Product Design Reference
Design Manager Hub
  • πŸ––Hello!
  • Methods
    • πŸ”Discovery
      • Affinity Diagramming
      • Analytics Review
      • Behavioural Analytics
      • Benchmark Analysis
      • Card Sorting
      • Clickstream Analysis
      • Competitor Analysis
      • Concept Testing
      • Content Inventory
      • Contextual Inquiry
      • Context Mapping
      • Contextual User Interviews
      • Customer Journey Mapping
      • Design Brief
      • Diary Studies
      • Empathy Mapping
      • Expert Review
      • Feasibility Study
      • Field Studies
      • First Principles Thinking
      • The 5 Whys
      • Focus Groups
      • IA Research Study
      • Jobs-to-be-Done (JTBD)
      • Kick-Off Meeting
      • User Mental Models
      • Observation
      • Personas
      • Problem Statements
      • Project Brief
      • Requirements Engineering
      • Requirements Workshops
      • Stakeholder Interviews
      • Surveys
      • User Experience Mapping
      • User Flows
      • User Interviews
      • User Scenarios
    • πŸ’‘Ideation
      • Analogous Inspiration
      • Attribute Listing
      • Brainstorming
      • Co-Creation Workshops
      • Crazy Eights
      • Design Excursions
      • Design Specifications
      • Design Sprint
      • Gallery Walk
      • How Might We
      • Idea Box
      • Ideation Cards
      • Interaction Modelling
      • Mind Mapping
      • Mood Boards
      • Prototyping
      • Paper Prototyping
      • Proof-of-Concept (PoC)
      • Prioritisation Matrix
      • Question Storming
      • Random Word Association
      • Role Playing
      • Reverse Ideation
      • SCAMPER
      • SCAMPER+
      • Scenario Mapping
      • Sitemaps
      • Sketching
      • Speed Dating
      • Storyboards
      • Tree Testing
      • Use Cases
      • User Flow Diagrams
      • User Stories
      • User Story Mapping
      • Wireframing
      • What-If Scenarios
      • Worst Possible Idea
      • Vision Workshops
    • 🎯Testing
      • 5 Second Test
      • 10 Second Test
      • A/B Testing
      • Acceptance Testing
      • Beta Testing
      • Design Failure Mode & Effects Analysis (DFMEA)
      • Eye Tracking
      • Expert Review
      • First Click Testing
      • Guerrilla Testing
      • Hallway Testing
      • Heart Framework
      • Heatmaps
      • Lab Usability Testing
      • Measuring Design Success
      • Prototype Testing
      • Retrospective Testing
      • Screen Recording Analysis
      • Surveys
      • Usability Testing
      • Usability Testing Partners
      • Usability Testing Platforms
  • Laws & Principles
    • βš–οΈLaws & Principles
      • Accot-Zhai Steering Law
      • Aesthetic-Usability Effect
      • Anchoring Principle
      • Authority Principle
      • Availability Heuristic
      • Campbell's Law
      • Doherty Threshold
      • Fitts's Law
      • Fresh Start Effect
      • Gestalt Principles
        • Closure
        • Common Fate (Synchrony)
        • Common Region
        • Connectedness
        • Continuation
        • Figure/Ground
        • Focal Points
        • Parallelism
        • Past Experiences
        • Proximity
        • PrΓ€gnanz
        • Similarity
        • Symmetry (And Order)
        • Uniform Connectedness
      • Goal-Gradient Effect
      • Halo Effect
      • Hick's Law
      • Hook Model
      • Jakob's Law
      • Miller's Law
      • Occam's Razor
      • Pareto Principle
      • Parkinson's Law
      • Peak-End Rule
      • Poka-Yoke Principle
      • Postel's Law
      • Principle of Commitment and Consistency
      • Principle of Contrast
      • Principle of Least Astonishment
      • Principle of Readability
      • Principle of Repetition
      • Principle of Scale
      • Rule of Thirds
      • Rule of Three
      • Scarcity Principle
      • Serial Position Effect
      • Tesler's Law
      • Three Pillars of User Delight
      • Von Restorff Effect
      • Zeigarnik Effect
  • Resources
    • 🧰Resources
      • General
      • Books
      • Glossary
      • Education
Powered by GitBook
  1. Methods
  2. Discovery

User Mental Models

PreviousKick-Off MeetingNextObservation

Last updated 6 months ago

User mental models refer to the cognitive frameworks or structures that individuals use to understand and interpret the world around them. These models are personal constructs that shape how people perceive, reason, and make decisions. Mental models are built through experiences, knowledge, beliefs, and cultural influences. They act as filters through which individuals interpret and navigate their environment. Understanding mental models is crucial in design and user experience as it allows designers to align their products or services with users' existing mental frameworks. By considering users' mental models, designers can create intuitive interfaces, anticipate user expectations, and provide seamless experiences. Incorporating mental models in design helps bridge the gap between the system's functionality and users' mental representation, resulting in products that are easier to understand, learn, and use.

πŸ”
LogoMental Models and User Experience DesignNielsen Norman Group
LogoUser Mental Models in Product DesignUX Planet