User Experience Design User Experience Design Foundations & Principles 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which UX principle states that users should always know where they are within a system?
- Visibility of system status (Correct answer)
- Error prevention
- Aesthetic and minimalist design
- Consistency and standards
Correct answer: Visibility of system status
Visibility of system status, one of Nielsen's 10 heuristics, ensures users are always informed about what is happening through timely feedback.
Question 2: What does the term 'affordance' mean in UX design?
- The cost of a design project
- A property that suggests how an object should be used (Correct answer)
- The number of user interactions required
- A visual style guide element
Correct answer: A property that suggests how an object should be used
An affordance is a design property that signals to the user how an element can or should be used, such as a button that looks pressable.
Question 3: Which concept describes reducing the number of steps required to complete a task?
- Progressive disclosure
- Fitts's Law
- Minimizing cognitive load (Correct answer)
- Hick's Law
Correct answer: Minimizing cognitive load
Minimizing cognitive load means simplifying interfaces and workflows so users expend less mental effort to complete tasks.
Question 4: Fitts's Law in UX design primarily concerns:
- Color contrast ratios
- The time required to move to and click a target (Correct answer)
- Font readability on screens
- The number of menu items presented
Correct answer: The time required to move to and click a target
Fitts's Law predicts that the time to acquire a target is a function of the distance to and size of the target.
Question 5: What is the primary goal of user-centered design (UCD)?
- To maximize visual aesthetics
- To reduce development costs
- To focus design decisions on users' needs and contexts (Correct answer)
- To standardize interface components
Correct answer: To focus design decisions on users' needs and contexts
User-centered design is an iterative process where the needs, wants, and limitations of end users are given extensive attention at each stage of the design process.
Question 6: Which mental model concept describes users' expectations based on prior experience with similar systems?
- Gestalt principles
- Skeuomorphism
- Schema theory (Correct answer)
- Affordance mapping
Correct answer: Schema theory
Schema theory holds that users bring pre-existing mental frameworks from past experiences that shape how they interpret and interact with new interfaces.
User Experience Design User Experience Design Foundations & Principles 1
Which UX principle states that users should always know where they are within a system?