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






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






3. The tendency to perceive objects as unchanging - despite changes in sensory input. (such as perspective - lighting - color or size)






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


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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






15. A technique of composition in which a medium is divided into thirds - creating aesthetic positions for the primary elements of a design.






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






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






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






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






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






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


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






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






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






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






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






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






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


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






30. Pictures are remembered better than words.






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






39. 80% of the effects generated by any large system are caused by 20% of the variables.






40. A ratio within the elements of a form - such as height to width - approximating 0.618.






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 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.






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






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






46. 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.)






47. 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.






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






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






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