The law of proximity states that "things that are close together appear to be more related than things that are spaced farther apart." 

The Law of Proximity

The law of similarity states that "when things appear to be similar to each other, we group them together and we also tend to think they have the same function."

The Law of Similarity

The law of common region states that when objects are located within the same closed region, we perceive them as being grouped together. This is very similar to the law of proximity, however it happens in a closed area. 

The Law of Common-Region

The law of focal point states that "whatever stands out visually will capture and hold the viewer’s attention first."

The Law of Focal Point

The law of continuity, also referred to as good continuation, is a Gestalt principle suggesting that individuals are more prone to perceive lines as continuous and smoothly flowing rather than as disconnected, jagged, or broken segments.

The Law of Continuity

 The closure principle states that "Individuals perceive objects such as shapes, letters, pictures, etc., as being whole when they are not complete." People look for a recognizable pattern, and we fill in the gaps.

The Law of Closure

The figure-ground principle states that "people instinctively perceive objects as either being in the foreground or the background." The user knows that the foreground is more important than the background.

The Law of Figure-Ground

The symmetry principle states "Symmetric elements give the user the feeling that everything is ordered." This helps a user feel more comfortable using a website. 

The Law of Symmetry

The common fate principle states that "elements moving towards the same direction are perceived as more related than those moving in different directions, or not moving at all."

The Law of Common Fate

The Gestalt Principles of Design are guidelines that assist in creating user-centered design. They were first proposed after studying human perception and behavior. These principles can apply to all elements of design, including interaction and interface design. 

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

In user-centered design, the user knows best and acts as the guide to the designer; the designer's role is to translate the users' needs and goals into an effective design solution.

User-Centered Design

"What are Gestalt Principles?" Interaction Design. https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/topics/gestalt-principles

Gestalt Principles of Design

Often called UI, user interface design is the design of screens that connect a user to machines and software and allow the user to manipulate them. UI focuses on maximizing usability and developing a user experience that is intuitive for humans. The goal of user interface design is to keep interactions between the interface and the user as simple and efficient as possible while still supporting enough capability for users to accomplish their goals. Graphic design plays a key role in creating an interface that affords its uses and functions. Because of this, the interface design process requires a balance between technical functionality and visual elements so the system not only operate properly, but also makes sense to the user.

User Interface Design

User-centered design is an iterative process that focuses on an understanding of the users and their context in all stages of design and development.

User centered design process

The aim of the process is to capture and address the whole user experience. Therefore, your design team should include professionals from across multiple disciplines (e.g., ethnographers, psychologists, software and hardware engineers), as well as domain experts, stakeholders and the users themselves. Experts may carry out evaluations of the produced designs, using design guidelines and criteria.

Teams for User-Centered Design

"User experience design (UXD, UED, or XD) is the process of supporting user behavior[1] through usability, usefulness, and desirability provided in the interaction with a product. User experience design encompasses traditional human–computer interaction (HCI) design and extends it by addressing all aspects of a product or service as perceived by users. Experience design (XD) is the practice of designing products, processes, services, events, omnichannel journeys, and environments with a focus placed on the quality of the user experience and culturally relevant solutions. Experience design is not driven by a single design discipline. Instead, it requires a cross-discipline perspective that considers multiple aspects of the brand/ business/ environment/ experience from product, packaging, and retail environment to the clothing and attitude of employees."

Elements of "user experience design" include:
- Research
- Visual Design
- Information Architecture
- Interaction Design
- Usability
- Accessibility
- Human-computer Interaction

User Experience (UX) Design

Psychology plays a big part in a user's experience with an application. Understanding how our designs are perceived, we can make adjustments so that the apps we create are more effective in achieving the goals of the user.

- Isolation effect
- Latency and Regency Effect
- Cognitive Load
- Hick’s Law
- Gestalt Laws of Proximity

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