Your product’s success depends on how effortlessly users can navigate and interact with its interface. But behind every intuitive product design lies a deep understanding of human psychology.
Good designers know how our brains process visual information.
That’s where Gestalt principles come into play. These principles reveal how our minds interpret complex visuals and process information by forming patterns.
Designers can leverage Gestalt principles to create experiences that feel almost instinctual to end-users.
We’ll break down the 10 most important Gestalt principles with actionable tips to apply each in product design.
What are Gestalt principles? Gestalt principles are a set of rules in human psychology that explain how we perceive visual elements. Also known as the laws of visual perception, these principles define how our minds process visual information and organize it into groups to understand the meaning of these elements.
Product designers use Gestalt principles to simplify the user experience with a consistent and user-friendly design language.
With these principles, designers can create more intuitive interfaces that help users understand the product easily. They can also communicate information clearly and highlight crucial information. As a result, users can process information faster without too much cognitive load.
How are Gestalt principles used in product design? Let’s break down the 10 most important Gestalt principles. We’ll also share actionable tips and examples of how to apply these principles in product design.
1. Principle of closure What it means: The principle of closure states that our minds can automatically fill in the missing details to perceive a complete visual object. It emphasizes that humans have the tendency to view an incomplete visual object as a complete object by filling the gaps or missing parts.
How to apply in product design
Icons : This is one of the most common use cases of the principle of closure in product design. Use incomplete shapes to create icons that users can perceive as complete objects. For example, these icons in Google Docs have empty spaces or gaps in the design. However, users can easily understand what each icon stands for.Carousels: The principle of closure also works well for arranging information in a slider or carousel. You can stack multiple elements next to each other in a carousel while one element runs off the screen. This signals to the users that more information is available if they swipe the carousel, as in this example from Canva. 2. Principle of similarity What it means: The principle of similarity states that people perceive similar-looking objects as part of the same group, even if they’re not displayed next to each other. This applies to similarity in shape, size, color, and other attributes to help viewers find visual patterns.
How to apply in product design
Text styling : Consistent fonts and sizes create a seamless user experience. Follow a fixed pattern for headings, subheadings, CTAs, and other textual details. You can style some texts differently to highlight any information, like writing a hyperlinked phrase in a different color. Button styles: Follow the same colors, shapes, and sizes for a set of buttons meant for primary actions, secondary actions, and more. This will create a cohesive user experience since users can instantly understand the importance of each button. Color coding: For example, the primary “Create” button in Mailchimp is filled with a dark green color, while the secondary action buttons everywhere are filled with white and outlined with the same green color. 3. Principle of continuity What it means: The principle of continuity states that elements arranged in a line or curve sequence look related to each other as opposed to those not in a line or curve. It suggests that humans follow a path or sequence and process visual information easily when arranged in a recognizable path.
How to apply in product design
Progress indicators: Design linear or curved progress bars to indicate users’ progress through a process, like an onboarding flow or multi-step form. For example, Popl uses this progress indicator to help new users explore the platform. All the milestones are arranged in a linear sequence to create the perspective that each step is related to the other. Data visualization: Use lines or curves to explain trends and relationships within data visualization charts, graphs, and other elements. Plus, arranging elements in a sequence will make it easy for users to interpret information. This example shows how Arcade’s analytics dashboard uses lines and curves to help users understand the data quickly. 4. Principle of proximity What it means: The principle of proximity states that objects close to each other appear linked to each other as opposed to those spaced farther apart. It helps people organize and process information based on how close or far apart objects are arranged.
How to apply in product design
Grouped buttons: Place relevant buttons next to each other to explain their relationship. You can create a visual hierarchy and simplify the flow within your product by grouping buttons together. Here’s how Trello places primary action buttons next to each other on the top navigation bar.Content sections : Organize content in close proximity to make it easy for users to scan and process the information. A typical blog page places all the text and images together on one side to indicate they’re related to each other. However, a table of contents and CTA box are on the right to make these elements stand out.5. Principle of figure-ground What it means: The principle of figure-ground states that people can perceive the background and foreground as separate elements. It explains the ability to focus on something in the foreground (figure) and differentiate it from the background (ground).
