-to-plugin path for building sites that feel like apps.

3.92

554

💻 Frontend Development 📚 Javascript Libraries 🔧 Dom Manipulation

jQuery 86%

Why jQuery conquered the web: the selector-to-plugin path for building sites that feel like apps.

by Earle Castledine 2010

3.92

554 ratings

💻 Frontend Development 📚 Javascript Libraries 🔧 Dom Manipulation

Adobe Photoshop CS6 Classroom in a Book

by Adobe Creative Team • 2012

Slideshows, zoomable images, and navigation menus: all built inside Photoshop, no code required.

4.16

316

🖥️ Web Design 📷 Digital Imaging 🎨 Web Graphics

Adobe Photoshop CS6 Classroom in a Book Summary

Adobe Photoshop CS6 Classroom in a Book 86%

Slideshows, zoomable images, and navigation menus: all built inside Photoshop, no code required.

by Adobe Creative Team 2012

4.16

316 ratings

🖥️ Web Design 📷 Digital Imaging 🎨 Web Graphics

Speculative Everything

by Anthony Dunne • 2013

Most design fixes problems. This design invents fictional worlds to test-drive better ones.

4.12

999

🧐 Design Criticism 🔮 Futures Thinking ⚙️ Technology Studies

Speculative Everything 86%

Most design fixes problems. This design invents fictional worlds to test-drive better ones.

by Anthony Dunne 2013

4.12

999 ratings

🧐 Design Criticism 🔮 Futures Thinking ⚙️ Technology Studies

Design Systems

by Alla Kholmatova • 2017

Your pattern library is not a design system. Shared language and team practices close the gap.

4.13

608

🧱 Design Systems 🖥️ Interface Design 📐 Design Principles

Design Systems 86%

Your pattern library is not a design system. Shared language and team practices close the gap.

by Alla Kholmatova 2017

4.13

608 ratings

🧱 Design Systems 🖥️ Interface Design 📐 Design Principles

Content Design

by Sarah Richards • 2017

Stop writing, start designing: a research-first way to make content that users actually need.

4.31

734

🗂️ Content Strategy ✍️ Ux Writing 🔍 User Research

Content Design 86%

Stop writing, start designing: a research-first way to make content that users actually need.

by Sarah Richards 2017

4.31

734 ratings

🗂️ Content Strategy ✍️ Ux Writing 🔍 User Research

Educational Game Design Fundamentals

by George Kalmpourtzis • 2018

Most educational games fail because they forget the play. The design framework that fixes that.

4.31

🎮 Game Design 🎓 Educational Games 🧲 Intrinsic Motivation

Educational Game Design Fundamentals Summary

Educational Game Design Fundamentals 86%

Most educational games fail because they forget the play. The design framework that fixes that.

by George Kalmpourtzis 2018

4.31

45 ratings

🎮 Game Design 🎓 Educational Games 🧲 Intrinsic Motivation

Mobile First

by Luke Wroblewski • 2011

Eighty percent less screen space forces decisions that make your product better on every device.

3.90

2k+

📱 Mobile Design 🌐 Web Design 🖌️ Ux Design

Mobile First 86%

Eighty percent less screen space forces decisions that make your product better on every device.

by Luke Wroblewski 2011

3.90

2k+ ratings

📱 Mobile Design 🌐 Web Design 🖌️ Ux Design

Filmmaking for Change

by Jon Fitzgerald • 2012

Fund, shoot, edit, and distribute documentaries that turn audiences into advocates.

3.27

🎬 Documentary Filmmaking 💰 Film Funding 📦 Film Distribution

Filmmaking for Change 86%

Fund, shoot, edit, and distribute documentaries that turn audiences into advocates.

by Jon Fitzgerald 2012

3.27

22 ratings

🎬 Documentary Filmmaking 💰 Film Funding 📦 Film Distribution

Search Patterns

by Peter Morville • 2010

Algorithms do not fix search; design does. How the patterns users follow reveal what engineers miss.

3.86

291

🏛️ Information Architecture 🖱️ Interaction Design 🔍 Findability

Search Patterns 86%

Algorithms do not fix search; design does. How the patterns users follow reveal what engineers miss.

by Peter Morville 2010

3.86

291 ratings

🏛️ Information Architecture 🖱️ Interaction Design 🔍 Findability

HTML and CSS

by Jon Duckett • 2011

HTML and CSS are the web's building blocks. This visual guide shows you how to lay them.

