How Engineers Think

Explore Mental Models

What Are Mental Models?

Mental models are internal tools engineers use to make sense of the world. They're frameworks that help simplify complexity, predict outcomes, and solve problems logically.

Why Use Them?

They help engineers break down big problems into smaller parts.
They provide a systematic way of thinking through challenges.
They make collaboration easier by giving teams a shared way to think.

Examples of Mental Models

Systems Thinking: Understanding how parts connect in a larger system.

Root Cause Analysis: Digging deep to find the true source of a problem.

Tradeoffs & Constraints: Weighing priorities when you can't optimize everything.

Feedback Loops: Observing cause-effect cycles and using them to improve.

Prototyping to Learn: Building to test ideas quickly and cheaply.

Try It

You’re designing a low-cost water filter for a rural village with limited electricity and materials.

Which mental models would you apply to make progress?