Mental model mapping
Indi Young's famous book from 2008 showed a visual way to represent mental models. In Mental Models, she described the full process of mental model mapping. In the nine years that followed, our methods and even the terminology changed. Our understanding of mental models is much broader, but still, that book is the gold standard of the mental model mapping for large scale projects.
A mental model map is the visual summary of all research we did to understand the user's mind. I prefer to base mental model maps on a longitudinal research, with at least two interviews, before and after the logging period. The mental model map helps us to find new ways to support the users in different mental spaces, thus creating new solutions. It's a real idea-machine.
Analyzing longitudinal research
A mental model map is a really powerful tool, and as the cliché goes, with great power comes great responsibility. I need to mention the ethics of modeling the mind, especially with the intent...
