Mental models: helping users understand software

The author examines the nature and styles of mental models and how users build them. She discusses several principles of user-interface design that have a bearing on the ability of users to create mental models. They are consistency, simplicity, completeness, layering of functionality, and useful feedback. The author considers the use of protocol analysis and knowledge-acquisition methods to assess users´ mental models. She examines the concept of building user models into the design of a system.<>