ABSTRACT
This chapter investigates how differences in interface design affect user mental models (UMMs) of home-heating systems. It explores how resulting changes in UMMs affect user behaviour with home-heating controls. The chapter measures the success of the manipulation by analysis of user-verified UMM descriptions captured post study, behaviour related to statistically significant differences in UMMs and overall goal achievement. It predicts the participants presented with an interface designed to promote appropriate UMMs would exhibit positive differences in their mental models, behaviour strategies and goal achievement. The chapter describes the data gathered from UMM descriptions, variables relating to their behaviour with heating controls in the simulation and goal attainment based on room temperatures. It concludes that a control panel interface promotes a UMM integrating heating controls with energy monitoring and predictive technology will help users to have more control over heating consumption.
