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What are some instances of Gestalt Theory that you ca see in your everyday life or in prior research, articles, readings, etc? please browse the attached file below and reflect to it in 1-2 paragraphs. Makes if a reflection as discussion post please.

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Seeing as an active process
“Perception is not something that happens to us, or in us. It is
something we do. Think of a blind person tap-tapping his or her way
around a cluttered space, perceiving that space by touch, not all at
once, but through time, by skillful probing and movement. This is, or at
least ought to be, our paradigm of what perceiving is.”
Seeing is more like touching than recording with a camera
Alva Noë is Associate Professor of Philosophy at University of California, Berkeley.
Yarbus Eye Tracking Experiments
The Unexpected Visitor
• Alfred Lukyanovich Yarbus (1914
-1986) was a Russian
psychologist who made a
number of seminal studies of
eye movements
• eye-tracking study he performed
where he asked subjects to look
at a reproduction of a Russian oil
painting An Unexpected Visitor
painted by Ilya Repin in 1884
Yarbus Eye Tracking Experiments
The Unexpected Visitor
• Free examination
Yarbus Eye Tracking Experiments
The Unexpected Visitor
• What is the material status or
wealth of the family?
Yarbus Eye Tracking Experiments
The Unexpected Visitor
• How old are the people
depicted in the painting?
Bad Taste
• Too much for modest data
• Di icult to read
• Unnecessary details
• Redundant pieces
• Awkward viewing angles
• “In bad taste”
ff
• Not in service of conveying
information to the reader
Bad Taste
• Too much for modest data
• Di icult to read
• Unnecessary details
• Redundant pieces
• Awkward viewing angles
• “In bad taste”
ff
• Not in service of conveying
information to the reader
Bad Taste
• Too much for modest data
• Di icult to read
• Unnecessary details
• Redundant pieces
• Awkward viewing angles
• “In bad taste”
ff
• Not in service of conveying
information to the reader
This is supposed to show 1, 2, 3, 4
clutter is your enemy!
• Cognitive overload
• Overwhelmingly complicated
• We experience cognitive load
anytime we take in information
• Cognitive load can be thought of
as the mental e ort that’s required
to learn new information
f
ff
• Humans’ brains have a inite
amount of this mental processing
power
clutter is your enemy!
• When design is thoughtful, it
fades into the background so
that your audience doesn’t
even notice it
• When it’s not, however, your
audience feels the burden
• This is where Gestalt theories
or principals of design come in
Gestalt Principles of
Visual Perception
• Holism, or that the whole is
greater than the sum of its parts
• Prägnanz: German word that
means “pithiness.”
• Pithiness is the act of being
concise and full of meaning/
substance.
• Parsimonious: “frugal”
• OR saying a lot with a little
Don’t use seven words, when four will do
Gestalt Principles of
Visual Perception
• The brain loves simplicity and it
tends to process simple
patterns — patterns that are
regular, even, and orderly —
faster than patterns that are
more complex
• By utilizing Gestalt principles
(among others), we leverage
the nature of the human brain
f
Gestalt Principles of
Visual Perception
• similarity
• proximity
• continuity
• closure
• igure-ground
• symmetry
• connection
Gestalt Principles of
Visual Perception
Similarity
• Objects that are similar will be
perceived as related or belonging to
part of a group
• color, shape, size, or orientation
• This can be leveraged in tables to
help draw our audience’s eyes in the
direction we want them to focus
• Reader sees what you want
Gestalt Principles of
Visual Perception
