What is a mental model?

Mental models are all about a user’s beliefs rather than facts. They’re based on what users know (or think they know) rather than actual facts about the way a system or product works.

Mental models influence the way users interact with your product. They take action based on the way they think the system will work, often based on past experience with similar systems. Designers should aim to create interactions in their products that assist users in creating accurate and useful mental models.