I had studied the Gestalt principles in Digital Media Convergence and my AP psychology class in high school but I couldn’t for the life of me what tell anyone what the principles were about. It was nice that Rutledge summarized the elements of the Gestalt principle in concise descriptions, which made it easier to comprehend.
The funny thing about the Gestalt principle is that most of the ideas are, indeed, very simple. It’s so easy to get lose in the complexities of designing anything so the Gestalt principle acts as a reminder to focus on the basics. As popular websites like BuzzFeed, Twitter and Facebook have shone, simplicity is better.
Since I hated AP psychology I often ignore the use of psychological principles in my everyday life. It is an aspect that I desperately need to reintroduce into my classes and The Pendulum. For example, The Pendulum’s table of contents is now a series of boxes with the page numbers on them with the occasional teaser pointing to the box. It’s lacking continuation and the Gestalt principle of Good Continuation would add some connectivity to the table of contents.
Another theme that I find completely necessary to create a web page is closure. I’m a creature of habit so the idea that websites need a pattern within the intricacies would be a most in any web page I design.
It’s important to play to your websites strength. Facebook puts the most vital information, the notifications about yourself at the top of the page. Nathan Ford’s website was a perfect example. It provides the important content front and center while the visually pleasing elements that add dimensions to the background. If I took one thing home from the Gestalt principles, it’s to not forget the basics. They’ll make or break your website.