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






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






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






4. 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.






5. A phenomenon of visual processing in which certain line orientations are more quickly and easily processed and discriminated than other line orientations.






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






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






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






9. 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.






10. 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.






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






19. 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






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






21. A property in which a form is made up of parts similar to the whole or to one another.






22. 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.






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






24. 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?)






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






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






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






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






29. 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.






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






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






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






33. Pictures are remembered better than words.






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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