While designing software for professional tax preparers I used a number of UX methods, but none helped me more than Mental Modeling. The internal engineering team had lots of ambiguity around how to approach the many problems to solve. Consulting government SMEs clarified how they saw their work and the design process for us.

I came back from vacation to discover our team had presented a draft redesign to stakeholders, who were less than pleased. So we used mental models to understand each stakeholder’s concerns, context, and lens. The effect this had was amazing. The resulting presentation was so well-received we were asked to give it to the executive team. My team has used this approach over and over since.

The frameworks Indi teaches are truly remarkable. While there may be initial resistance from some managers, I believe that over time your methodologies will become standard practice in every product design process.

Mental model skylines fill a giant gap. It’s easy to jump right to designing a solution when a need is found. Instead, by focusing on interior cognition and purpose the team can design the solution in abstract of its implementation. Beginning with mental models fosters incremental change and establishes a benchmark to measure against.

The most attractive thing about this knowledge repository is that it’s not at the solution level. Many teams can use it. Unlike scenarios and research notes, it’s way more organized. It’s a visual way to see the whole picture in the data. We can grow it over time, and keep track of our innovation space.

I was designing for dispatchers of windmill mechanics. The existing dispatch system could cover huge geographical areas, but it didn’t take into account the pure stress of 12 hour shifts and working with high voltage high above the ground. The listening sessions helped me understand how the different dispatchers approach their processes and their pain points.

I joined as an ethnographer to help a Zen buddhist meditation center figure out what it takes for people feel supported. Mental models allowed us to see clear steps along an individual’s relationship with the Center, mindful moments involving pivotal steps – getting calm, ringing a bell, sitting in silence. With these, we constructed a prototype for finding spiritual peer-mentors for meditation practice.

Huge benefit to learning this method: a consistent approach, from recruiting to coding, to ensure you get empirical qualitative data.

Mental model diagrams are a quicker path to team building and team alignment.

We used mental models to determine how to categorise the vast amounts of information needed by residents, business owners, and visitors. One of the challenging issues was where to show what to do with a dead animal found on one’s lawn. We followed their mental model. Pets (dogs, cats) were part of Home section, while wild animals (raccoons, squirrels) went in the Parks section.

We made a process for learning design that incorporates experience design. Most educational organisations are stuck using bureacratic processes meant for compliance. These days, learning crosses face-to-face and digital, centering around mobile phones. To see where we could add most value, we built a mental model, mapping the work of learning designers against supports we could put in place.

I have been tasked with several technical projects at Utah State. Mental models have been essential in the planning stage to determine what functionality is the most crucial and what “would be nice.” To come back weekly and look at our initial goal has proved helpful in keeping us working in the proper direction.