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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






11. 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.






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






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






14. 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.






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






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






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






18. A state of mental focus so intense that awareness of the 'real' world is lost - generally resulting in a feeling of joy and satisfaction.






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






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


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






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






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






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


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






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






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






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






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






30. 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.






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






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






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






34. 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.






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






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






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






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






39. Tendency to perceive a set of individual elements as a single - recogniable pattern - rather than multiple - individual elements.






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


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






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






43. An original model on which something is patterned






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






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






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






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






48. 80% of the effects generated by any large system are caused by 20% of the variables.






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






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