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






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






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






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






5. 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.






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






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


8. 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.






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






20. 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.






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






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


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






24. 80% of the effects generated by any large system are caused by 20% of the variables.






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






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






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






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


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






30. 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)






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






32. 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.






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






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






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






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






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






38. An original model on which something is patterned






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






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






41. Teh act of copying properties of familiar objects - organisms - or environments in order to realize specifice benefits afforded by those properties.






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






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






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


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






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






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






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






49. 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.)






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