Indi Young’s presentation on mental models is an interesting overview of what mental models are, how they can be useful, and the process of creating a mental model.
The highlights for me from this talk:
* Indi explains the differences between preference research (likes and dislikes), evaluative research (how an artifact fulfills it’s promise), and generative research (understanding the big picture and thinking up new ideas).
* She stresses that mental models should focus on behavior, beliefs, reactions, rather than demographics or preferences.
* She notes the importance of prioritizing the results of the mental model based on feasibility, importance to the user, and importance to the business. Clients are often overwhelmed by the mental model itself.
* Check out the presentation for some nice examples of mental models that Indi has created.
