How to Use Mental Models in UX Design?
- User Research: Engage in extensive research to learn about the existing mental models which are associated with the product or service by the users that are interested in it.
- Persona Development: Develop user personas based on collected datasets using their goals, patterns, and understanding models.
- Information Architecture: Develop information structures and navigation patterns that meet users’ cognitive behavior, letting them quickly locate what they are looking for.
- Prototyping and Testing: Perform prototyping and user testing to see whether the design corresponds to the users’ mental model and meeting their needs as better as possible.
- Iterative Design: Continue the iteration and refinement of the design in accordance with the user feedback so as to maintain the balance with the users’ mental models consistently.
How to Use Mental Models in UX Design?
Mental models come into play while designers come up with concepts of User Interface (UI) and User Experience (UX). Mental models refer to the cognitive structures or representations that people build to make sense of the world, comprehend it, and function well within it. The mental models regarding UX design play a crucial role when designing interfaces and interactions. They are essentially the shortcut by which one will make the connections between the existing concepts and the ones that are still unknown.
Table of Content
- What are Mental Models?
- Types of Mental Models
- How to Use Mental Models in UX Design?
- Why are Mental Models Important?
- Uses of Mental Models in UX Design
- Examples of Mental Models
- Conclusion