Mental Model Diagram – Cartoon

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We tend to carefully create our HTML and CSS, and meticulously place every pixel to our designs. We plan exactly where our content should be placed on a particular site.

We tend to carefully create our HTML and CSS, and meticulously place every pixel to our designs. We plan exactly where our content should be placed on a particular site. Among many other decisions we need to make, we always keep in mind to craft a great experience for all our users. But how do we know what our users really want?

One way is to understand the motivations that drive users in general. A mental model diagram can be created to do just that—to dive deeper and discover what users are trying to accomplish, and then create solutions that match.

Further Reading on SmashingMag:

In this comic, Indi and Brad introduce mental model diagrams to us and how we can use them to build better websites. You can also view a larger version of the comic here.

Feel free to share your thoughts on mental model diagrams in the comments section below.