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






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






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






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






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






6. 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?)






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






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






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






10. 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)






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






18. 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.






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






20. A tendency to see people and things iwth baby- faced features as more naive - helpless - and honest than those with mature features.






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






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






23. 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.






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


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






26. 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






27. A sequence of numbers in which each number is the sum of the preceding two.






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


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






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






31. 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.






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






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






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






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






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






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






38. 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.






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






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






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






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






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






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






45. 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.






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






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






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






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


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