The cognitive Model

Our behaviours and thoughts when we interact with a device and our decisions with respect to relevent map-based tasks such as navigating, can form a visual model in our brain. This model helps us to predict how we are going to perform on a system or device. This simplified representation of reality contains the information and thoughts about the functions, capabilities and limitations of any device as we interact with in our minds.

"This memory is the mental peice of scrap paper we use as we complete our goals"

(Mobile Interaction Design, Matt Jones & Gary Marsden p.92)

navigation is merely telling you to go i.e BACK/FOWARD, NEXT/PREVIOUS when navigating around any new device, the users needs to be told how to do this, what they are expected to do, what the limitations are and mostly importantly what to do.
This makes up the model that the user has in their head when they are NOT using your device.
This can be shown in an everyday scenario below:

"Think about showing up at an exotic restaurant without knowing anything about the cuisine. What should you wear? How do you order? How do you pronounce it? What's good? Where's the bathroom? And what's it all going to cost?"

This scenario was taken from ('Recipe for a successful Website' Nathan Shedroff p.6)

It explains the situation from a users point of view. If this user who went into the restaurant and asked these continous questions, obviously they will become extremely fustrated, and more than likely not stay for long, and probably wont come back. If this is alternatively successful, then before you decide where to eat next this postive thought of that restaurant will remain in your head, and your more than likely go back for some more.
And it works that exactly the same are users interact with your device, if their user experiences are good they will use it again, if not they will find another device which is much more understandable, and with less questions.

So if my device and interface is going to 'User friendly' simple to understand and doesnt ask many questions for the user to work then their thoughts of my device and interface will be positive during and out of interaction time. Their confidence and understanding of the device will be extremly high if i help the user during interaction. As Shedroff mentioned it needs to tell them what to do, how to do it and where to do it, all of these helping aspects should contribute to my device being successful during use and when not in use.

This is a model from http://www.longleaf.net/ggrow/StrategicReader/StratModel.html



AH HA a successful cognitive model is created, easy hey? I am sure to find out!