Gestalt Principles and the Laws of UX: Part 8 - The Law of Common Fate
Jamie Esterman
Driving results through digital experiences | Product Design, UX, UI, CRO & Marketing | Websites, Apps & SaaS
The scientific principles I use every day designing in tools like Figma were predominantly researched and documented between 1912 and 1960 - before the invention of computers and mobile phones or the gurus of UX at NNG.
Each week I am going to release a new Law of UX. This week, The Law of Common Fate.
Don't want to wait? You can read my take on 9 Laws of UX in the full post on my website.
Elements tend to be perceived into groups if they are sharing an area with a clearly defined boundary.
The way our brains group things together isn't random - it follows some pretty clear patterns that psychologists call the Gestalt principles. Think of it like how your brain automatically sorts your sock drawer - matching pairs naturally go together.
These principles boil down to five main ways we group things: by how close they are (Proximity), how similar they look (Similarity), how they flow (Continuity), how we complete partial shapes (Closure), and how they connect (Connectedness). The Law of Common Fate builds on this by showing how elements that move or function together are perceived as a group - just like how you instantly know which apps are related when they share the same design style. Google, Apple and Microsoft use this principle to help user’s identify their apps in a sea of brands:
In the below example, the use of background colours to divide sections and card designs for testimonials indicate to the user that these are seperate blocks of information and that the testimonials are a type of content that is repeated - having a common fate.
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The Law of Common Fate takeaways
Further reading:
References:
UI/UX Designer | Brand Designer
1 个月This is such a great breakdown of the Gestalt principles! It's always fascinating to see how much our brains naturally organize information without noticing. I love how you pointed out the Law of Common Fate - a sound design concept, especially in creating intuitive user interfaces. The example of card designs for testimonials is spot on, too! Incredible how subtle design decisions, like consistent styles or grouping, can instantly guide users and make their experience seamless. Thanks for sharing this in such an approachable way! Btw, I have a good article: https://clay.global/blog/gestalt-design-principles
Founder | Investor | Product Design Leadership | AI & Design
1 个月Great breakdown, Jamie. It’s amazing how something as simple as shared movement or boundaries can create an instant sense of connection.
Founder of Further Insight ?? Market Research ?? Customer Experience ?? Marketing Mix Modelling
1 个月Thanks for sharing Jamie. I use the same principle when I want to show similarity between data points in my charts. Are there things we should avoid when trying to use design to highlight groupings?