Why do some products feel intuitive while others leave us frustrated? The answer often lies in mental models in UX research.The way people expect things to work is based on past experiences. Thinking about mental models from the start of product development, especially when working with new technology, can make or break the user experience.
InsightDash runs weekly research sprints that uncover these insights quickly and efficiently. This article breaks down why mental models matter, how to incorporate them into your process, and using the framework for decision making.
Mental models include your basic ideas of what something is or how it is supposed to work.
What are mental models?
A mental model is a framework for how people think, make decisions, and navigate new situations. Users build these models based on their past experiences, using them as shortcuts to understand new products and services.
UX research focuses on identifying and aligning with existing mental models to reduce friction and improve usability.
When there’s a gap between how a user thinks a product should work and how it actually works, confusion and frustration arise. Our job is to bring data to the party so we can decide how to shrink that gap.
In our UX research sprints we analyse mental models for 3 key things.
When do users make key choices, and how does your product fit into their thought process?
Users form assumptions based on past experiences. Understanding these expectations helps refine product interactions.
By mapping mental models, we ensure the design supports natural user behaviors instead of forcing them to adapt.
Mental models evolve constantly and are never a perfect representation of reality—but they provide a simplified guide for making research and design decisions.
How do mental models fit into product design?
We apply mental models throughout our research sprints to:
Remember the goal is to align with mental models, not reinvent them. When research aligns with existing user thinking, adoption and engagement improve significantly.
Work closely with product designers, researchers, and engineers to translate mental models into a set of design principles.These are usually called a design system. This ensures that the product feels familiar to users rather than requiring them to learn entirely new patterns.
After running usability tests, map user decision points to existing mental models. This helps identify the most challenging moments users face and where adjustments are needed.
Decision mapping helps us visualise user behaviors and recognize the core factors influencing choices. These models remain relatively stable, making them a powerful tool for long-term product strategy.
Personas often get criticized for being too broad or stereotypical, but they remain useful when combined with mental models. The key is knowing when to apply each framework for deeper insights.
Personas → Capture characteristics, behaviors, and attitudes of users.
Mental Models → Focus on decision-making processes and how users interact with a product.
No. But when backed by strong user data, they become an invaluable tool for designing intuitive, user-friendly experiences without the need for conducting expensive rounds of research
At InsightDash, we don’t just study mental models,we use them to help teams make faster, smarter product decisions. Our research sprints uncover real user behaviors, ensuring that products align with how people think and act.
Want to refine your product through rapid, data-driven research? Let’s run a sprint.
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