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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






15. 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.






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






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






18. 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.






19. 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.






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






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






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






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






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


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






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


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






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






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






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






33. 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.)






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






35. 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.






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






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






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


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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






49. Tendency to form an overall positive impression of a person on the basis of one positive characteristic






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