In user experience design, if you want to go beyond visuals and move to the next level, a critical concept you’ll need to know is the user mental model, because it can help you create smooth interactions.
Definition
So what’s a user mental model?
Put simply, a user mental model refers to the way the user thinks your product/service should work. This model is formed in the user’s mind based on his knowledge, past experience or even intuition. It doesn’t need to be the same as how things truly work beneath the surface.
For instance, when you see this knob on the oven, you expect that by turning the knob left or right, the oven’s temperature will decrease or increase, this is your mental model of the knob.
Another example is payment. If you’re living in China, you’ll expect to pay by scanning a QR code using your phone or let the cashier scan the QR code on your phone, whereas If you’re living in other parts of the world, you’re more likely to expect to pay by tapping or swiping your credit card. These are your mental models for payment.
Usage
Now we know what a user mental model is, how can we tap into this concept to make our design better.
When a UI or user flow fits people’s mental model well, things work as they expect, and so they can accomplish their tasks easily and smoothly.
On the other hand, If people get stuck and can’t complete their tasks when using your product, then it often implies that there’s some inconsistency between the UI or user flow and their mental model, and you know that by conducting a usability test on your product, watching for user behaviors and gathering feedback.
By finding out the user mental model through a usability test, we’ll then be able to make the proper adjustments and remove the barriers that are stopping our users.
Final Thoughts
So next time you’re designing, think about whether the interactions you come up with are aligned with how the users think they should be. By understanding their mental model, we’ll be able to design interactions that are clear and help our users reach their goals faster.
By the way, if you want to learn more about this concept, check out the book The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman.
