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






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


3. 80% of the effects generated by any large system are caused by 20% of the variables.






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






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






6. 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.






7. Elements perceived as either figures (objects of focus) or ground (the rest of the perceptual field)






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






9. Pictures are remembered better than words.






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






11. 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.)






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






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






14. 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.






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






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






17. 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.






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






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






21. A process of repeating a set of operation until a specific result is achieved.






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


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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






33. 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.






34. The tendency for people to perform better or worse based on the expectations of another.






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






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






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






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






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


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






41. Designs should help people avoid errors and minimize the negative consequences of errors when they do occur.






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






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






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






45. 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.






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






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






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






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






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