Similarity
• Objects that are similar will be
perceived as related or belonging to
part of a group
• color, shape, size, or orientation
• This can be leveraged in tables to
help draw our audience’s eyes in the
direction we want them to focus
• Reader sees what you want
Gestalt Principles of
Visual Perception
Similarity
• Objects that are similar will be
perceived as related or belonging to
part of a group
• color, shape, size, or orientation
• This can be leveraged in tables to
help draw our audience’s eyes in the
direction we want them to focus
• Reader sees what you want
Gestalt Principles of
Visual Perception
Similarity
• Objects that are similar will be
perceived as related or belonging to
part of a group
• color, shape, size, or orientation
• This can be leveraged in tables to
help draw our audience’s eyes in the
direction we want them to focus
• Reader sees what you want
Gestalt Principles of
Visual Perception
Similarity
• Objects that are similar will be
perceived as related or belonging to
part of a group
• color, shape, size, or orientation
• This can be leveraged in tables to
help draw our audience’s eyes in the
direction we want them to focus
• Reader sees what you want
Gestalt Principles of
Visual Perception
Similarity
• Objects that are similar will be
perceived as related or belonging to
part of a group
• color, shape, size, or orientation
• This can be leveraged in tables to
help draw our audience’s eyes in the
direction we want them to focus
• Reader sees what you want
Gestalt Principles of
Visual Perception
Proximity
• We tend to think of objects that are
physically close together as belonging
to part of a group
• Elements closer together are seen as
belonging together
ff
f
• Simply by virtue of di erentiating the
spacing between the dots, your eyes
are drawn either down the columns in
the irst case or across the rows in the
second case.
Gestalt Principles of
Visual Perception
Proximity
• We tend to think of objects that are
physically close together as belonging
to part of a group
• Elements closer together are seen as
belonging together
ff
f
• Simply by virtue of di erentiating the
spacing between the dots, your eyes
are drawn either down the columns in
the irst case or across the rows in the
second case.
Gestalt Principles of
Visual Perception
Proximity
• We tend to think of objects that are
physically close together as belonging
to part of a group
• Elements closer together are seen as
belonging together
ff
f
• Simply by virtue of di erentiating the
spacing between the dots, your eyes
are drawn either down the columns in
the irst case or across the rows in the
second case.
Gestalt Principles of
Visual Perception
Proximity
• We tend to think of objects that are
physically close together as belonging
to part of a group
• Elements closer together are seen as
belonging together
ff
f
• Simply by virtue of di erentiating the
spacing between the dots, your eyes
are drawn either down the columns in
the irst case or across the rows in the
second case.
Gestalt Principles of
Visual Perception
Proximity
• We tend to think of objects that are
physically close together as belonging
to part of a group
• Elements closer together are seen as
belonging together
ff
f
• Simply by virtue of di erentiating the
spacing between the dots, your eyes
are drawn either down the columns in
the irst case or across the rows in the
second case.
Gestalt Principles of
Visual Perception
Proximity
• We tend to think of objects that are
physically close together as belonging
to part of a group
• Elements closer together are seen as
belonging together
ff
f
• Simply by virtue of di erentiating the
spacing between the dots, your eyes
are drawn either down the columns in
the irst case or across the rows in the
second case.
