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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






16. 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)






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






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






19. 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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






30. Pictures are remembered better than words.






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






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






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






34. 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.






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






42. 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.






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






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






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


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






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






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






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






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