What's a mental model and how to use it as an information radiator... Presentation for LeanUX Festival 2014, Ghent, Belgium.

1. MENTAL MODELS
AS INFORMATION RADIATORS
LEAN UX FESTIVAL
#LEANUXFEST – SEP 16, 2014
WOUTER WALGRAEVE - NASCOM

2. I AM WOUTER WALGRAEVE
HI! AND I WORK AT NASCOM IN GENK.

3. MENTAL
MODELING

4. “MENTAL MODELS ARE ESSENTIAL TOOLS
ALLOWING US TO NAVIGATE THROUGH LIFE”

5. HOW DOES A FLY LAND ON A CEILING?

6. FALLING FORWARD?
OR BACKWARDS?

7. WHAT’S THE USE
OF THE STRIPPED
PATTERN ON A
ZEBRA?

8. +
IS IT A BLACK ANIMAL WITH WHITE STRIPES OR THE OTHER WAY AROUND?

9. HOW YOU INTERACT WITH A TECHNOLOGY
IS A FUNCTION OF YOUR MENTAL MODEL
OF THAT TECHNOLOGY

10. THE MENTAL MODEL OF A
“WATCH CONTROL CENTER”

11. “ONE MINUTE AHEAD OF YOU…”

12. MENTAL MODELS INCLUDE
WHAT A PERSON THINKS IS TRUE,
NOT NECESSARILY WHAT IS ACTUALLY TRUE.

13. “SHAKE IT LIKE A
POLAROID PICTURE”
WRONG MENTAL MODELS
CAUSING TROUBLE…

14. RECOGNIZING PATTERNS
MEETING EXPECTATIONS!

15. IMAGING A MAP OF THE WORLD
5 SECONDS

19. MENTAL MODELS ARE PERSONAL

20. MY ISSUES WITH INSTALLING THIS
HI-TECH DEVICE AT MY PLACE

22. MENTAL MODELS ALLOW A PERSON
TO PREDICT THE RESULTS OF HIS ACTIONS.

24. THE ORIGIN OF THE RADIO BUTTON

25. MENTAL MODELS =
INSIGHTS, NOT KNOWLEDGE

26. A PROCESS OF LEARNING
LEARN TO RECOGNIZE PATTERNS

27. MENTAL MODELING IS…
SEARCHING FOR THE
MENTAL MODEL OF A USER

28. CREATIVITY IS…
STRETCHING THE LIMITS
OF A MENTAL MODEL

29. GESTALT
ESSENCE OR SHAPE OF
AN ENTITY’S COMPLETE FORM

31. SOME EXAMPLES
OF PRODUCT GESTALT

33. “HI, WE ARE GOOGLE.
WE’RE PRETTY SURE YOU’RE HERE TO SEARCH SOMETHING.”

40. CONCEPTUAL
MODELS

42. GESTALT
HORIZONTAL NAVIGATION THROUGH CHAPTERS,
GOING FROM EXPERIENCE TOWARDS
INFORMATION

43. GESTALT
VERTICAL NAVIGATION WITHIN A CHAPTER
FROM GENERALIST TO SPECIALIST INFORMATION

45. GESTALT
A MENTAL MODEL OF CONTENT FOR A
HEALTHCARE PROVIDER

47. GESTALT
A FLOW FOR EDITORS OF A MAGAZINE

50. GESTALT
A BRAINSTORMING SHEET FOR
INTAKE OF A PROJECT

52. GESTALT
CORE OF A CONTENT STRATEGY
+
ITS RELATION WITH THE PERSONAS

54. GESTALT
AN OBJECT WITH ITS TAXONOMY

55. BOTTOMLINE
STOP WRITING DOCUMENTS
THAT NOBODY IS GOING TO READ

56. WHERE TO START?

58. EVERYBODY CAN
SKETCH OR DRAW

60. USE WHAT YOU LEARNED IN
KINDERGARDEN

63. TONS OF BOOKS WITH EXAMPLES

65. THEY’RE NOT
BIBLES

67. MAKE THEM
FIT FOR PURPOSE

75. INFORMATION
RADIATORS

76. THE DEFINITION:
“AN INFORMATION RADIATOR IS A DISPLAY
POSTED IN A PLACE WHERE PEOPLE CAN SEE IT AS
THEY WORK OR WALK BY. IT SHOWS READERS
INFORMATION THEY CARE ABOUT WITHOUT
HAVING TO ASK ANYONE A QUESTION. THIS MEANS
MORE COMMUNICATION WITH FEWER
INTERRUPTIONS.

77. THE DEFINITION:
“AN INFORMATION RADIATOR IS A DISPLAY
POSTED IN A PLACE WHERE PEOPLE CAN SEE IT AS
THEY WORK OR WALK BY. IT SHOWS READERS
INFORMATION THEY CARE ABOUT WITHOUT
HAVING TO ASK ANYONE A QUESTION. THIS MEANS
MORE COMMUNICATION WITH FEWER
INTERRUPTIONS.

78. BLUNTLY SAID:
STOP HIDING YOUR
DELIVERABLES IN FOLDERS!

79. “WE NEED A (NEW) PIM/DAM!”
THE MISSION

80. THE DESIGN OF THE
WORKSHOPS

85. THE FINAL
RESULT

87. A TYPICAL NASCOM
WARROOM

89. TAKEAWAYS
& LEARNINGS

90. FORMAL & INFORMAL
FAST, ACCESSIBLE
CONVERSATION STARTER

92. DON’T LET IT BECOME
THE GRAVEYARD OF POSTITS

93. REQUIRES
LOTS OF COMMUNICATION
& CONVERSATION

95. REQUIRES
TRUST

97. TWITTER ME:
@WOUTERWALGRAEVE
LINKEDIN:
…/WOUTERWALGRAEVE

98. NASCOM
INFO@NASCOM.BE
@NASCOM ON TWITTER