Mental models

Mental models are how people think a system or process should work. This is normally based on their past experiences of using a similar system or knowledge they might have gained in an academic or professional context.

Thinking about mental models in user research helps you understand user expectations, and then either align the service design with those expectations or ensure that what the user interacts with helps them overcome the disconnect.

When the way a service works matches someone’s expectations of how it should work (or fits their mental model, in other words) they will feel more confident and in control while using it. Even if they have not used it before, they can use their mental model to work it out.

When something does not match a user’s mental model, it can cause confusion, even if the service is ‘technically’ correct. When it comes to designing and building services, we need to remember that there is frequently going to be a mismatch between our design and the behaviour of the end user.

This frequently happens when we forget that we have our own mental models. People on design teams are generally more ‘tech savvy’ than the average end user, and we can often underestimate the extent to which our experience makes it easy to interact with different services.

However, users often surprise us by finding shortcuts, workarounds, and innovative ways to complete tasks – what the designer might think is a ‘mistake’ could actually be a better way of doing things.

Thinking about mental models in user research also enables us to avoid hidden complexities or not be ‘too innovative’ by creating something totally new every time. Sometimes, things work for a reason, and it can be very difficult to break habits that users have formed through interacting with many other websites and digital services. Familiarity helps people feel comfortable and confident.

When we conduct usability testing and users encounter problems with the service, we have two options:

• we can change the design of the service to fit better with user expectations and the way they naturally interact with it
• we can try to ‘improve’ their mental model so that they can interact with the service the way it is designed.

During user research, we can identify areas where users need more detailed instructions or demonstrations.

Providing instructions to users is one of the best ways to ‘improve’ their mental model, but, as we learned in the previous step, you also need to ensure that you do not overwhelm users with lots of new information, as learning requires a significant amount of cognitive effort.

Task

Take a moment to reflect on your perception of your own mental models.

For example, think about the assumptions and expectations you bring to online learning. Before you started this course, what did you imagine it would be like?

Now consider your experience so far. Has anything about the content, structure, or activities surprised you? In what ways has this course confirmed or challenged the way you think online learning works?

Has this affected your mental model of online learning?