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 process in which similar characteristics evolve independently in multiple systems.






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






12. Pictures are remembered better than words.






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






29. An activity will be pursued only if its benefits are equal to or greater than the costs. (ie. How much reading is too much to get the point of a message?)






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






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






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






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






34. 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.






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






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






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

Warning: Invalid argument supplied for foreach() in /var/www/html/basicversity.com/show_quiz.php on line 183


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






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






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






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






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






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






44. 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.






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






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






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






48. The process of using spatial and environmental information to navigate to a destination.






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






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