Mental Models
People arrive with an idea of how your product works, and they judge it against that idea.
What it is
Everyone brings expectations formed by the products they already use. When your interface matches those expectations it feels intuitive; when it breaks them it feels broken, even if it is technically better. Meet the model where you can, and teach the difference explicitly where you cannot.
The research
Users' errors with everyday devices are largely explained by mismatches between the designer's conceptual model and the user's mental model of how the thing works.
Norman, 1988
How to use it
Copy the leader's patterns
If your customers live in Shopify or HubSpot, borrow their layouts for the equivalent screens.
Name things what people call them
Use the words from customer calls, not the words from the product roadmap.
Bridge the gap when you must differ
A one-line explainer at the point of surprise prevents a support ticket later.
Related
Sources that shaped this entry: growth.design.