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 for preventing unintended actions by requiring verification of the actions before they are performed.






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






3. A property of visual equivalence among elements in a form.






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






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


6. A process of repeating a set of operation until a specific result is achieved.






7. Beauty in design results from purity of function. Interpreted in 2 ways: A description of beauty or a prescription for beauty.






8. 80% of the effects generated by any large system are caused by 20% of the variables.






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






10. The use of pictorial images to improve the recognition and recall of signs and controls.






11. The designs that help people perform optimally are often not the same as the designs that people find most desirable.






12. A space that has territorial markers - opportunities for surveillance - and clear indications of activity and ownership.






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






14. A method of creating imagery - emotions - and understanding of events through an interaction between a storyteller and an audience.






15. A term used to describe a set of data - that when plotted - forms a symmetrical - bell- shaped curve.






16. A method of presentation in which information is presented in descending order of importance. (Critical information presented first).






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






18. A method of managing system complexity that involves dividing large systems into multiple - smaller self- contained systems.






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






20. Pictures are remembered better than words.






21. The ratio of face to body in an image that influences the way the person in the image is perceived. (High = intelligent / Low = physical)






22. Successful products typically follow four stages of creation: requirements - design - development - and testing.






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






24. Elements that are connected by uniform visual properties - such as color - are perceived to be more related than elements that are not connected.






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






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






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






28. There are five ways to organize information: Category - time - location - alphabet - and continuum.






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






30. A process in which similar characteristics evolve independently in multiple systems.






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


32. Teh act of copying properties of familiar objects - organisms - or environments in order to realize specifice benefits afforded by those properties.






33. An attribute of an object that allows people to intuitively know how to use it






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






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






36. The relative ease with which a destination - idea - or concept may be reached.






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






38. Elements that are similar are perceived to be more related than elements that are dissimilar.






39. The use of more elements than necessary to maintain the performance of a system in the event of failure of one or more of the elements.






40. 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.






41. As the flexiblity of a system increases - its usability decreases.






42. A tendency to assume that a system that works at one scale will also work at a smaller or larger scale. (2 kinds: Load assumptions and Interaction assumptions)






43. A method of reorganizing information to make the information simpler - more meaningful and easier to remember. (ie. First Letter - Keyword - Rhyme - Feature Name)






44. Teachers treat students differently based on their expectations of how students will perform.






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






46. 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.






47. All products progress sequentially through four stages of existence: introduction - growth - maturity - and decline.






48. A phenomenon in which perception and behavior changes as a result of personal expectations or the expectations of others. (Halo effect - Hawthorne effect - Pygmalion effect - Placebo effect - Rosenthal effect - Demand characteristics.)






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






50. Patients experience treatment effects based on their belief that a treatment will work.