Improving Information Scent
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This document discusses mental models and information scent. It defines mental models as representations of how users, designers, and systems think about a topic. Information scent is described as how associated different pieces of information are with the user's information goal. The document provides examples of links and asks how strong the information scent is for each. It suggests that improving information scent can help users more easily find relevant information.
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Improving Information Scent
- 2. Mental Information Models Scent
- 3. Stuck in a rut aka Neural networks
- 5. http://www.dreamstime.com http://support.tivo.com/
- 8. • User’s mental model similar to • Designer’s represented different than model • System (implementation) invisible model
- 9. Assumptions about people: Maximize benefits Minimize costs Minimal effort (conserve energy aka lazy)
- 10. How can you improve information scent? Associations Information scent Information goal
- 11. Online ad: User Experience Manager/Producer - Cars.com (1912) at Classified Ventures (Chicago, IL) http://bit.ly/fHAoxy How strong is the information scent of this link?
- 12. Blog post: Please make sure that, before class on Wednesday, you take some time to understand the Gestalt principles of visual perception. Also, spend some time looking at these optical illusions and paradoxes. How strong is the information scent of these links?
- 13. How strong is the information scent of each tab? How about Radar?
- 15. How about this link: What nutritional supplements help promote renal health? http://www.purina.com/dog/nece ssary-nutrients/kidney.aspx
Editor's Notes
- Automated thinking mechanisms explain why people have mental models – repeated patterns of thinking. Discuss: When does automatic thinking kick in for you? E.g. while driving. What if a new car doesn’t conform to your mental model, all of a sudden you have trouble operating it – it could be dangerous. Therefore, it’s important for systems (computer interfaces included) to conform to users’ mental models. Otherwise, they will be confusing to use, or even dangerous. i.e. medical interfaces, where doctors punch in medicine info to be delivered to patient.
- Use this and the next slide to make sure they explain the difference between the 3 types of models
- See the animations to understand the flow of ideas; Ask me if you don’t remember/understand.
- Overall, they do a great job of using regular language
- Ask if they know what “renal” means. For people who don’t understand this word, how strong is this link’s information scent?How could they increase this link’s information scent?FUNNY: Note the page URL – the website designer herself used the everyday word in her file architecture! Remind them it’s important to use words on link names that make sense to their target audience. You can call something a “feline enhancement device”, but customers call it a “cat toy.” So it’s important to talk to the users, do research, to understand their language. Card sorting is a type of research that helps with both mental models/site organization and finding names for the items in the navigation menu that are suggested by users and make sense to them.