Define 11

Conceptual Model

The conceptual model of an experience ensures that features are represented in ways that are comprehensible to users. It looks at how users are likely to engage with features as well as what concepts a user already understands based on other experiences and combines these into recommendations for curating, organizing, and naming aspects of the experience.

The conceptual model should be created near the beginning of a project and maintained as the product or service evolves. To get started on a conceptual model, a loose definition of features and user research, such as immersion or user interviews, are helpful inputs. From this, it’s possible to begin mapping what the user will already understand of the product or service, and what they will have to learn. Beyond simply capturing how the user understands the experience, the conceptual model is useful for consolidating and strengthening features, providing input for the information architecture and interaction model, and ensuring that the project team has a common language around features.