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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






13. An original model on which something is patterned






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






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






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






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






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






19. 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.






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






27. 80% of the effects generated by any large system are caused by 20% of the variables.






28. 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.






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






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






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






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






33. 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.






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






35. A tendency to assume that a system that works at one scale will also work at a smaller or larger scale. (2 kinds: Load assumptions and Interaction assumptions)






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






37. 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.






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






39. The act of measuring certain sensitive variable in a system can alter them - and confound the accuracy of the measurement.






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






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






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






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






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






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


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


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






48. 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






49. 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?)






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