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


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






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






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






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






6. 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.






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






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






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






10. A diagram that describes the general pattern followed by the eyes when looking at evenly distributed - homogeneous information.






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






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






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






14. 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.






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






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






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






18. All products progress sequentially through four stages of existence: introduction - growth - maturity - and decline.






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


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






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






22. 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.






23. 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.






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






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






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






27. 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.






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


29. An original model on which something is patterned






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






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






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






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






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






35. 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.






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






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






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






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






40. 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






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






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






43. Pictures are remembered better than words.






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






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






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






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






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






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