How to apply in product design
Clear contrast: One of the best ways to apply this principle is by creating a strong contrast between elements in the foreground and the background. This makes it easier for users to understand the information. For example, Copy.ai uses contrasting colors (white, black, and grey) to share resources on the dashboard. Interactivity: This principle also helps in building interactive elements within the product. Use differences in color, size, and shadow to create distinguishable elements in the product.Content layering: Add layers in your interface to differentiate some content, like modals or pop-ups. Using this principle, you can spotlight important elements and ensure they stand out against the main content. For example, Soapbox uses the figure-ground principle to highlight the pop-up in the foreground. 6. Principle of connectedness What it means: The principle of connectedness states that are visually connected through lines, colors, or other attributes appear related to each other. This principle works well for grouping different sections or linking different steps in a process.
How to apply in product design
Navigation links: Connect different sections in the navigation panel using visual cues like lines or colors. Use this principle to help users understand the relationship between different elements. For example, Mailchimp groups navigation links with drop-down links and highlights the current page.Content grouping: Use visual connectors like background shades and borders to group relevant content in a segment. Here’s an example of content grouping by Google Maps. On the left, you can see two cards grouped together that are related to route and traffic search. On the top, you can see different types of points of interest that you might want to search for. Each group presents information related to each other.7. Principle of common regions What it means: The principle of common regions states that objects arranged in a closed region are perceived to be a part of the same group. You can apply this principle to group related information in cards and create widgets on the dashboard to organize crucial details.
How to apply in product design
Dashboard widgets: Organize information in different widgets to help users easily navigate your interface. You can also use the principle of connectedness to group information, then present it in the form of widgets, like this example from Arcade. Every information is placed in different groups to simplify the user experience.Card design: Group similar or related information in cards or panels. Remember to differentiate between these cards using borders or background colors. For example, Arcade shows a set of how-to resources on the home screen. These resource cards are grouped together using the principle of common regions.8. Principle of common fate What it means: The principle of common fate states that elements moving in the same direction are perceived as part of the same group. Use this principle to design scrolling content sections or create sliding animations to organize related items.
How to apply in product design
Animations: Use similar animation effects for related elements to indicate they’re connected to each other or denote the same action. For example, add a sliding effect to all navigation links to help users understand all of them indicate a primary action. Interactive feedback: Implement hover or click effects that impact multiple related elements simultaneously. You can also create similar loading indicators to tell users different elements are part of the same process.9. Principle of parallelism What it means: The principle of parallelism states that objects placed parallel to each other appear more related than elements not parallel. This principle creates a visual rhythm for repetitive elements like galleries, listicles, and cards arranged in a sequence. It also works well in grid layouts.
How to apply in product design
Visual rhythm: Design repetitive elements with parallel alignment to create a seamless visual rhythm for users. Use lists or gallery styles to create such patterns. For example, monday.com’s in-app knowledge base uses a gallery layout to showcase the most popular topics. Aligned layouts : Align text, images, and other content in parallel lines to create a clean interface. This layout makes it easier for users to process information and navigate your product. It also builds a sense of order and eliminates any confusion. 10. Principle of order and symmetry What it means: The principle of order and symmetry states that people find it easier to understand objects aligned symmetrically. Symmetry makes visuals appear more aesthetic and creates a more engaging experience.
How to apply in product design
Consistent grids: Arrange cards and panels in an aligned grid layout to help users easily process information and explore your product. Here’s an example of how Aura Bora uses this principle to neatly organize information in grids. Balanced layouts: This principle can also be used to create more visually appealing page layouts in your product’s interface. Use mirroring to place content in different parts of a page and enhance its visual appeal. For example, Semrush Academy organizes all its courses in a symmetrical pattern—each row containing three courses with the course name, description, tags, and other attributes.Optimize your product design with Gestalt principles Applying Gestalt principles can make your product interface more intuitive and easy to navigate. You can align your designs with the natural ways in which people perceive visual information.
One way to optimize your design using these principles is to understand how real users interact with your product interface. This is where Wondering’s prototype and design testing tools can make life easy for you.
Wondering allows you to observe user behavior in real time, validate your design choices, and identify areas of improvement early on.
By testing prototypes and design concepts, you can confidently iterate designs aligned with user expectations. Sign up on Wondering for free to test your prototypes.
