dembrandt Gestalt UI Organisation
UI should be organised so that the visual structure communicates relationships — which commands, controls, and elements belong together — without requiring users to read labels or documentation.
Core Gestalt Principles for UI Layout
1. Proximity
Elements that are close together are perceived as a group.
- Place related controls (e.g. Bold / Italic / Underline) close together with minimal gap between them
- Separate unrelated groups with larger whitespace
- Do not use lines or borders as the primary grouping mechanism — proximity alone should convey the relationship
Example: A toolbar with [Cut] [Copy] [Paste] grouped tightly, then a wider gap before [Undo] [Redo], communicates two distinct command groups without any visual divider.
Prefer whitespace over separator lines
Default to whitespace, not divider lines, for grouping. Most separators do work that spacing does better — they add noise and a "boxed-in" feel without adding information. Remove the majority and let proximity carry the grouping.
Caveat: a line takes almost no space, so removing it leaves groups too close. Removing separators usually means adding spacing — budget the whitespace (occasionally a subtle background or heading) rather than just deleting the line and leaving the layout cramped.
2. Similarity
Elements that look alike are perceived as related.
- Use consistent colour, shape, size, and iconography within a functional group
- Differentiate groups through visual contrast (shape, fill, size) — not just position
- Primary actions and secondary actions should look visually distinct from each other
Example: Destructive actions (Delete, Remove) use a different colour than constructive actions (Save, Add), signalling different intent groups.
3. Common Region
Elements enclosed in a shared region are perceived as a group.
- Use cards, panels, or background fills to enclose logically related content
- Avoid wrapping unrelated elements in the same container
- Nested regions should reflect nested logical hierarchy
A region needs no border — but a borderless one needs air. Enclosure can come from a border/fill or from whitespace alone. When a card has no border or background, generous internal padding and a clear gap to its neighbours are what make it read as one region; without a border doing that job, cut the air and separate cards collapse into one blur. Borderless is fine — cramped-and-borderless is not.
Example: Form sections grouped in bordered cards signal that fields inside each card form a logical unit.
4. Connectedness
Elements connected by lines or visual links are perceived as related.
- Use connectors, lines, or flow arrows only when a genuine relationship exists
- In navigation trees or node-based editors, visible connections should match data relationships exactly
5. Figure / Ground
Users distinguish foreground interactive elements from background context.
- Interactive controls should have sufficient contrast against their background
- Disabled or contextual information should visually recede (lower contrast, smaller weight)
- Modals and overlays must clearly separate from the underlying content layer
6. Continuity
The eye follows smooth paths and lines.
- Align related controls along a consistent axis (left edge, baseline, or centre line)
- Avoid breaking alignment within a logical group
- Grid-aligned layouts reinforce groupings through shared axis continuity
Review Checklist
When reviewing a UI layout for Gestalt compliance:
- Can a new user identify which controls belong together without reading labels?
- Is proximity used as the primary grouping signal (not only borders/lines)?
- Do visually similar elements share a functional purpose?
- Are unrelated groups separated by meaningful whitespace?
- Have unnecessary divider lines been removed in favour of whitespace (with spacing added to compensate)?
- Does visual hierarchy match interaction hierarchy (primary > secondary > tertiary)?
- Are destructive or irreversible actions visually distinct from constructive ones?
- Is the figure/ground contrast sufficient for all interactive elements?
Common Anti-Patterns
| Anti-pattern | Problem | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| All buttons same size and colour regardless of function | Similarity principle violated — implies all actions are equivalent | Differentiate primary, secondary, destructive visually |
| Related controls spread across distant areas of the screen | Proximity violated — user cannot perceive the relationship | Co-locate related controls |
| Overuse of divider lines to group elements | Relies on decoration rather than spatial logic | Use whitespace and proximity instead |
| Identical whitespace between all elements | No grouping signal — everything reads as a flat list | Apply 8pt/4pt spacing scale: tight within group, loose between groups |
| Mixed icon styles within one toolbar | Similarity broken — implies different functional families | Use a single consistent icon set and weight per toolbar |