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 space that has territorial markers - opportunities for surveillance - and clear indications of activity and ownership.






2. 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.)






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






4. 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.






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






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






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






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






9. A technique of composition in which a medium is divided into thirds - creating aesthetic positions for the primary elements of a design.






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






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






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






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






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






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






16. 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.






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






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






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






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






21. 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.






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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


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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






45. 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)






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






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






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






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






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