| back to the List |
A concept, unlike a product or a feature, is abstract and intangible. I ask people to explain a concept to understand their underlying mental model, how they explain a difficult idea to themselves. Using the word “explain” here implies that there is a learning curve, a complexity that needs to be unpacked. Asking for an explanation in their own words is meant to help me see what features of the concept stand out, what metaphors, analogies, or comparisons they rely on to make sense of it.
A concept may be represented by something tangible. A designer may produce a screen or diagram to help explain the concept. But every representation of a concept is hopelessly incomplete. They might walk through the screen or diagram, but we land on this question to illuminate the entire idea behind the artifact.
In this question, the concept may be a fundamental aspect of the domain. Asking a domain expert or subject matter expert to explain a concept in their own words prompts them to add their own perspective or spin to it.
After looking at a prototype or other product representation with users, I’ll ask them this question to see what they took away from their experience with it. That is, I’m hopeful the product did a good job communicating its purpose and underlying structure. Asking user research participants to explain the concept behind the product helps me see whether the designs fully communicated these things.
This is a hard question to answer because most people in their day to day work don’t focus on underlying concepts or fundamental abstractions. We’re used to dealing with the tangible. If you’re using a prompt, you might see people focusing on the surface elements: the characteristics of the diagram or screen design.
When I’m asking about concept – rather than a product or a feature – the purpose here is to get a peek at the respondent’s mental model. Unlike asking about a product or a feature, which I might do regularly to check whether we’re aligned, asking about a concept isn’t something you can ask any time. First, it’s important that the respondent was exposed to something – an screen, a diagram, a line of questioning – that primed them to formulate the mental model. That is, the respondent needs a reason for imagining the underlying concept or structure. Second, it can be challenging for someone to articulate the description of a structure, so burdening them with this question has to be worth it.
If someone is having trouble articulating the underlying idea, you can ask about specifics, like the relationship between two entities: “How would you explain the relationship between users and groups?” If you’ve shared a tangible artifact to demonstrate the concept, you can bring it back to that and ask about purpose: “How might this feature help someone like you?”
If someone articulates the concept – whether or not they got it “right” or not – you can follow that up with a question that brings them back to specifics. For example, asking about how the screen does or does not do a good job in communicating the concept.
As you think about this concept, would you say it’s structured more like a pyramid or like a sphere?
This example uses two very distinct shapes to enable folks to compare and contrast. Your options don’t need to be shapes, but instead two distinct ways of looking at the concept. These options give respondents a starting point and help them understand the kind of insight you’re looking for.