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






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






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






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






5. 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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






17. 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.)






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






33. When participants realise the aim of the study and may change their behaviour to help or disrupt the study.






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






35. 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.






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






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






38. A technique of combining many units of information into a limited number of units or chunks - so that the information is easier to process and remember.






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






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






41. 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.






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






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






44. 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.






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






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






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






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






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






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