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 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)






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






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






4. 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.






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






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


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






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






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






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


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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






20. Pictures are remembered better than words.






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






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






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






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






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






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






28. An original model on which something is patterned






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






37. 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.






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






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






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






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






42. The tendency to see attractive people as more intelligent - competent - moral and sociable than unattractive people.






43. 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.






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






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






46. 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.)






47. 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.






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






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






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