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






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






3. 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.






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






5. An original model on which something is patterned






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






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






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






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






10. 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.






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






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






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






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






15. A technique used to teach a desired behavior by reinforcing increasingly accurate approximations of the behavior.






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


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






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






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






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






21. 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.






22. Memory for recognizing things is better than memory for recalling things.






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






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






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






26. 1) Physiological 2) Safety 3) Love 4) Self-Esteem 5) Self-Actualization


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






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






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






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






31. 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.






32. 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.






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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


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






47. 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.






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






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






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