When a user moves a file from the draft folder to the final folder, does the file really move? Of course not. Internally the file system is just changing pointers. But talking about pointers would be meaningless to most users and would have no value in helping them to predict how to accomplish other actions, such as deleting a file. Instead many UIs use the familiar metaphor of a real-world filing system so that users can anticipate what will happen when they drag files around or put them in the trash.
The idea of a filing system for arranging and manipulating documents, is a conceptual model - an internal representation that the user has about how the system works.
The Holy Grail of SaaS UI Design
Determining the right conceptual models is particularly important for SaaS applications. Online attention spans are short and users are less willing to spend a lot of time learning how to use an online application then they are for on-premise applications. However, if you craft the right conceptual model for a SaaS application, then you are well on the way to designing an application that not only requires less training and support, but also will be easier to market, have higher adoption/retention rates, and be more intuitive and productive to use.
Conceptual Model vs UI
A conceptual model is not the buttons, graphics, mouse-clicks or multi-touch gestures that make up a software’s user interface. Rather it is the user’s internal representation of what they are trying to accomplish with the software, the kind of data they are manipulating, how the data is organized and their goals for interaction.
An appropriate conceptual model makes it easier for users to answer questions like:
What will happen if I click here?
or
How can I…?
While the conceptual model is distinct from the UI, the right conceptual model greatly facilities the job of designing a componentized UI that is clean, simple, coherent and predictable (i.e. what many would say is the definition of intuitive).
Cover Flow as an example
While there are many excellent examples I can think of for conceptual models applied to UI in software, one of the easiest to understand is the Cover Flow UI for browsing music on the iPod. It uses the conceptual model that people have for rummaging through album covers to find the music they want. When they find the right album cover, they turn over the album to see the individual tracks.
Cover Flow takes advantage of users’ experience with the physical world so the user can rely on their intuition to manipulate the digital world. At the same time the UI expands their conceptual model of how things work, to take advantage of new capabilities that are possible in the digital realm - e.g. scroll the song list, tap a title to play, manage podcasts.
What makes this such a clear demonstration is that there is a direct mapping between the way the system operates (the UI) and the tasks it serves (the conceptual model). Users get it and embrace it.
Developing the UI using Conceptual Models
Coming up with the right conceptual models is an essential part of the iterative development process when designing a SaaS application. For our own teams, although not a linear process, we always assess the users, define the high value scenarios, and select and test conceptual models before we proceed with defining the actual UI components or application layout. The result is a always a better application that is readily adopted by users.
Categories: SaaS, User Experience