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






2. 80% of the effects generated by any large system are caused by 20% of the variables.






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






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






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






6. An original model on which something is patterned






7. Adjusting parts of a device in relation to each other to create a sense of unity and cohesion.






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






9. 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.






10. 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.






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






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


13. 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.)






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






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






16. A tendency to interpret shaded or dark areas of an object as shadows resulting from a light source above the object.






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






18. Elements that are similar are perceived to be more related than elements that are dissimilar.






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






20. 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.






21. 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.






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






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






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






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






27. Repeated exposure to stimuli for which people have neutral feelings will increase the likeability of the stimuli.






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






29. Pictures are remembered better than words.






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






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






32. People understand and interact with systems and environments based on mental representations developed from experience.






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






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






35. 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?)






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






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






38. 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.






39. 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.






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






47. 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.






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


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






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