Mind Model

Mental Models Knowledge Base

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5W1H Analysis

One-Line Definition

Analyze problems comprehensively through the six dimensions: Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How.

Core Concept

The 5W1H is the most basic analysis framework: Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How.

What Problems It Solves

When information is incomplete, options are numerous, or risks are unclear, it helps pull your judgment from intuition back to structured analysis.

More specifically, the 5W1H Analysis is suitable for answering questions like: How can we better understand the current situation? How can we make more reasonable judgments and take action?

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A/B Testing

One-Line Definition

Compare the real impact of two options through controlled experiments.

Core Concept

Helps you verify key assumptions with minimal cost, avoiding big investments based on gut feelings.

More specifically, A/B testing is suited to answer questions like: Is what I’m seeing a fact, a hypothesis, or a habitual practice? To make a better choice, which variable, path, or constraint should be examined first?

When to Use

  • When the problem becomes complex and intuition is no longer reliable enough.
  • When the team disagrees on the next move and needs a shared analysis framework.
  • When you need to convert abstract judgments into concrete actions, checklists, or experiments.
  • When current practices are losing effectiveness and you need to re-examine the underlying logic.

When NOT to Use

  • The problem is simple, and direct execution matters more than analysis.
  • There is a lack of basic facts, leading to concept spinning with no grounding.
  • The model is used only to justify an existing conclusion rather than to help correct the judgment.
  • The cost of testing is extremely high with no room for trial and error, and no additional means of verification exist.

How to Apply

  1. Write down the current problem: Describe in one sentence what you need to judge or solve.
  2. List existing assumptions: Distinguish between facts, opinions, experience, emotions, and default answers given by others.
  3. Identify key variables: Find the 1–3 factors that most influence the outcome.
  4. Formulate actionable options: Propose a few different approaches based on the key variables.
  5. Define a minimal validation: Use a low-cost action to verify which judgment is closer to reality.

Example

Imagine a team discovers that the conversion rate for new users is dropping. When applying “A/B Testing,” instead of immediately asking the designer to change a button or having operations increase the budget, they first break it down: Where are the users coming from? What information do they see? At which step do they hesitate? What do they lose when they leave? Is there a stronger alternative available? After breaking it down, the team may find that the real problem is not insufficient traffic, but that users do not understand what problem the product solves on the very first screen. Therefore, the minimal action is not to rebuild the entire product, but to first test a clearer value proposition.

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AARRR Pirate Metrics

One-Sentence Definition

View growth through five steps: Acquisition, Activation, Retention, Revenue, and Referral.

What Problem Does It Solve

It helps you break down growth into observable, diagnosable, and optimizable stages.

More specifically, AARRR Pirate Metrics is suitable for answering questions like: Is what I’m seeing a fact, an assumption, or a habitual practice? If I need to make a better choice, which variable, which path, and which constraint should I look at first?

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ABC Theory of Emotion

One-sentence Definition

It is not the event itself that causes emotions, but rather our perception and interpretation of the event that determines our emotional response.

Core Concept

Proposed by Albert Ellis: A (Activating event) → B (Belief/cognition) → C (Consequence/emotional and behavioral outcome). Changing B can change C.

What Problem Does It Solve

When information is incomplete, options are many, or risks are unclear, it helps you shift your judgment from intuition to structured analysis.

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Abductive Reasoning

Definition in One Sentence

Starting from an observed outcome, infer the most likely cause—choose the best explanation.

Core Concept

Abductive reasoning is a common method in scientific discovery and everyday reasoning: observe a phenomenon, then search for the hypothesis that best explains it. It differs from deduction (from cause to effect) and induction (from particular to general).

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Anchoring Effect

One-sentence Definition

When making judgments, people overly rely on the first piece of information they receive (the “anchor”), causing subsequent estimates and decisions to be adjusted around this anchor, even if the anchor itself is irrelevant to the decision.

Core Concept

The anchoring effect is a cognitive bias proposed by Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky in 1974. Through experiments, they found that when people are asked to estimate a numerical value, if they first encounter a random number (such as the result of spinning a wheel), the final estimate tends to significantly skew toward that random number.

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Anti-Entropy

Definition in One Sentence

In a world that naturally tends toward chaos, actively invest energy to maintain and enhance order.

Core Concept

The second law of thermodynamics states that systems naturally tend toward increased entropy (disorder). Anti-entropy is the active resistance against chaos, maintaining order and evolution. Both individuals and organizations require continuous anti-entropy efforts.

What Problem Does It Solve

When information is incomplete, options are many, or risks are unclear, it helps bring your judgment back from intuition to structured analysis.

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Antifragile

One-sentence Definition

Not just resisting pressure and shocks, but growing stronger from volatility and disorder.

Core Concept

Antifragility goes beyond resilience—fragile things break under shock, resilient things stay the same, and antifragile things become stronger from shock.

What Problem It Solves

When information is incomplete, options are many, or risks are unclear, it helps pull your judgment from intuition back to structured analysis.

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Attention Residue

One-Line Definition

After switching tasks, part of your attention remains stuck on the previous task.

Core Concept

When resources are limited and there are many things to do, it helps you identify the key actions that truly influence the outcome.

More specifically, Attention Residue is suitable for answering questions like: Is what I’m seeing now a fact, an assumption, or a habitual practice? If I want to make a better choice, which variable, path, or constraint should I examine first?