I see columns
I see rows
Gestalt Principles of
Visual Perception
Continuity
• When looking at objects, our eyes
seek the smoothest path and
naturally create continuity
• Including interruptions
• Our brains like simplicity
• Your eyes actually still see that the
bars are lined up at the same point
because of the consistent white
space, even without an axis or grid
Gestalt Principles of
Visual Perception
Continuity
• When looking at objects, our eyes
seek the smoothest path and
naturally create continuity
• Including interruptions
• Our brains like simplicity
• Your eyes actually still see that the
bars are lined up at the same point
because of the consistent white
space, even without an axis or grid
Gestalt Principles of
Visual Perception
Continuity
• When looking at objects, our eyes
seek the smoothest path and
naturally create continuity
• Including interruptions
• Our brains like simplicity
• Your eyes actually still see that the
bars are lined up at the same point
because of the consistent white
space, even without an axis or grid
Gestalt Principles of
Visual Perception
Continuity
• When looking at objects, our eyes
seek the smoothest path and
naturally create continuity
• Including interruptions
• Our brains like simplicity
• Your eyes actually still see that the
bars are lined up at the same point
because of the consistent white
space, even without an axis or grid
Gestalt Principles of
Visual Perception
Continuity
• When looking at objects, our eyes
seek the smoothest path and
naturally create continuity
• Including interruptions
• Our brains like simplicity
• Your eyes actually still see that the
bars are lined up at the same point
because of the consistent white
space, even without an axis or grid
Gestalt Principles of
Visual Perception
Continuity
• When looking at objects, our eyes
seek the smoothest path and
naturally create continuity
• Including interruptions
• Our brains like simplicity
• Your eyes actually still see that the
bars are lined up at the same point
because of the consistent white
space, even without an axis or grid
Gestalt Principles of
Visual Perception
Continuity
• When looking at objects, our eyes
seek the smoothest path and
naturally create continuity
• Including interruptions
• Our brains like simplicity
• Your eyes actually still see that the
bars are lined up at the same point
because of the consistent white
space, even without an axis or grid
Gestalt Principles of
Visual Perception
Continuity
• When looking at objects, our eyes
seek the smoothest path and
naturally create continuity
• Including interruptions
• Our brains like simplicity
• Your eyes actually still see that the
bars are lined up at the same point
because of the consistent white
space, even without an axis or grid
Closure
• People like things to be simple and to
it in the constructs that are already
in our heads.
• People tend to perceive a set of
individual elements as a single,
recognizable shape when possible
• We ill in the gaps with patterns that
the brain recognizes to be a whole
f
f
Gestalt Principles of
Visual Perception
Closure
• People like things to be simple and to
it in the constructs that are already
in our heads.
• People tend to perceive a set of
individual elements as a single,
recognizable shape when possible
• We ill in the gaps with patterns that
the brain recognizes to be a whole
f
f
Gestalt Principles of
Visual Perception
Closure
• People like things to be simple and to
it in the constructs that are already
in our heads.
• People tend to perceive a set of
individual elements as a single,
recognizable shape when possible
• We ill in the gaps with patterns that
the brain recognizes to be a whole
f
f
Gestalt Principles of
Visual Perception
Closure
• People like things to be simple and to
it in the constructs that are already
in our heads.
• People tend to perceive a set of
individual elements as a single,
recognizable shape when possible
• We ill in the gaps with patterns that
the brain recognizes to be a whole
f
f
Gestalt Principles of
Visual Perception
Closure
• People like things to be simple and to
it in the constructs that are already
in our heads.
• People tend to perceive a set of
individual elements as a single,
recognizable shape when possible
• We ill in the gaps with patterns that
the brain recognizes to be a whole
f
f
Gestalt Principles of
Visual Perception
Closure
• People like things to be simple and to
it in the constructs that are already
in our heads.
• People tend to perceive a set of
individual elements as a single,
recognizable shape when possible
• We ill in the gaps with patterns that
the brain recognizes to be a whole
f
f
Gestalt Principles of
Visual Perception
Closure
• People like things to be simple and to
it in the constructs that are already
in our heads.
