
Mental models for designers (2019) - sturza
https://dropbox.design/article/mental-models-for-designers
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sokoloff
I really enjoyed the article and find several of the models quite useful.

However, I think the Diamond model can be over-used. It’s often the right
model when you need to _explore_ a topic or _persuade_ a group to your vision
or line of thinking. It’s perhaps not the best model for effective decision-
making though. When the time comes to make a crisp decision, I want to see the
recommendation framed up in the first section. If I’m reading a recommendation
that we implement policy X, I want to know in the first paragraph (or two,
max) that’s what this document is about, what the author’s recommendation is,
and then see why and what alternatives where explored. I _specifically do not
want_ to read any story about the history, the existential problem, or why we
need this policy before I know the recommendation. All that material that may
have been important at kickoff is now relegated to supporting points in the
middle, to an appendix, or removed entirely.

I read way too many “we need a decision here” documents that flow like murder
mysteries.

Bottom Line Up Front for some topics, please.

~~~
pcmaffey
Begin with your thesis. This applies to just about all writing /
communication. There needs to be a very good reason to deviate from this.

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kreck
I like that this article is very clear, visual and to the point. From my
experience those exact same approaches/models are very useful throughout many
situations in business, not only for designers. Consider e.g. sales where you
also need to

\- show (the customer) how to solve the problem (he/or she has)

\- create a clear decision framework (and get the customer on board)

\- craft a narrative around our solution

to succeed. There you also need your problem solving skills, a model for
decision making and a way to communicate in a way that reaches and convinces
your audience.

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jvanderbot
Well, at this point, screaming about these not being mental models is about as
useful as complaining about re-posted imagery not being actual "memes." (In
the original sense of the word meme).

A mental model is something you use to make predictions so that you don't have
to store all the nuances of a system in memory. It's a reduced-entropy
representation of a phenomena of the universe that you have to interact with.
It's a simple oracle. Newtonian gravity is a mental model.

These are recipes and formalized guidance, i.e., wisdom, for dissecting
problems and presenting solutions. These are algorithms.

If you believe these will work, you have a mental model of the world that you
have checked to verify these steps. The model that the author has of readers
is that they will enjoy this post.

~~~
dandigangi
Slightly confused if you don't mind clarifying. Are you saying that what a
mental model actually is isn't correct in how this article uses them?

~~~
jvanderbot
Yes. A model takes input, runs a process, and provides output. It's a model
because it is simpler than the real process, but provides reasonable
approximations. Newtonian Physics is a model of physical interaction from
gravity and mass.

A mental model is an internal construct the mind uses to represent parts of
the world. You have a mental model of your body. You have a mental model of
how physics works. You have a mental model of how your friends would react to
certain situations. etc. A model says "If the world is in this state, then the
next state is this one."

Wisdom, or aphorisms, are things that are taught to people which are shorthand
for solutions to complicated situations. They are algorithms. They say "These
are the answers to problems that you might encounter". Sometimes, they provide
guidance. They are heuristics. This article should be "Polya-like heuristics
for designers"

You would teach someone a mental model like this: "Think of a person as a
robot programmed to reproduce and eat". This allows you to draw conclusions by
querying your model of a robot and applying that to the person. You could
predict how the person would make decisions. It might be wise to do that or
not.

You would teach someone wisdom or an aphorism like this: "If you encounter a
hard problem, break it down into sub problems". True, there is potentially a
model there: All problems are just collections of subproblems, but that's
something you have to build up by following the guidance. It doesn't actually
give you a model, it prods you to build one ... if necessary.

The article does not provide any models, it only suggests steps to break down
problems or communicate solutions. You, the reader, are using your internal
mental models of the world to see if the stuff you are being suggested
actually makes sense. If you start crafting new models, it is not because this
article contains any of them.

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dandigangi
Great writeup. Think I found this one on HN the other day also:
[https://untools.co](https://untools.co)

I find these very helpful as a manager. Highly advised read even if you're not
a designer for this Dropbox one. The Untools ones as an engineer, manager, or
almost anything really. The focus is decision making, problem solving, and big
picture thinking.

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neatze
Relevant: [https://untools.co/](https://untools.co/)

