Example – iTunes Interface

Before iTunes, most users on personal computers stored music as files. It was organized by name or by size and sat in a folder. A user’s mental model for music is an artists who makes albums composed of songs. The experience of navigating a music library on a computer was completely different from what the real world experience was. The iTunes interface organizes a collection similar to a physical collection. This also provides greater user control and freedom.

Violating Example – Parking Meters

A user’s mental model of paying for parking is to pay for as long as he is parked for. Normal parking meters need to be paid in advance and only accept payment in discrete units. This leads to polling trips to “feed the meter” if a user spends more than estimated time at some place.

Possible Solution

The solution could be a post-pay parking system linked to your drivers’ license. A simgle parking meters servers multiple spots. The driver gets out of the car, selects his parking space and swipes his driving licesnse. To check, a police person can just walk up to the meter and see which parking spots are paid for. At the end of the month, the driver receives a cumulative bill