Implementation Models and Mental Models Chapter 2 from “About Face 3: The Essentials of Interaction Design” by Alan Cooper, Robert Reimann, David Cronin 2007 Daniil Sorokin daniil.sorokin@student.uni-tuebingen.de Universität Tübingen June 20, 25 2012 Design and Evaluation of Linguistic Visualizations SS 2012 Chris Culy Outline 1 Implementation Models 2 Mental Models 3 Examples of Implementation and Mental Models 4 Represented Models 5 How these models are related 6 Software 7 Representation for new Technologies Outline 1 Implementation Models 2 Mental Models 3 Examples of Implementation and Mental Models 4 Represented Models 5 How these models are related 6 Software 7 Representation for new Technologies 1 Implementation Models 2 Mental Models 3 Examples of Implementation and Mental Models ATM Projector 4 Represented Models 5 How these models are related 6 Software Examples Photoshop Network drive Dropbox Software design problem File System Mathematical thinking 7 Representation for new Technologies Calendar Adaptation 8 Summary Implementation Models Implementation Model (or System Model) is a representation of how a machine or a program actually works. It can be a scheme, description, pseudocode, etc. 1 Implementation Models 2 Mental Models 3 Examples of Implementation and Mental Models ATM Projector 4 Represented Models 5 How these models are related 6 Software Examples Photoshop Network drive Dropbox Software design problem File System Mathematical thinking 7 Representation for new Technologies Calendar Adaptation 8 Summary Mental Models Mental Model (or Conceptual Model) is our explanation of how things work. Mental Models can be the same as the Implementation Model, if it is easier for us to imagine all the actions the way they actually performed. It is not always possible and needed. Mental Model is an explanation which is sufficient for us to comfortably use a tool. 1 Implementation Models 2 Mental Models 3 Examples of Implementation and Mental Models ATM Projector 4 Represented Models 5 How these models are related 6 Software Examples Photoshop Network drive Dropbox Software design problem File System Mathematical thinking 7 Representation for new Technologies Calendar Adaptation 8 Summary ATM Example Implementation Mental Concept Projector Example Projector Example Note It is also mentioned that the distance between the Implementation Model and the Mental Model is bigger when the things are more complicated and it is impossible to understand how they function. So it is unclear what our Mental Models are based on. 1 Implementation Models 2 Mental Models 3 Examples of Implementation and Mental Models ATM Projector 4 Represented Models 5 How these models are related 6 Software Examples Photoshop Network drive Dropbox Software design problem File System Mathematical thinking 7 Representation for new Technologies Calendar Adaptation 8 Summary Represented Models Represented Model (also Designer’s Model) – the way the designer chooses to represent a program’s functioning to the user. The term appears only in software because the implementation is usually extremely complicated and because we are able to create the model that doesn’t necessary reflects the way the program works. 1 Implementation Models 2 Mental Models 3 Examples of Implementation and Mental Models ATM Projector 4 Represented Models 5 How these models are related 6 Software Examples Photoshop Network drive Dropbox Software design problem File System Mathematical thinking 7 Representation for new Technologies Calendar Adaptation 8 Summary Relations between Models 1 Implementation Models 2 Mental Models 3 Examples of Implementation and Mental Models ATM Projector 4 Represented Models 5 How these models are related 6 Software Examples Photoshop Network drive Dropbox Software design problem File System Mathematical thinking 7 Representation for new Technologies Calendar Adaptation 8 Summary Photoshop example Implementation Model – numeric color date. Mental Model – the look of the image. Network drive example Dropbox example Problem Most Software conforms to Implementation Models. Because it is easier to design such a software. And because a lot of software is designed by engineers. Conforming to Implementation Model example Recall the network drive example. Drag and Drop usually moves a file from one location to another. Although if a user performs Drag and Drop between two different drives the file will be copied rather than moved. It follows directly from the Implementation Model of the file system. Such a behaviour can cause a cognitive dissonance. File System example It turns out that the file system of modern operating systems itself is also the Represented Model. And not very good one, because it tries to represent the Implementation Model. One of the issues: Programs are stored together with files. Windows solution Mac solution Other solutions – iOS model iOS functions without showing the file system to a user. Other solutions – iOS model Other solutions Android Windows Phone Other solutions – Windows 8 Mathematical thinking Mathematical thinking leads to implementation model interfaces. Boolean logic: The operations AND and OR are usually interpreted as opposite. Example: Find employees in Arizona AND Texas Find employees in Arizona OR Texas 1 Implementation Models 2 Mental Models 3 Examples of Implementation and Mental Models ATM Projector 4 Represented Models 5 How these models are related 6 Software Examples Photoshop Network drive Dropbox Software design problem File System Mathematical thinking 7 Representation for new Technologies Calendar Adaptation 8 Summary New Technologies We tend to use old representations in new environments. New Technologies We tend to use old representations in new environments. Sometimes representations from the Mechanical-Age limit new Information- Age representations. Calendar example Calendar example Note People don’t find it difficult to adapt to newer, more useful representations of familiar systems. However it is so only if they are motivated to do it and it is not what has happened to calendars. Adaptation example Adaptation example Adaptation example 1 Implementation Models 2 Mental Models 3 Examples of Implementation and Mental Models ATM Projector 4 Represented Models 5 How these models are related 6 Software Examples Photoshop Network drive Dropbox Software design problem File System Mathematical thinking 7 Representation for new Technologies Calendar Adaptation 8 Summary Summary • Implementation Models and Mental Models Summary • Implementation Models and Mental Models • Designers create Represented Models Summary • Implementation Models and Mental Models • Designers create Represented Models • Old representations versus new Representations. Summary • Implementation Models and Mental Models • Designers create Represented Models • Old representations versus new Representations. • Represented Models (Computers) allow us to put simple face on complicated things.
