DesignOfEverydayThings - Conceptual Models

• A conceptual model is an explanation, usually highly simplified, of how something works.
• Ex. There are folders in screen, but it doesn't means there is really a folder in disk
• Ex. User browse data in PC and think it's a data in PC, but data is in cloud actually.
• Ex. User browse a page and think there is a real page, but it's runtime generated
  
• A product has many kinds of conceptual models
• Ex. User's conceptual model
  
• Ex. Advanced driver's conceptual model
  
• Ex. Engineer's conceptual model
  
• Ex. Designer's conceptual model
  
• Conceptual models are often inferred from the device itself. Some models are passed on from person to person. Some come from manuals.
• Some conceptual models come from experience, so wrong conceptual models let devices hard to use
• How things work come from user perceived structure
• Signifier
• Affordance
• Mappings
• Ex. Scissors
  
• The number of actions are limited
• Holes for putting something into
• Only fit for finger(s)
• Only accept possible fingers
• Only one thing can do after putting fingers
• Actions are visible
• Anti-Ex. Digital Watch
  
• Many buttons, unable to know conceptual models
• Not visible, need read manual
• Sometimes click longer time, sometimes need press more than one button at the same time
• Conceptual models provide a way to predicate what things will going to behave and what will not happen
• A bad conceptual model let user can only try to remember what will happen in every actions
• Anti-Ex. Freezer control. It shows deepfreeze and fresh food are separated when it's not.
  It may provided wrong conceptual model when freezer may affect refrigerator