ICT 419 HUMAN COMPUTER
INTERACTION FINAL EXAM
User Experience Interface Design Principles Systems Usability
Questions and Answers Verified Solutions 2026 2027
1. Which concept from Don Norman's design principles refers to physical or visual
characteristics of an object that suggest how it should be used?
A. Mapping
B. Affordance
C. Signifier
D. Constraint
Rationale: Affordance represents the fundamental properties of an object that determine how it can
interact with a user, such as a flat plate on a door affording pushing.
2. According to Fitts's Law, what two primary variables dictate the time required to
rapidly move to a target area?
A. Target color and screen resolution
B. Distance to the target and width of the target
C. Mouse DPI speed and user reaction latency
D. Number of competing screen elements and font sizing
Rationale: Fitts's Law states that movement time is a logarithmic function of the distance to the target
divided by the target's size (width).
3. Which usability heuristic defined by Jakob Nielsen advises that error messages should
be expressed in plain language without raw technical codes?
A. Help users recognize, diagnose, and recover from errors
B. Recognition rather than recall
C. Flexibility and efficiency of use
D. Match between system and the real world
Rationale: This heuristic dictates that system errors should clearly indicate what went wrong in non-
technical terms and suggest practical solutions.
, 4. What mental model metric distinguishes "recognition" from "recall" in user interface
design?
A. Recall requires picking an item from a visual list, while recognition requires remembering
text commands
B. Recognition relies on visual cues on screen, while recall forces users to retrieve
information entirely from memory
C. Both terms describe identical cognitive processing speed in visual perception
D. Recognition applies only to screen readers for accessibility
Rationale: Recognition minimizes cognitive load by showing options visually (menus/icons), whereas
recall requires users to generate details from memory (command lines).
5. What UX evaluation method involves expert evaluators checking an interface against a
set of established design rules?
A. A/B split testing
B. Heuristic evaluation
C. Think-aloud usability testing
D. Eye-tracking gaze analysis
Rationale: Heuristic evaluation is an expert-based inspection method where specialists review an
interface against guidelines like Nielsen's ten heuristics.
6. What term describes the delay between a user issuing an input command and the
system displaying the corresponding output feedback?
A. System response latency
B. Gulf of execution
C. Throughput bandwidth
D. Cognitive friction rate
Rationale: System response latency measures the lag time between user input and visual or physical
feedback, directly affecting perceived performance.
7. In Norman's Action Cycle, what gap represents the difficulty a user faces in
determining how to interact with a system to achieve a goal?
A. Gulf of Evaluation
INTERACTION FINAL EXAM
User Experience Interface Design Principles Systems Usability
Questions and Answers Verified Solutions 2026 2027
1. Which concept from Don Norman's design principles refers to physical or visual
characteristics of an object that suggest how it should be used?
A. Mapping
B. Affordance
C. Signifier
D. Constraint
Rationale: Affordance represents the fundamental properties of an object that determine how it can
interact with a user, such as a flat plate on a door affording pushing.
2. According to Fitts's Law, what two primary variables dictate the time required to
rapidly move to a target area?
A. Target color and screen resolution
B. Distance to the target and width of the target
C. Mouse DPI speed and user reaction latency
D. Number of competing screen elements and font sizing
Rationale: Fitts's Law states that movement time is a logarithmic function of the distance to the target
divided by the target's size (width).
3. Which usability heuristic defined by Jakob Nielsen advises that error messages should
be expressed in plain language without raw technical codes?
A. Help users recognize, diagnose, and recover from errors
B. Recognition rather than recall
C. Flexibility and efficiency of use
D. Match between system and the real world
Rationale: This heuristic dictates that system errors should clearly indicate what went wrong in non-
technical terms and suggest practical solutions.
, 4. What mental model metric distinguishes "recognition" from "recall" in user interface
design?
A. Recall requires picking an item from a visual list, while recognition requires remembering
text commands
B. Recognition relies on visual cues on screen, while recall forces users to retrieve
information entirely from memory
C. Both terms describe identical cognitive processing speed in visual perception
D. Recognition applies only to screen readers for accessibility
Rationale: Recognition minimizes cognitive load by showing options visually (menus/icons), whereas
recall requires users to generate details from memory (command lines).
5. What UX evaluation method involves expert evaluators checking an interface against a
set of established design rules?
A. A/B split testing
B. Heuristic evaluation
C. Think-aloud usability testing
D. Eye-tracking gaze analysis
Rationale: Heuristic evaluation is an expert-based inspection method where specialists review an
interface against guidelines like Nielsen's ten heuristics.
6. What term describes the delay between a user issuing an input command and the
system displaying the corresponding output feedback?
A. System response latency
B. Gulf of execution
C. Throughput bandwidth
D. Cognitive friction rate
Rationale: System response latency measures the lag time between user input and visual or physical
feedback, directly affecting perceived performance.
7. In Norman's Action Cycle, what gap represents the difficulty a user faces in
determining how to interact with a system to achieve a goal?
A. Gulf of Evaluation
