Mental Models allow users to apply previous knowledge of how to use systems, to the enable them to effectively use a system without difficulty. Tourism Destination Models are not well-known, high used models that can be understood easily. This is essentially the challenge of the project. The audience is broad, ranging from the general public, to stake holders, to businesses etc. However, there is a basic type of mental model which is applied. This involves data input and output. The destination model is known to produce possible outcomes and different sets of data, there-fore users would have a basic understanding that when they are required to select certain variables or effect change to the data-sets/graphs, they will attain different sets of outcomes. People would derive this sort of thinking from simple maths equations (1+1=2) or systems such as Microsoft Excel, where equations can be used to generate information. Without this basic mental model a person would navigate through the model with no reference as to what on earth it was producing.
In terms of interaction, my particular model is quite a unique approach. It requires the user to select up to 3 model runs to view and/or compare. Each model run (or graph may or may not have appropriate depth depending on the data and every run changes according to the information selected. Since there are very limited amount of mental models that have been made to accommodate data such as this, it was appropriate to begin investigating different approaches and ways of communicating the information.
If a users previous skills and experiences however are extremely limited, this requires the system to have adequate training and help facilities. This aspect of the Ningaloo Model does have its flaws, as their are only small amounts of information help buttons available.
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