When users are frustrated, dropping out or giving negative feedback, often the problem is that their mental models don’t match the designed systems. I’ll provide practical techniques for identifying and mapping out users’ mental models and matching these with their journeys to improve the user’s experience.
About Mariana Morris:
Mariana Morris is a user experience designer and founder of Fruto, a UX design studio, helping tech teams and start-ups improve the user experience and interface of their websites and mobile apps. Fruto also provides bespoke in-house UX training to digital teams.
Mariana has 15 years of industry experience, holds a master's in interactive media and a bachelor's in industrial design (visual communication). She is a lecturer at the University of Reading, and an experienced trainer and public speaker. She co-founded the popular monthly event UX Oxford.
3. @marianamota | Fruto.studio
What
Intro to Mental
Models
Practice
Empathise
(Understand users)
Synthesise
(map out)
Designing
Case
studies
Fixing
Your journey in this session
How
When
Why
Be able to
apply the
techniques
on Monday.
Goal
5. @marianamota | Fruto.studio
“A mental model represents
a person’s thought process
for how something works
(i.e., a person’s
understanding of the
surrounding world). (...) They
help shape actions and
behavior, influence what
people pay attention to in
complicated situations, and
define how people approach
and solve problems.”
Susan Carey
https://uxmag.com/articles/the-secret-to-desi
Mental models
6. @marianamota | Fruto.studio
“Mental models are simply
affinity diagrams of
behaviours made from
ethnographic data gathered
from audience
representatives”
Indi Young
http://boxesandarrows.com/files/banda/what
-is-your-mental/Excerpt.MentalModels.IndiYo
ung.pdf
Mental models
8. @marianamota | Fruto.studio
User’s mental models (expected journeys)
@marianamota | Fruto.studio
Get to the
train
station.
Get on
the right
train.
Get off on
the other
end.
I need to get
a train to
London.
Arrive in
London on
time.
13. @marianamota | Fruto.studio
“There's great inertia in
users' mental models:
stuff that people know
well tends to stick, even
when it's not helpful.”
Jacob Nielsen
https://www.nngroup.com/articles/mental-models/
Inertia in users’ mental models
Goal: Get cash
Photo by top by megawatts86 on Flickr.
16. @marianamota | Fruto.studio
How
1. Step back and get into users’ mind
○ Ethnographic research
○ User interviews
2. Map out how users expect the system to work
○ Mental model mapping
17. @marianamota | Fruto.studio
Empathise Synthesise Design
Ideal: User empathy before Design
Design
Frustrate
users
Empathise Synthesise Design (fix)
What usually happens: Design without
understanding users then redesign and fix.
19. @marianamota | Fruto.studio
Empathise Synthesise Design
2. Fix UX issues
(existing project)
Problem
Empathise Synthesise Design
1. Identify business opportunities and innovative solutions
(new or existing project)
Business goal
We map out mental models to...
21. @marianamota | Fruto.studio
Business reasons why we out users’ mental models
1. Increase customer retention and adoption
2. Reduce costs of redesign
3. Increase in product competitive advantage (Spot innovation
and business opportunities)
23. @marianamota | Fruto.studio
● Users are grouped by differences in behaviours and needs (not
demographics)
● Structured, but relaxed (conversation style, not a
questionnaire)
● Open non-leading questions
● Active listen
● It’s about their behaviours (not product preferences)
● Get to the root of the problem and their intentions (Ask why,
why, why,...)
User interviews to understand their mental models
26. @marianamota | Fruto.studio
“User interview” (activity 1) - 2min
(This would be done in user interviews, but to fit into the time of this session…)
Individually:
● Write down on post-it notes, the steps you take to plan a holiday:
● Trigger
● Behaviour (steps / actions) Example: Decide on the type of holiday.
● Goal
Trigger Behaviour Behaviour ...
Goal
(Book holiday)
Decide on
the type of
holiday
Look on a map
to decide areas
I haven’t been
to
Find
accomodation
Example:
27. @marianamota | Fruto.studio
● In groups of 4.
● Talk through within your group your steps you take to plan a
holiday to understand them.
● Take turns (1-min each person).
“User interview” (activity 2)- 4min
35. @marianamota | Fruto.studio
1. Map out the users’ mental models - 10min
In groups of 4.
1. Group similar behaviours keeping the order of the journey
(affinity map).
2. Label the groups by themes (“mental spaces”).
44. @marianamota | Fruto.studio
Mental model mapping & User story mapping
Mental models can also act as a road map, ensuring continuity of vision and opportunity. It can be nicely
aligned with User Story Mapping.
Image source: http://www.barryovereem.com/the-user-story-mapping-game/