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






2. 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.






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






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


5. 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.






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






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






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






9. The distressing state of thought caused by recognizing an inconsistency between behavior/thought and value/belief.






10. A point of physical or attentional entry into a design. (Minimal Barriers - Points of Prospect - Progressive Lures)






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






12. The tendency to see attractive people as more intelligent - competent - moral and sociable than unattractive people.






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






14. A phenomenon of memory in which items presented at the beginning and end of a list are more likely to be recalled than items in the middle of a list.






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






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






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






18. A relationship between variables in a system where the consequences of an event are fed back in order to modify the event in the future.






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






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






21. An original model on which something is patterned






22. Using more elements than is necessary to offset the effects of unknown variables which may cause a system failure.






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


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






25. A sequence of numbers in which each number is the sum of the preceding two.






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






27. 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.






28. 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.






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






30. Hierarchical organization is the simplest structure for visualizing and understanding complexity.






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






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






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






34. 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.






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






44. It is often preferable to settle for a satisfactory solution - rather than pursue an optimal solution.






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






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






47. Elements that are close together are percieved to be more related than elements that are farther apart.






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






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


50. 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