Mental Models: Aligning Design Strategy with Human Behavior

There is no single methodology for creating the perfect product—but you can increase your odds. One of the best ways is to understand users' reasons for doing things. Mental Models gives you the tools to help you grasp, and design for, those reasons. Adaptive Path co-founder Indi Young has written a roll-up-your-sleeves book for designers, managers, and anyone else interested in making design strategic, and successful. TESTIMONIALS "Indi Young's mental models are the perfect way for your team to integrate your user's perspective into your design. Indi has written a comprehensive guide for anyone who wants to make use of this power design technique. I'll be giving this book out to all of our important clients and insisting they make it part of their process." Jared Spool, CEO & Founding Principal, User Interface Engineering "Developed over the course of more than ten years, Indi Young's common sense approach focuses on user behavior, diagrammatic representations, and the participation of all stakeholders in collaborative discovery. It is a book that designers and students, alike, will find useful." Richard Buchanan, Professor of Design, School of Design, Carnegie Mellon University "Indi Young's new book is a welcome addition, covering an aspect of the design process that is extremely important but often neglected. The book is chock-full of practical advice derived from real-world development projects, but doesn't lose sight of the broad conceptual underpinnings." Ray Valdes, Research Director, Web Services, Gartner Inc. "Indi Young gives great insight into the nuts and bolts of understanding, capturing and visualizing user needs. Her "how to" instructions provide clear guidance for teams wishing to undertake a serious effort to architect, design and develop products with the user in mind." Sara L. Beckman, Haas School of Business, University of California Berkeley