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






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






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


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






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






6. People tend to prefer savanna- like environments to other types of environments. Open areas - scattered trees - water - and uniform grassiness rather than other natural environments such as desert - jungle - and complex mtns.






7. Adjusting parts of a device in relation to each other to create a sense of unity and cohesion.






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






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






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






11. 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.






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






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






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






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






16. A tendency to prefer faces in which the eyes - nose - lips and other features are close to the average of a population.






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






24. The act of measuring certain sensitive variable in a system can alter them - and confound the accuracy of the measurement.






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






26. 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.






27. 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.)






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






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






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






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






32. People understand and interact with systems and environments based on mental representations developed from experience.






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






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






35. 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






36. An action or ommission of action yielding an unintended result.






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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