Let’s explore the key Gestalt principles and their applications in the realm of user experience design and research: 1. What are the main Gestalt design principles in UX? Originating from the German word, "Gestalt," which translates to “unified whole,” these principles help us understand the way our brains innately organize visual elements, forming them into groups and meaningful patterns.Įssentially, our cognitive processes “inform” what our eyes see by interpreting a series of individual elements as one cohesive entity. Here’s a quick video explaining what Gestalt principles are: It’s therefore well worth learning more about the principles and considering how they can be applied on your website.Gestalt principles in design, often referred to as “Gestalt principles of perception” or simply “Gestalt principles”, act as the "laws of perception" that are helpful for creating user-friendly interfaces. Without it, users may struggle to make associations between unrelated or clustered items and exit. Gestalt principles are pivotal for web design, as users need to be able to understand what they see – and follow instructions – quickly and easily. If an object is asymmetrical, the viewer wastes time trying to find the problem instead of engaging with the message or instruction.Ĭlosure occurs when an object is incomplete or a space is not fully enclosed. Preferring wholeness, people automatically fill in any gaps in order to perceive a complete image. The example below shows how closure can be applied in a logo – although the panda is not complete, there is enough present for the eye to complete the shape. Symmetry states that the viewer should not be given the impression that something is out of balance, missing, or wrong. This principle can be used in web design with lines or arrows leading towards buttons or content, and thus guiding focus towards what is most important. In the image below, this is seen as we perceive it as a cross shape instead of four separate lines meeting in the centre. These anomalies create design focal points, which can be used to direct a user’s attention.Ĭontinuation occurs when the eye is compelled to move along a path, line or object – preferring to see a single, continuous figure instead of separate lines. When similarity occurs, an object is emphasised if it is dissimilar to the others. Unity occurs because the circles in the centre of the image look ‘similar’ to the squares in terms of size, colour and proximity. The example below shows how this works – although the shapes in the middle are different to the shapes on the outside, the image appears as a single unit because all the shapes have similarity. Gestalt theory states that things which share visual characteristics such as shape, size, colour, texture, or value will be seen as belonging together in the viewer’s mind. In the example below, as the squares on the left are placed without proximity, they are perceived as separate shapes whereas the squares on the right are placed in close proximity and thus are perceived as a single group/shape. Good examples of proximity can be seen web design when menu links or buttons are kept close together, such that a sense of ‘unity’ and clarity is created between these elements. Even if the shapes, sizes, and objects are radically different, they will appear as a group if they are close together. The Gestalt law of proximity states that “objects or shapes that are close to one another appear to form groups”.
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