• People tend to perceive a set of
individual elements as a single,
recognizable shape when possible
• We ill in the gaps with patterns that
the brain recognizes to be a whole
f
f
Gestalt Principles of
Visual Perception
Gestalt Principles of
Visual Perception
Figure Ground
• Brains see an object or igure against
its surroundings or ground
• Also called positive/negative space
relationship
• Same shapes can be seen as
foregrounds or backgrounds
f
• Color, shapes, or shade does not
automatically make positive or
negative, it is based on the context
Gestalt Principles of
Visual Perception
Figure Ground
• Brains see an object or igure against
its surroundings or ground
• Also called positive/negative space
relationship
• Same shapes can be seen as
foregrounds or backgrounds
f
• Color, shapes, or shade does not
automatically make positive or
negative, it is based on the context
Gestalt Principles of
Visual Perception
Figure Ground
• Brains see an object or igure against
its surroundings or ground
• Also called positive/negative space
relationship
• Same shapes can be seen as
foregrounds or backgrounds
f
• Color, shapes, or shade does not
automatically make positive or
negative, it is based on the context
Gestalt Principles of
Visual Perception
Figure Ground
• Brains see an object or igure against
its surroundings or ground
• Also called positive/negative space
relationship
• Same shapes can be seen as
foregrounds or backgrounds
f
• Color, shapes, or shade does not
automatically make positive or
negative, it is based on the context
Gestalt Principles of
Visual Perception
Figure Ground
• Brains see an object or igure against
its surroundings or ground
• Also called positive/negative space
relationship
• Same shapes can be seen as
foregrounds or backgrounds
f
• Color, shapes, or shade does not
automatically make positive or
negative, it is based on the context
Gestalt Principles of
Visual Perception
Figure Ground
• Brains see an object or igure against
its surroundings or ground
• Also called positive/negative space
relationship
• Same shapes can be seen as
foregrounds or backgrounds
f
• Color, shapes, or shade does not
automatically make positive or
negative, it is based on the context
Gestalt Principles of
Visual Perception
Figure Ground
• Brains see an object or igure against
its surroundings or ground
• Also called positive/negative space
relationship
• Same shapes can be seen as
foregrounds or backgrounds
f
• Color, shapes, or shade does not
automatically make positive or
negative, it is based on the context
Gestalt Principles of
Visual Perception
Figure Ground
• Brains see an object or igure against
its surroundings or ground
• Also called positive/negative space
relationship
• Same shapes can be seen as
foregrounds or backgrounds
f
• Color, shapes, or shade does not
automatically make positive or
negative, it is based on the context
Gestalt Principles of
Visual Perception
Figure Ground
• Brains see an object or igure against
its surroundings or ground
• Also called positive/negative space
relationship
• Same shapes can be seen as
foregrounds or backgrounds
• Color, shapes, or shade does not
automatically make positive or
negative, it is based on the context
f
In this optical exercise, adults and children will see different things
Gestalt Principles of
Visual Perception
Figure Ground
• Brains see an object or igure against
its surroundings or ground
• Also called positive/negative space
relationship
• Same shapes can be seen as
foregrounds or backgrounds
• Color, shapes, or shade does not
automatically make positive or
negative, it is based on the context
f
NINE DOLPHINS
Gestalt Principles of
Visual Perception
Simplicity
• An additional principal after 1920
• The eye will instinctively choose to
interpret the simplest possible form
• When presented with an image
containing multiple shapes, the mind
may choose to separate them or group
them depending on which solution is the
most straightforward
• Elegance design – minimum number of
steps to convey a message
Gestalt Principles of
Visual Perception
Simplicity
• An additional principal after 1920
• The eye will instinctively choose to
interpret the simplest possible form
• When presented with an image
containing multiple shapes, the mind
may choose to separate them or group
them depending on which solution is the
most straightforward
• Elegance design – minimum number of
steps to convey a message
Gestalt Principles of
Visual Perception
Simplicity
• An additional principal after 1920
• The eye will instinctively choose to
interpret the simplest possible form
• When presented with an image
containing multiple shapes, the mind
may choose to separate them or group
them depending on which solution is the
most straightforward
• Elegance design – minimum number of
steps to convey a message
Gestalt Principles of
Visual Perception
Simplicity
• An additional principal after 1920
• The eye will instinctively choose to
interpret the simplest possible form
• When presented with an image
containing multiple shapes, the mind
may choose to separate them or group
them depending on which solution is the
most straightforward
• Elegance design – minimum number of
steps to convey a message