4.30

5k+

🌐 Web Design 🖥️ Frontend Development ⚖️ Web Standards

HTML and CSS 86%

HTML and CSS are the web's building blocks. This visual guide shows you how to lay them.

by Jon Duckett 2011

4.30

5k+ ratings

🌐 Web Design 🖥️ Frontend Development ⚖️ Web Standards

Documentary Storytelling

by Sheila Curran Bernard • 2010

From research to final cut: the craft rules for making nonfiction films that grip like fiction.

4.00

148

🎬 Documentary Filmmaking 📐 Narrative Structure 👁️ Visual Storytelling

Documentary Storytelling 86%

From research to final cut: the craft rules for making nonfiction films that grip like fiction.

by Sheila Curran Bernard 2010

4.00

148 ratings

🎬 Documentary Filmmaking 📐 Narrative Structure 👁️ Visual Storytelling

The Game Maker's Apprentice

by Jacob Habgood • 2006

Build games without writing code: a visual logic system that teaches design as you go.

3.94

148

🎮 Game Development Basics 🕹️ 2D Game Creation 🧩 Drag And Drop Coding

The Game Maker's Apprentice 86%

Build games without writing code: a visual logic system that teaches design as you go.

by Jacob Habgood 2006

3.94

148 ratings

🎮 Game Development Basics 🕹️ 2D Game Creation 🧩 Drag And Drop Coding

This Is Service Design Thinking

by Marc Stickdorn • 2010

Services often fail because no one designed them. This book fixes that.

3.98

2k+

🎨 Service Design 💡 Design Thinking 🔍 User Research

This Is Service Design Thinking 86%

Services often fail because no one designed them. This book fixes that.

by Marc Stickdorn 2010

3.98

2k+ ratings

🎨 Service Design 💡 Design Thinking 🔍 User Research

The Basics of User Experience Design

by Mads Soegaard • 2018

The one-question test for product success, and the seven factors that answer it.

3.65

193

🧠 Design Thinking ✅ Usability 🔍 User Research

The Basics of User Experience Design Summary

The Basics of User Experience Design 86%

The one-question test for product success, and the seven factors that answer it.

by Mads Soegaard 2018

3.65

193 ratings

🧠 Design Thinking ✅ Usability 🔍 User Research

Making Things Happen

by Scott Berkun • 2001

The project manager's real work: balancing opposites that can't be balanced, and delivering anyway.

3.97

5k+

🧱 Project Management 💻 Software Development 💬 Communication Skills

Making Things Happen 86%

The project manager's real work: balancing opposites that can't be balanced, and delivering anyway.

by Scott Berkun 2001

3.97

5k+ ratings

🧱 Project Management 💻 Software Development 💬 Communication Skills

Programming the Raspberry Pi

by Simon Monk • 2012

From blinking LED to autonomous rover: a hands-on guide to the Raspberry Pi and Python.

3.82

420

🖥️ Single-Board Computers 🐍 Python For Hardware 🐧 Linux Basics

Programming the Raspberry Pi 86%

From blinking LED to autonomous rover: a hands-on guide to the Raspberry Pi and Python.

by Simon Monk 2012

3.82

420 ratings

🖥️ Single-Board Computers 🐍 Python For Hardware 🐧 Linux Basics

Refactoring UI

by Adam Wathan • 2018

Why developers build ugly interfaces, and the constraint system that fixes them.

4.65

2k+

🎨 UI Design 🧩 Design Systems 📐 Visual Hierarchy

Refactoring UI 86%

Why developers build ugly interfaces, and the constraint system that fixes them.

by Adam Wathan 2018

4.65

2k+ ratings

🎨 UI Design 🧩 Design Systems 📐 Visual Hierarchy

About Face 3

by Alan Cooper • 1995

Design software around user goals, not code: a classic manual for interfaces that feel obvious.

4.07

4k+

🖱️ Interaction Design 📱 User Experience Design 👤 User Centered Design

About Face 3 86%

Design software around user goals, not code: a classic manual for interfaces that feel obvious.

by Alan Cooper 1995

4.07

4k+ ratings

🖱️ Interaction Design 📱 User Experience Design 👤 User Centered Design

The Inmates Are Running the Asylum

by Alan Cooper • 1999

Software frustrates because programmers design it, optimizing for the machine, not the mind.

3.94

3k+

🖥️ User Experience Design ↔️ Interaction Design 🧠 Human-Computer Interaction

The Inmates Are Running the Asylum Summary

The Inmates Are Running the Asylum 86%

Software frustrates because programmers design it, optimizing for the machine, not the mind.

by Alan Cooper 1999

3.94

3k+ ratings

🖥️ User Experience Design ↔️ Interaction Design 🧠 Human-Computer Interaction

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