Native Mental Model

Digital product development has increasingly become a field of overlapping philosophies, technologies, disciplines, processes and tooling. I use mental modelling to translate all kinds of complexity into understandable language and design.

Just to get everybody on the same page quickly. To convey an idea or concept. To bring clarity and make the generics specific enough to make them actionable. That’s not easy in a multi-disciplinairy field operating on the sharp edges of design, technology and market. I start to model when all else feels counterproductive. Goal: collaborative cross functional understanding.

In Dutch we call these kind of models a ‘praatplaat’. In English that roughly translated to ‘discussion canvas’. Their quality can range from simple sketches to high fidelity infographics. Depending on the reach and audience needed.

Here's a timelapse and a full (22 mins) video of the actual creation of a simple mental model using the native (design) functionality of Miro only.

Enjoy!