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






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






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






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






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






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






7. 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.






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






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






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






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






12. The ratio of face to body in an image that influences the way the person in the image is perceived. (High = intelligent / Low = physical)






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






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






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






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






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






18. 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






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






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






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






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






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






24. When participants realise the aim of the study and may change their behaviour to help or disrupt the study.






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






26. 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.






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






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






29. 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.)






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






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






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






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






34. 80% of the effects generated by any large system are caused by 20% of the variables.






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






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






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






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






39. 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.






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






48. A phenomenon of memory in which items presented at the beginning and end of a list are more likely to be recalled than items in the middle of a list.






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






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