Gestalt Principles of
Visual Perception
Simplicity
• An additional principal after 1920
• The eye will instinctively choose to
interpret the simplest possible form
• When presented with an image
containing multiple shapes, the mind
may choose to separate them or group
them depending on which solution is the
most straightforward
• Elegance design – minimum number of
steps to convey a message
Gestalt Principles of
Visual Perception
Simplicity
• An additional principal after 1920
• The eye will instinctively choose to
interpret the simplest possible form
• When presented with an image
containing multiple shapes, the mind
may choose to separate them or group
them depending on which solution is the
most straightforward
• Elegance design – minimum number of
steps to convey a message
Gestalt Principles of
Visual Perception
Simplicity
• An additional principal after 1920
• The eye will instinctively choose to
interpret the simplest possible form
• When presented with an image
containing multiple shapes, the mind
may choose to separate them or group
them depending on which solution is the
most straightforward
• Elegance design – minimum number of
steps to convey a message
Gestalt Principles of
Visual Perception
Simplicity
• An additional principal after 1920
• The eye will instinctively choose to
interpret the simplest possible form
• When presented with an image
containing multiple shapes, the mind
may choose to separate them or group
them depending on which solution is the
most straightforward
• Elegance design – minimum number of
steps to convey a message
Gestalt Principles of
Visual Perception
Simplicity
• An additional principal after 1920
• The eye will instinctively choose to
interpret the simplest possible form
• When presented with an image
containing multiple shapes, the mind
may choose to separate them or group
them depending on which solution is the
most straightforward
• Elegance design – minimum number of
steps to convey a message
Gestalt Principles of
Visual Perception
Familiarity
• Among forms, colors, shapes, etc our
brains will see out and notice the
most familiar objects irst
• Things that form patterns that are
familiar or meaningful are likely to be
grouped together
f
• Leverage as a way to highlight data
Gestalt Principles of
Visual Perception
Familiarity
• Among forms, colors, shapes, etc our
brains will see out and notice the
most familiar objects irst
• Things that form patterns that are
familiar or meaningful are likely to be
grouped together
f
• Leverage as a way to highlight data
Gestalt Principles of
Visual Perception
Connection
• We tend to think of objects that are
physically connected as part of a
group
• The connective property typically
has a stronger associative value than
similar color, size, or shape
• we can leverage the connection
principle is in line graphs, to help our
eyes see order in the data
Gestalt Principles of
Visual Perception
Connection
• We tend to think of objects that are
physically connected as part of a
group
• The connective property typically
has a stronger associative value than
similar color, size, or shape
• we can leverage the connection
principle is in line graphs, to help our
eyes see order in the data
• HEADLINE makes you think that
5.2% of children get spinal cord
injuries
• The truth is: only 5.2% of
traumatic orthopedic injuries
are spinal injuries
f
• the real igure is about
.0000003%
The real data, scaled properly
Source: National Review
WHY IT’S HARD.
•
In school, we are taught language and math
•
How to put words together and how to make sense of numbers
•
We are rarely taught how to tell stories with numbers
•
Technology and communication allows us to amass a ton of data
•
The conveyance of information has become even more important
WE HAVE DATA WILLIAM PLAYFAIR COULD HAVE NEVER IMAGINED
AS WELL AS THE CREATIVITY AND TOOLS TO VISUALIZE THAT DATA
Simple text
• just because you have numbers
doesn’t mean you need a graph
• Sometimes words with big
numbers written in bold fonts are
more e ective
• especially when communicating
one or two data points.
ff
• When you have just a number or
two that you want to communicate:
use the numbers directly
Tables
• Tables interact with the
language parts of our brain
• If you need to communicate
multiple di erent units of
measure, it’s typically easier
with a table than a graph
ff
• Do not make data lose the
attention; careful with borders
Tables
• Using a table in a live
presentation is rarely a good
idea
• As your audience must read
• You lose their ears and attention
to make your point verbally
ff
• including the table in the
appendix or references should
su ice
Heat maps
• Adds an additional dimension
• Visual cues to your data
• Instantaneous pattern
recognition
• Reduce mental processing with
color
Lines
• The line graph can show a single, two series, or multiple series of data
• Because the points are physically connected via the line, it implies a
connection between the points
• Data can be manipulated via axis by scale or consistency
Lines
• Aesthetic choices can a ect the story you are trying to tell
• What choices can we make to highlight data
ff
• What happens when we make other choices?
