Managing Expectations: Mental Models and User vs. Business Requirements
Does anyone read a product manual these days? If you don’t, you’re certainly not alone. As our minds increasingly adapt to the ever-expanding abundance of new technologies and information, a lot of us don’t have the mental capacity to go through a step-by-step user guide. We would rather intuitively figure out ways to learn and use whatever new product or system we invest our time in. There’s a certain expectation of how things work that we users have that guide us through the monotony of setting up new gadgets or accounts. In fact, a recent survey conducted by Allstate Protection Plans found that out of the more than 1,000 people participating in the survey have had an appliance break or stop working. Only 50% reported reading the manual (Mayank Sharma, Lifewire, 2022).
Mayank Sharma writes in a 2022 article in Lifewire,
“Interestingly, a sizable number of people prefer digital means such as YouTube (48%) and Google (47%), while many (30%) turn to the manufacturer’s website for guidance. The trend of digital-first extends to do-it-yourself repairs as well, with a majority (58%) choosing to ditch the user manual and instead look for instructions and tips on the internet.”
Humans beings will often look for solutions that match their expectations. There will always be a mental model in place that guides us through our choices. This is the challenge that UX designers are tasked with– meeting the multitude of expectations different types of users have while combing them with their business goals.
But what is a mental model? According to Yvonne Rogers, Helen Sharp and Jenny Preece, authors of Interaction Design, mental models are the combination of two types of knowledge users have:
How to interact with a system
How that system works (to a lesser extent)
(Rodgers, Sharp and Preece, 2019)
Mental models guide users through each and every technological interaction. From how to create a web store account to how to read a book. They are based purely on previous experiences with similar formats. For example, say you’re already an avid reader and you want to dive into the genre of Japanese Manga. The mental model in place will have you start reading the book from left-to-right. However, Manga is read from right-to-left, and without prior knowledge of that fact it will make for a temporarily confusing reading experience.
Manga reading instructions courtesy of TOKYOPOP
This is only one example of how an individual’s mental model doesn’t always connect with a product’s conceptual model. In the example above, the publisher, TOKYOPOP takes this into account of their design, inserting a brief, informative guide to navigating the book. In UX design, similar precautions must be considered and implemented. For instance, If a user sees an image of a product on an e-commerce site, they might naturally assume that clicking that image will take them to the listing of that product. However, if that image is static or if it links to a general page, it might very likely lead to disappointment and confusion on the user’s end.
“It’s a simple matter of interaction cost: People treat clicks like currency and they don’t spend it frivolously. They guard clicks with care and resent sites that force them to hunt for clickable items, or, even worse, waste their clicks.” writes Hoa Loranger in a 2015 Nielsen Norman Group article, “Beyond Blue Links: Making Clickable Elements Recognizable.”
In a similar vein, designers are often challenged with finding the happy medium between user requirements and business requirements. On one hand, there are the people who own the company or are investing in it. Their requirements have to do with why product or service exists and what it provides. The user requirements involve the people on the other end, trying to use that product or service and how they might go about it. Each will have similar and different expectations, and it is the UX designer’s job to find solutions that bridge the gap, and connect the two.
Often times, the stakeholders on the business side will have a very clear understanding of what they are providing, but users do not how the benefit of their expertise, and need the concepts explained to them in a simple and digestible way. Think back to those user manuals. They are a great example of the business requirements being met, but falling short on the user’s end. Designers must find creative ways to guide users’ understanding of the product. They might do this through how-to videos, FAQ’s, customer service chats, and more.
The example below from Zoom illustrates how companies do just that. They produced a quick and simple how-to video, taking users through the process of setting up a Zoom Rooms Huddle Kit.
Finding the point where expectations meet reality is the near-impossible task that UX designers face in their day-to-day. However, when we manage to find that point, it directly impacts the success of everyone involved, from business to marketers to users, and designers themselves.
Works Cited:
Loranger, Hoa. "Beyond Blue Links: Making Clickable Elements Recognizable." Nielsen Norman Group. March 8, 2015. https://www.nngroup.com/articles/clickable-elements/.
Sharma, Mayank. "You’re Not Alone If You Don’t Read User Manuals." Lifewire. May 20, 2022. https://www.lifewire.com/youre-not-alone-if-you-dont-read-user-manuals-5295724.
Sharp, Helen, Preece, Jenny, and Yvonne Rodgers. 2019. Interaction Design: Beyond Human-Computer Interaction. Wiley.
"How to Set up the Zoom Rooms Huddle Kit." Zoom. June 4, 2018. Video, https://youtu.be/UzBWsYlpiqY.