Mental Models

1. Mental models visually map user behaviors and align them with product features

Mental models embrace anything from looking up a part number online to asking the guy at the hardware store how to mix epoxy.

Visual representation of user behavior. Mental models are diagrams that visually represent how users think about and approach tasks related to a particular domain or product. They consist of a top half showing user behaviors and motivations, organized into towers and mental spaces, and a bottom half showing how existing or planned product features align with those behaviors.

Alignment reveals insights. By mapping user behaviors against product features, mental models expose gaps where user needs are unmet and opportunities for new features or improvements. They also show where current features may be misaligned with how users actually think and work. This visual alignment provides powerful insights to guide product strategy and design decisions.

Long-term strategic tool. Unlike other UX artifacts that quickly become outdated, mental models remain relevant for years as a strategic tool. They capture fundamental user behaviors and motivations that change slowly over time. Product teams can continually refer back to the mental model to guide roadmap planning, feature prioritization, and design direction as technology and business needs evolve.

2. Task-based audience segments reveal true user behaviors and motivations

Task-based audience segments are, quite simply, groups of people who do similar things.

Moving beyond demographics. Traditional audience segmentation relies on demographic factors like age, gender, or income. Task-based segmentation instead groups users based on their behaviors, goals, and motivations related to the product or domain. This reveals more meaningful distinctions in how different user groups approach tasks and what they're trying to accomplish.

Uncovering unexpected patterns. Task-based segmentation often surfaces surprising groupings that cut across typical demographic lines. For example, a teenage movie fan and a senior film critic might share similar behaviors around analyzing and discussing films, despite their demographic differences. These unexpected patterns provide richer insights for product design.

Steps to create task-based segments:

1. List distinguishing behaviors
2. Group similar behaviors
3. Name the groups based on shared traits
4. Validate segments through user interviews
5. Refine segments based on research findings

3. Non-leading interviews uncover authentic user perspectives and experiences

If you're not going to lead, you still need to stay on your toes.

Open-ended conversations. Non-leading interviews aim to understand the user's authentic perspective without imposing the interviewer's assumptions or biases. Rather than asking direct questions about specific features or workflows, the interviewer encourages users to describe their experiences in their own words. This often reveals unexpected insights about how users actually think about and approach tasks.

Active listening skills. Conducting effective non-leading interviews requires practiced active listening skills. The interviewer must pick up on subtle cues and ask thoughtful follow-up questions to draw out deeper insights. They need to resist the urge to fill silences or steer the conversation in a particular direction.

Key principles for non-leading interviews:

• Use open-ended questions (who, what, when, where, why, how)
• Avoid introducing new vocabulary or concepts
• Focus on behaviors and motivations, not preferences
• Let the user lead the conversation flow
• Dig deeper into interesting or unexpected responses

4. Analyzing transcripts identifies core tasks, philosophies, and mental spaces

You will want to have different project guides with you when you go through this process to help you evaluate things.

Collaborative analysis process. Analyzing interview transcripts to identify user tasks, philosophies, and mental spaces is a collaborative effort. Involving multiple team members and stakeholders in the process ensures diverse perspectives are considered and builds shared understanding and buy-in for the resulting model.

Identifying key elements. The analysis process involves carefully combing through transcripts to extract:

• Tasks: Specific actions users take to accomplish goals
• Philosophies: Beliefs or approaches that guide user behavior
• Mental spaces: Broader areas of focus or activity

Grouping and refining. As elements are identified, they are grouped into related clusters. These groupings are continually refined as more data is analyzed, revealing patterns and hierarchies in user behavior and thinking. The process requires careful consideration to find the right level of granularity and abstraction.

5. Building the model reveals patterns in user behavior and thought processes

Your tasks, groups, and mental spaces will also shift and evolve over time based on the decisions you make about similarities and root meanings during analysis.

Iterative construction. Building the mental model is an iterative process of arranging and rearranging tasks, towers, and mental spaces to reveal meaningful patterns. As the model takes shape, new insights often emerge, requiring adjustments to earlier groupings. This fluid process allows the true structure of user behavior to surface organically.

Visual representation. The final model visually represents user behavior as a series of towers grouped into mental spaces. This "city skyline" view provides an intuitive way to understand the landscape of user tasks and thought processes at a glance.

Key elements of the mental model diagram:

• Mental spaces: Broad areas of user focus or activity
• Towers: Groups of related tasks within a mental space
• Tasks: Individual actions or thought processes
• Horizontal line: Separates user behavior (above) from product features (below)

6. Aligning content with the mental model exposes gaps and opportunities

The first thing to look at is the obvious gaps where there is absence of content items. Your hope is that you can find a gap that you can fill pretty easily.

Gap analysis. Aligning existing product features or content with the mental model reveals areas where user needs are unmet. These gaps represent potential opportunities for new features or improvements. Conversely, areas with dense alignment may indicate over-investment in certain aspects of the product.

Opportunity identification. Beyond simple gaps, the alignment process can reveal more nuanced opportunities:

• Refining or combining existing features to better match user behavior
• Identifying synergies between seemingly unrelated user tasks
• Uncovering new potential product areas or business opportunities

Strategic prioritization. The visual nature of the aligned mental model aids in strategic discussions about product direction. It provides a shared reference point for prioritizing opportunities based on user needs, business goals, and implementation feasibility.

7. Mental models guide long-term product strategy and user-centered design

Mental models are just one tool in your toolbox.

Versatile UX tool. While powerful, mental models are most effective when used in conjunction with other UX research and design methods. They provide a high-level strategic view that complements more tactical tools like user stories, wireframes, or usability testing.

Ongoing reference. Unlike some UX artifacts that quickly become outdated, mental models remain relevant for years. Product teams can continually refer back to the model to guide decision-making as technology and business needs evolve. This provides a consistent framework for maintaining user-centeredness over time.

Cross-functional alignment. Mental models serve as a powerful tool for aligning diverse stakeholders around a shared understanding of user needs. By providing a visual representation of user behavior, they facilitate more productive conversations about product strategy across teams and disciplines.

Ways to leverage mental models:

• Guide feature prioritization and roadmap planning
• Inform information architecture and navigation design
• Identify opportunities for new products or services
• Evaluate potential pivots or expansions against user needs
• Onboard new team members to user-centered thinking

Last updated: September 11, 2024