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






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






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






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






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






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


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






8. 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.






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


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






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






12. 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.






13. The tendency to see attractive people as more intelligent - competent - moral and sociable than unattractive people.






14. 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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






22. 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.






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






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


25. Tendency to perceive a set of individual elements as a single - recogniable pattern - rather than multiple - individual elements.






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






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






28. 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.)






29. A property in which a form is made up of parts similar to the whole or to one another.






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






40. 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.






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






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






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






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






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






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






47. 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.






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






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






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