Test your basic knowledge |

Design Principles

Subject : engineering
Instructions:
  • Answer 50 questions in 15 minutes.
  • If you are not ready to take this test, you can study here.
  • Match each statement with the correct term.
  • Don't refresh. All questions and answers are randomly picked and ordered every time you load a test.

This is a study tool. The 3 wrong answers for each question are randomly chosen from answers to other questions. So, you might find at times the answers obvious, but you will see it re-enforces your understanding as you take the test each time.
1. A technique of combining many units of information into a limited number of units or chunks - so that the information is easier to process and remember.






2. A phenomenon of memory in which information that is analyzed deeply is better recalled than information that is analyzed superficially.






3. A phenomenon of memory in which noticeably different things are more likely to be recalled that common things. (AKA Isolation/Novelty Effect)






4. 80% of the effects generated by any large system are caused by 20% of the variables.






5. A technique used to asociate a stimulus with an unconscious physical or emotional response.






6. A method of illustrating relationships and patterns in system behaviors by representing two or more system variables in a controlled way.






7. 1) Functionality 2) Reliability 3) Usability 4) Proficiency 5) Creativity. In order for design to be successful - it must meet ppl's basic need before it can attempt to satisfy higher- level needs.






8. Memory for recognizing things is better than memory for recalling things.






9. A property in which a form is made up of parts similar to the whole or to one another.






10. A strategy for managing information complexity in which only necessary or requested information is displayed at any given time.






11. A tendency to interpret shaded or dark areas of an object as shadows resulting from a light source above the object.






12. A Gestalt principle of organization holding that aspects of perceptual field that move or function in a similar manner will be perceived as a unit






13. Designs should help people avoid errors and minimize the negative consequences of errors when they do occur.






14. Tendency to perceive a set of individual elements as a single - recogniable pattern - rather than multiple - individual elements.






15. When participants realise the aim of the study and may change their behaviour to help or disrupt the study.






16. Elements perceived as either figures (objects of focus) or ground (the rest of the perceptual field)






17. A state of mental focus so intense that awareness of the 'real' world is lost - generally resulting in a feeling of joy and satisfaction.






18. The ratio of relevant to irrelevant information in a display. The highest possible signal- to- noise ratio is desirable in design.






19. The use of simplified and incomplete models of a design to explore ideas - elaborate requirements - refine specifications - and test functionality.






20. The debgree to which prose can be understood - based on the complexity of words and sentences.






21. A phenomenon of visual processing in which certain line orientations are more quickly and easily processed and discriminated than other line orientations.






22. A technique that influences decision making and judgement by manipulating the way information is presented.






23. A method of limiting the actions that can be performed on a system.






24. A tendency to see objects and patterns as 3D when certain visual cues are present.






25. The quality of system output is dependent on the quality of system input.






26. A technique used to modify behavior by reinforcing desired behaviors - and ignoring or punishing undesired behaviors.






27. The greater the effort to accomplish a task - the less likely the task will be accomplished successfully.






28. The usability of a system is improved when similar parts are expressed in similar ways.






29. A technique for bringing attention to an area of text or image.






30. The usability of a system is improved when its status and methods of use are clearly visible.






31. There are three ways to organize materials to support a load or to contain and protect something: Mass structures - frame structures - and shell structures.






32. The tendency for people to behave differently when they know they are being studied






33. A Gestalt law of organization; elements arrange in a straight line or a smooth curve are perceived as a group - and are interpreted as being more related than elements not on the line or curve.






34. A tendency to prefer environments with unobstructed views (prospects) and areas of concealment and retreat (refuges).






35. The time it takes to make a decision increases as the number of alternatives increases.


36. A relationship between controls and their movements or effects. When th effect corresponds to the expectation - the mapping is considered to be good or natural.






37. The level of control provided by a system should be related to the proficiency and experience levels of the people using the system.






38. Given a choice between functionally equivalent designs - the simplest design should be selected.


39. The visual clarity of text - generally based on the size - typeface - contrast - text block - and spacing of the characters used.






40. The process of organizing information into related groupings in order to manage complexity and reinforce relationships in the information.






41. A tendency to see people and things iwth baby- faced features as more naive - helpless - and honest than those with mature features.






42. An ability to detect threatening stimuli more efficiently than nonthreatening stimuli.






43. Tendency to form an overall positive impression of a person on the basis of one positive characteristic






44. A preference for a particular ratio of waist size to hip size in men and women. Men prefer 0.7 in women. Women prefer 0.9 in men.






45. The tendency for people to perform better or worse based on the expectations of another.






46. Pictures are remembered better than words.






47. The time required to move to a target is a function of the target size and distance to the target.


48. A phenomenon in which mental processing is made slower and less accurate by competing mental processes.






49. A tendency to interpret ambiguous images as simple and a complete unit - versus complex and incomplete. (Gestalt principle of perception).






50. The deliberate use of a weak element that will fail in order to protect other elements in the system from damage.