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Attribution Effect

One-Line Definition

People have systematic biases when explaining the causes of behavior—they attribute their own actions to the environment and others’ actions to personality.

Core Concept

The fundamental attribution error: we tend to attribute other people’s behavior to their character traits, while attributing our own behavior to external circumstances. This leads to unfair judgments of others.

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Authority Bias

One-Line Definition

People tend to over-trust the judgments of authority figures or institutions.

Core Concept

It helps you identify blind spots, biases, and oversimplifications in thinking.

More specifically, Authority Bias is suitable for answering questions like: Is what I’m seeing a fact, an assumption, or a habitual practice? To make a better choice, which variable, path, or constraint should I examine first?

When to Use

  • When the problem becomes complex and intuitive judgment is not reliable.
  • When the team disagrees on next steps and needs a common analytical framework.
  • When you need to turn abstract judgments into concrete actions, checklists, or experiments.
  • When existing methods are declining in effectiveness and you need to re-examine the underlying logic.

When NOT to Use

  • The problem is simple, and direct execution is more important than analysis.
  • Basic facts are missing, leading to conceptual spinning without substance.
  • Using a model only to justify an existing conclusion rather than help correct judgment.
  • The cost is extremely high and trial-and-error is not possible, without additional verification methods.

How to Apply

  1. Write down the current problem: Describe the issue you want to judge or solve in one sentence.
  2. List existing assumptions: Distinguish facts, opinions, experiences, emotions, and default answers given by others.
  3. Identify key variables: Find the 1-3 factors that most influence the outcome.
  4. Form alternative actions: Based on key variables, propose several different approaches.
  5. Define a minimum verification: Use a low-cost action to test which judgment is closer to reality.

Example

Suppose a team finds that new user conversion rate has dropped. When using “Authority Bias,” instead of immediately asking a designer to change a button or a marketing person to increase budget, first break down: where users come from, what information they see, at which step they hesitate, what they lose when they give up, and whether there is a stronger alternative. After decomposition, the team may find the real problem is not insufficient traffic, but that users don’t understand what problem the product solves on the first screen. So the minimum action is not to redo the entire product, but to first test a clearer value proposition.

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Autocatalysis

One-Line Definition

The output of a system accelerates its own production process, forming a positive feedback loop.

Core Concept

Autocatalysis occurs when an output of a system accelerates the system’s own operation. It is similar to the compounding effect and the flywheel effect—once started, it spins faster and faster.

What Problems It Solves

When information is incomplete, options are many, or risks are unclear, it helps you pull judgment from intuition back to structured analysis.

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Availability Heuristic

One-Sentence Definition

The easier an example is to recall, the more likely it is to be mistakenly perceived as more common or more important.

Core Concept

Availability bias refers to our tendency to judge probability based on how easily examples come to mind, rather than on actual statistical data. The easier an event is to recall, the more we assume it happens frequently.

What Problem Does It Solve

It helps you identify blind spots, biases, and oversimplifications in your thinking.

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Barbell Strategy

One-Sentence Definition

Place most of your resources on the safe end and a small portion on the end with high-upside opportunities.

What Problem Does It Solve

It helps you remain resilient in uncertain environments and avoid betting on just one path.

More specifically, the Barbell Strategy is suited for answering questions like: Is what I’m currently seeing a fact, an assumption, or a habitual practice? If I want to make a better choice, which variable, path, or constraint should I look at first?

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Base Rate

One-Line Definition

Before judging a specific case, look at the general probability of similar events.

Core Concept

It helps you turn vague problems into clearer judgments, actions, and verification methods.

More specifically, Base Rate is suitable for answering questions like: Is what I’m seeing a fact, an assumption, or a habitual practice? If I want to make a better choice, which variable, path, or constraint should I look at first?

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Bayesian Updating

Definition in One Sentence

Continuously adjust your judgment based on new evidence, rather than clinging to your original view.

What Problem Does It Solve

When information is incomplete, options are numerous, or risks are unclear, it helps pull your judgment from intuition back to structured analysis.

More specifically, Bayesian Updating is suited for answering questions like: Is what I’m seeing a fact, an assumption, or a habitual practice? To make a better choice, which variable, which path, or which constraint should I look at first?

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Birdcage Effect

One-Sentence Definition

Once you own a “birdcage,” you will unconsciously buy a “bird” to fill it.

Core Concept

The birdcage effect reveals a “matching mindset” in human psychology—once you own something, you can’t help but acquire things that match it.

What Problem It Solves

When information is incomplete, options are numerous, or risks are unclear, it helps pull your judgment back from intuition to structured analysis.

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Bottleneck Analysis

One-Sentence Definition

Identify the slowest link that limits overall output, and prioritize improving it.

What Problem Does It Solve

When resources are limited and there are many tasks, it helps you find the key actions that truly affect the outcome.

More specifically, bottleneck analysis is suited for answering questions like: Am I looking at a fact, an assumption, or a habitual practice? If I need to make a better choice, which variable, which path, or which constraint should I examine first?

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Boundary-Breaking Thinking

One-Sentence Definition

Breaking through existing boundaries and framework constraints to seek solutions within a larger space of possibilities.

Core Concept

Boundary-breaking thinking requires stepping beyond the limits of industry boundaries, disciplinary boundaries, and mental fixed patterns, using cross-disciplinary approaches to find new solutions.

What Problem Does It Solve

When information is incomplete, options are numerous, or risks are unclear, it helps you shift your judgment from intuition back to structured analysis.