1. Gestalt
psychology
& webdesign
Fronteers December 2008 - Henk Wijnholds - henk@concept7.nl

2. Gestalt
The way things are placed or put together

3. Gestalt psychology
is about human perception

4. Let’s introduce these fellas, the founders...
Wolgang Köhler Kurt Koffka Max Wertheimer

5. Why do we see some things as
foreground and others as background?

6. How is it possible that we can distinguish
shapes?

7. What’s a good shape?

8. How do we see consistency of things?

9. Founders discovered 5 laws ...
Law of ...
proximity
similarity
closure
continuity
simplicity

10. Law of proximity

11. Law of proximity

12. Law of proximity

13. Law of similarity

14. Law of similarity

15. Law of similarity

16. Law of similarity

17. Law of similarity

18. Law of closure

19. Law of closure

20. Law of closure

21. Law of closure

22. Law of closure
Full closure is not
necessary

23. Law of closure

24. Law of continuity

25. Law of continuity

26. Law of continuity

27. Law of continuity

28. Law of simplicity

29. Law of simplicity

30. Law of simplicity

31. Law of simplicity

32. Law of simplicity

33. Law of simplicity
The laws of simplicity
John Maeda

34. Law of simplicity
Laat dingen weg

35. Law of simplicity
Laat dingen weg
Laat alleen het meest nodige staan
Example by Luke Wroblewski

36. Law of simplicity
Organiseer dat wat achter blijft

37. Law of simplicity
Organiseer dat wat achterblijft
Example by Luke Wroblewski

38. Law of simplicity
Werk met een goed grid

39. Law of simplicity

40. Law of simplicity

41. Law of simplicity
Download our sketching paper
http://www.concept7.nl/henk/?p=80

42. Gestalt psychology
So maybe design is tangible?
Grouping helps us arrange the world

43. Gestalt psychology
Try to objectify subjectivity

44. FIN
http://www.concept7.nl/henk/