Preface: This paper tries to make a tentative summary of what the mental model is, in order to establish a clear and operable mental model research method, so as to provide the research outputs which have direct help to the designer, and make the concept more usable in the user experience design (UXD, the same below) domain. Thanks to the great leader. Mimi MonkeyThe Review guide ~ ~ ~ Copyright Notice: reprint, please indicate the original source of the article and author information and this statement by hyperlink form
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1. Overview of mental model Concepts
Table 1: Summary of mental model definitions
Psychology
- To integrate knowledge and experience from other fields into Uxd, such as marketing to the mental model of the emotional design, the overall experience of the design has an important reference value;
- Classification can effectively embody the concept of abstract mental model and make it an object to be studied , rather than a vague concept;
- The research method of mental model with strong operability, and the output that can be aided design.
The two concepts can be completely discarded if readers can read the following to form a mental model of the mental model (that is, to understand what the mental model is).
2.1 Macro Mental models (Macro Mental model)
The presentation of the macro mental model reveals the cognitive structure and content of the user at the level of attitude and activity. The macro mental model consists of four parts (Fig 1):
Figure 1: Various components of the macro mental model and research methodology
It is to be explained that the components and outputs are not the only counterparts. For example, you can get expectations through personas, but personas also contain features other than the user's mental model.
The following will be included in the table,outside the Uxd fieldA brief introduction to the research methods, with a case study:
(1)Zmet: Collect images from target users as an analysis material, supplemented by personal in-depth interviews, to extract and portray a mental model that interprets consumer perceptions and ideas, and produces actions or decisions. Typical outputs are shown in Figure 2:
Figure 2: Consensus map research case from the new University of the World
- Introduction to the detailed Met method
- A case study of the new University of Taiwan: exploring the mental model of college students listening to MP3
(2)Mental Model Behavior Affinity Graph: A way to visualize the behavioral data of the target audience obtained from ethnographic research. As shown in Fig. 3, each part (dress, get up, etc) that is separated by the longitudinal axis above the horizontal axis is a mental space (mental spaces). Each mental space is cut into several parts. Below the horizontal axis is the product or product function corresponding to each mental module. By contrast, you can find out what your product/Product features are missing from.
Figure 3:indi Young mental model behavioral affinity map
- Introduction to behavior affinity Mapping method
- detailed Operation
- Template Downloads
(3)Experience History map (Customer journey Mapping): A method from the service design industry that tracks and depicts the experience of all segments of a user's use of a service (including encounters and emotional responses) to uncover pain points, transform them into opportunities for improvement, or experience innovation points. A typical CJM figure is shown in Figure 4:
Figure 4:CJM Map fromExperience Solutions
- Introduction to the CJM method, detailed procedures
From the above discussion, we can see that the macro mental model is mainly constructed by qualitative means, the results of which can be presented in many ways, and the focus ismacro attitudes, values and behavioral events。 The macro mental model is the foundation of the meta mental model, and it is the important reference for the designer to build the conceptual model that the user owns and to build the complete user experience.
2.2-yuan Mental model (Macro Mental models)
Wen Centi model refers to the mental model of a user who completes a specific task through the system, combiningNormanAndCooperTheory, the meta mental model can be understood by graph 5来:
Figure 5: Schematic diagram of the meta mental model
1-The user's past experience, domain knowledge and learning ability are the basis of their mental model. System from the business needs, costs (feasibility), the user needs, to determine the function. The two are communicated through human-computer interface.
2-The function of the system is presented to the user through the interface of visual and interactive design. In order to be closer to the user's mental model, designers can reduce the cost of learning by visual metaphor (metaphor), manual revelation (affordance), and in the interactive design, as much as possible to create idioms, or follow the industry's mature model.
3-Users have a certain psychological expectations, through the interface to perform operations.
4-The system gives feedback to the user's operating results
5-Feedback is used by the user to evaluate whether the results of the operation are matched with the expected and the performance of the whole process. Ta learn from it, and then adjust the mental model.
As you can see, the meta mental model describes the changes in the mental state of the user in each subtask (Task) process. The author thinks that the attention to the Meta mental model isVerify that the interface matchesUser-operational level of cognitive architecture, rather than open exploration of the user's mental model, because:
- Norman observes the mental model held by many people in different work, concludes that the mental model has the characteristics of incompleteness, limitation and unscientific. That is, the Wen Centi model of a user performing an operation may not be optimal.
- The user's Wen Centi model is the change development , the TA through the interface provides the feedback unceasingly learns, revises. Design should assume the responsibility of guiding, educating users, no learning will not be users, only the interface is not well designed.
- The Wen Centi model of different individual users has great difference .
In short, designers can make operations as close to the user's Wen Centi model as possible by understanding the user's habitual operation, but the focus is not on full pandering, but on the premise of not offendingGuideUser. There are two ways to do this effectively:
(1) Prevention-type: Adhere to the design specifications, using the industry's mature design patterns (pattern), reference to the best design sample set (top practices). Design patterns, examples are tested by the design, and because of its extensive use, is often the user experience and operating habits of the source.
