Reimagining Digital Space: Leveraging Mental Images To Aid Users’ Navigation Within Complex Digital Spaces

Digital spaces never remain static. Instead, they continually evolve to cater to the various needs and desires of users. The expansion of tools has provided users with new options and abilities within digital spaces. However, increased complexity often intensifies users' cognitive burdens, especially those who are not proficient at using digital services. As a result, users often struggle to understand digital spaces' information structures, making it challenging for them to navigate through digital environments.

In this thesis, I explore ways of leveraging design to help users envision concrete mental images of digital spaces that facilitate the building of meaningful mental models, which aids their understanding of service structures and navigation of complex digital environments.

Based on Kevin Lynch's 'The Image of the City,' my research investigates theories and processes related to environmental imaging and applies them to digital contexts. Through exploratory study, I identified that people's mental images of digital spaces inherently include representations of the five elements and define each element's visual representations. In the generative research stage, the effectiveness of mental images in aiding users' understanding of digital spaces were evaluated. I also explored potential concepts for leveraging mental images to aid users' in grasping information effectively in complex, real-world contexts, including 'Mental Map builder', a learning tool that helps users create mental maps of digital spaces. In conclusion, I suggest potential ways to leverage mental imagery in design practice, including design guidelines and sample activity.