Lines
• While simple, there are many creative liberties we can take with even the
most straightforward line graph data
Slope graph
• useful when you have two time
points of comparison and want
to show relative changes
between the two data points.
• Absolute value (points) and the
visual rate of change
• Usefulness is dependent on
how your data looks
Slope graph
• Aesthetic choices create
shortcuts to the reader
• Reduce mental load
• Readily show patterns
• Choices matter
• Highlighting or emphasizing
data
Slope graph
• Aesthetic choices create
shortcuts to the reader
• Reduce mental load
• Readily show patterns
• Choices matter
• Highlighting or emphasizing
data
Bar charts
• Common
• But…not a bad thing?
• Lower learning curve for readers
• Audience spends more time
understanding your graph than
interpreting it
• Easy to read categories and sizes
• Easy false visual comparison
Bar charts
• Common
• But…not a bad thing?
• Lower learning curve for readers
• Audience spends more time
understanding your graph than
interpreting it
• Easy to read categories and sizes
• Easy false visual comparison
Bar charts
• Goldilocks zone of data
• Not too thick, nor too thin
• bar charts must have a zero
baseline to prevent distortion
• If necessary, make it clear to your
audience that you are using a
nonzero baseline and take context
into account
Bar charts
• Like line graphs, vertical bar
charts can be single series, two
series, or multiple series
• More di icult to read as you
add more data
• Erroneous visual grouping
might occur
ff
• Aesthetics and highlighting
choices to tell a data story
Bar charts
• Like line graphs, vertical bar
charts can be single series, two
series, or multiple series
• More di icult to read as you
add more data
• Erroneous visual grouping
might occur
ff
• Aesthetics and highlighting
choices to tell a data story
Area graph
• Useful in showing contrasts in
data amounts
• BUT the human mind is bad at
comparing proportions
• Di erences with similarly-sized
data can be hard to
comprehend
ff
ff
• Useful for showing start
contrast for dramatic e ect
Snack graphs
• Useful in showing contrasts in
data amounts
• BUT the human mind is bad at
comparing proportions
• Di erences with similarly-sized
data can be hard to
comprehend
ff
• Would another chart be better?
Snack graphs
• Useful in showing contrasts in
data amounts
• BUT the human mind is bad at
comparing proportions
• Di erences with similarly-sized
data can be hard to
comprehend
ff
• Would another chart be better?
Snack graphs
• Useful in showing contrasts in
data amounts
• BUT the human mind is bad at
comparing proportions
• Di erences with similarly-sized
data can be hard to
comprehend
ff
• Would another chart be better?
Snack graphs
• Useful in showing contrasts in
data amounts
• BUT the human mind is bad at
comparing proportions
• Di erences with similarly-sized
data can be hard to
comprehend
ff
• Would another chart be better?
Bringing it together
• In utilizing strong design
principles,
• We convey information in an
aesthetically pleasing way
• We convey information in a
straightforward way
• We lower the mental load to
view and understand
information
Bringing it together
• In utilizing strong design
principles,
• We convey information in an
aesthetically pleasing way
• We convey information in a
straightforward way
• We lower the mental load to
view and understand
information
Bringing it together
• In utilizing strong design
principles,
• We convey information in an
aesthetically pleasing way
• We convey information in a
straightforward way
• We lower the mental load to
view and understand
information
Bringing it together
• In utilizing strong design
principles,
• We convey information in an
aesthetically pleasing way
• We convey information in a
straightforward way
• We lower the mental load to
view and understand
information
Bringing it together
• In utilizing strong design
principles,
• We convey information in an
aesthetically pleasing way
• We convey information in a
straightforward way
• We lower the mental load to
view and understand
information

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