(2) Remedial type: ToiterationsUsability test to solve the conflict point between visual, Interactive, copywriting and user cognition.
In this process, designers and usersat the same time correctingTheir understanding of the system representation, thus gradually reducing the gap between the two.
3. Summary
This paper attempts to sum up the definition and research methods of mental model in various fields, and then puts forward the distinction of macro/meta mental model. The macro mental model is a description of the user needs and requirements structure, which helps the designer to construct the experience process from the whole angle. The Wen Centi model describes the interaction between user and interface from the operational level, thus verifying that the interface is usable, easy to use, and easy to learn.
For example, to explore the online flower booking experience--
The main contents of the macro mental model include: the concept of the key meaning of the online purchase of flowers (convenient?) Creative? An unexpected surprise? ), demand point (fresh?) Time? , action steps (Identify the topic?) Choose flowers? Choose the package? ）；
The study of the Wen Centi model includes: When using the interface to determine the subject (or choose flowers, choose packaging), whether the task is consistent with the user's operational expectations, the user is easy and efficient to complete these tasks.
4. Appendix: Conceptual Clarity
4.1 Mental model vs Behavioral model
Mental models are often words too literally and are thought to be related only to mental activity. But the literature shows that the mental model and behavior model are not only opposite, but also contain relations. Behavior, after all, is an important vehicle for reflecting the mind. Based on this, the Mental model is better than the mental model in translating into mental models.
Who is the mental model of 4.2?
- The user's current mental model, the difference from the mental model that the designer wants the user to have
- The mental model for a single system, and the difference between the universal mental model
4.3 Mental maps vs. cognitive maps, brain maps
If we understand from the point of view of pure concept, these three are cross with each other. But from the field and its application,
4.4 Conceptual Models (conceptual model), system models (Systems model), system representations (systems image)
Alan Cooper has given new names to these concepts, such as peer-to-peer the conceptual model with the mental model, naming the system model as the implementation model (Implementation).
More to add, the author has been a mental model of the mind seriously distorted, dizzy dead here
Reference Documents
- About Face 3:the Essentials of the interaction design. Alan cooper,robert Reimann & David Cronin.
- Hidden Minds:when It comes to mining consumers ' views, we ' ve only scratched the surface. by Zaltman G.
- Mapping consumers "Mental Models with Zmet. by Glenn L, Christensen and Jerry C. Olson
- Mental Models. by Philip N. Johnson-laird
- Mental models:aligning Design strategy with Human Behavior by Indi Young
- Mental Models in human-computer interaction by John M. Carroll, Judith Reitman Olson, Nancy S. Anderson, etc.
- What "s Your idea of a Mental Model? by Scott McDaniel
- Some observation on Mental Model by Don Norman
- Design Psychology. Don Norman
: The concept of mental models was first defined by psychologists
Kenneth CraikProposed
Johnson-lairdand other people in the Mental Model"(Mental Model) in the book on the concept of a clearer description. The mental model is regarded as the psychological representation of the truth, assumption or imagination of the external reality, and once formed, it will influence the cognition and decision-making, such as replacing the careful analysis in some situations to save time and energy.
consumer behavior/ Marketing: The perception of the consumer, the attitude and emotion of the brand, the personal value of the consumer, the past consumption experience and the expectation of the consumer experience are defined as the mental model. The exploration of the mental model consists of two parts: structure and content.
UXD：
Indi YoungLast year the Mental models:aligning Design strategy with Human BehaviorIn the mental model: a match between design strategies and user behavior, the mental model is defined as "People's motivations, thinking processes, and emotional and thinking changes during the execution of actions." Young suggested that the mental model consisted of several parts, each divided into groups, and that the whole model could be represented by a series of affinity graphs of behavior (affinity diagram of behaviors).
Interface Design：
Don NormanMental model theory has the widest impact, defined as "knowledge of the concepts and behaviors that a product should have in the user's mind." This knowledge may be derived from the user's previous experience with a similar product, or as an expectation of the product's concept and behavior based on the purpose of using the product.
Alan Cooper .In "About Face" is devoted to the mental model and implementation model (Implementation models) relationship.
The mental model that is currently widely discussed in the Uxd field is concerned
Operational Level--Interactive process for users to use products
How to matchOr
Avoid mismatchesThe user's mental model. For example
NormanThe exposition of visualization, feedback, matching, Revelation (affordance),
CooperThe interpretation of metaphor (metaphor) and customary usage (idiom).
YoungThe theory of mental model is currently low in popularity but has a different perspective: By studying the user's sequence of activities,
acquisition, inductionThe user's mental model to explore the overall experience process. The mental model in the field of marketing is trying to find the one that best meets the consumer's expectations
psychological orientation of product concept。
It can be seen that the mental model is used in several contexts, but the definition has both differences and overlaps, resulting in a lot of confusion of the concept.
2. Class two mental models
Based on the above discussion, the author boldly proposed the yuan mental model and the macro mental model of the distinction, so there are three benefits:
Table 1 summarizes the definitions of mental models in different areas. Based on the theory of cognitive psychology, there are different definitions and levels of attention in different fields.
