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IFD:Course Interaction Design (view source)
Revision as of 11:46, 26 February 2011
, 26 February 2011→Basics of Psychology
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A "good" mental model maintains - despite of the reduction of the real thing - the things that are relevant for the way we deal with the thing the mental model represents. | A "good" mental model maintains - despite of the reduction of the real thing - the things that are relevant for the way we deal with the thing the mental model represents. | ||
Lets take an example: The mental model about what the depicted controls do is the same for the most people. The mental model derives from the way the controls looks like and which effect turning them will have. | Lets take an example: The mental model about what the depicted controls do is the same for the most people. The mental model derives from the way the controls looks like and which effect turning them will have. Turning them more makes the room eventually hotter. Because they are turned we suspect a kind of valve working behind of them: turn more increases some kind of opening that allows more heat to flow through. | ||
Because both controls look almost the same it is absolutely no wonder that we assume they work the same way. But they differ. The first one is really a valve and you really can regulate how far it is opened. The second one though is a thermostat. It works in a different way: The user sets a temperature. The heat begins to flow. If the pre-set temperature is reached it stops, if the temperature is lower it starts again. | Because both controls look almost the same it is absolutely no wonder that we assume they work the same way. But they differ. The first one is really a valve and you really can regulate how far it is opened. The second one though is a thermostat. It works in a different way: The user sets a temperature. The heat begins to flow. If the pre-set temperature is reached it stops, if the temperature is lower it starts again. | ||
The mental model breaks if you want to use a thermostat to seed up the heating process. This often causes burned food as an oven has a thermostat too. So if you are hungry and want to get the pizza fast and you think "I just turn the knob a lot"... well, it does nothing except turning your food into a black-charcoal like whatsoever. | The mental model breaks if you want to use a thermostat to seed up the heating process. This often causes burned food as an oven has a thermostat too. So if you are hungry and want to get the pizza fast and you think "I just turn the knob a lot"... well, it does nothing except turning your food into a black-charcoal-like whatsoever. | ||
If you are the engineer who build these systems it is totally clear for you how they work. As well it will be often the case that your mental model is differs from the one the users have. This itself is nothing to worry about and it happens all the time. But even if you are very clever you just can spot the problems that it can cause if you test your ideas with your users and see if they act like you intended. | If you are the engineer who build these systems it is totally clear for you how they work. As well it will be often the case that your mental model is differs from the one the users have. This itself is nothing to worry about and it happens all the time. But even if you are very clever you just can spot the problems that it can cause if you test your ideas with your users and see if they act like you intended. | ||