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- What is a user mental model?
- Why mental models are important in interface design?
- What are mental models in HCI?
- Why are mental models important?
What is a user mental model?
A user's mental model is a conceptualization or internal explanation each user has built about how a particular system works. As Norman says (1990), it is a natural human response to an unfamiliar situation to begin building an explanatory model a piece at a time.
Why mental models are important in interface design?
Understanding users' mental models is important in interface design because it helps designers empathize with how their audience expects things to work. This gives useful hints for designers to build experiences and interfaces that are intuitive, predictable, and therefore highly usable for their audience.
What are mental models in HCI?
Mental models play an important role in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and interaction design. They relate to the way that a user perceives the world around them and are based in belief as opposed to being a factual concept.
Why are mental models important?
A mental model is an interrelated set of beliefs that shape how a person forms expectations for the future and understands the way the world works. Mental models can shape how an individual thinks about or understands how something or someone does, can, or should function in the world.
