Mental model

Mental Model

A mental model is how people expect something to work based on their past experiences. For example, when someone visits a website, they assume the shopping cart will be in the top right corner because they’ve seen it there before. If a product matches users’ mental models, they find it easier to use without needing to learn something new.

Why it’s important for your business

If a product doesn’t match what users expect, they’ll get confused and frustrated. Designing with mental models in mind makes navigation smoother, reduces mistakes, and improves customer satisfaction. The closer a product aligns with what users already know, the faster they can use it confidently.

Examples

1. E-commerce: An online store places the "Buy Now" button near the product image because that’s where shoppers expect it.
2. Finance: A banking app uses a "hamburger" menu (three horizontal lines) for navigation since users are familiar with this symbol for accessing more options.
3. Travel-Tech: A flight booking site shows departure and return dates side by side, following the mental model of a traditional paper ticket.

By designing for existing mental models, businesses make their products feel intuitive, leading to a better user experience and fewer drop-offs.

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