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






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






3. 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.)






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






15. 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.






16. 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.






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






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






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






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






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






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


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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






36. There are three ways to organize materials to support a load or to contain and protect something: Mass structures - frame structures - and shell structures.






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






45. Pictures are remembered better than words.






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






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






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






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


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