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






2. 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.






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






12. 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.






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






20. 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






21. 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.






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






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






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






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






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






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






28. 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.






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






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






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






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






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 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 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.






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






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


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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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