GestaltProximity [fact] v1.0.0

Gestalt Principle of Proximity (Wertheimer, 1923): elements close together are perceived as a single group; spatial distance encodes semantic relationship.

Visual elements positioned close to each other are perceived as belonging to the same group, regardless of their other visual properties. Spatial proximity is one of the strongest grouping cues — stronger than color or shape similarity in most contexts.

Meta

• License: Apache-2.0
• License Provenance: package-authorship-claim

Confidence

proven

Applies To

• form field grouping (label proximity to input)
• navigation menu spacing
• card layouts (related items grouped)
• data table column groups

Quantitative

• Practical Implication: Increase spacing 1.5-2× between groups vs within groups
• Rule Of Thumb: If users misread groupings, the within-group spacing is too LARGE relative to between-group spacing

Counter Conditions

• Strong color/shape contrast can override proximity grouping
• When alignment grids force equal spacing, proximity loses its grouping power — use vertical separators or background tint instead

GestaltProximity [fact] v1.0.0

Gestalt Principle of Proximity (Wertheimer, 1923): elements close together are perceived as a single group; spatial distance encodes semantic relationship.

Visual elements positioned close to each other are perceived as belonging to the same group, regardless of their other visual properties. Spatial proximity is one of the strongest grouping cues — stronger than color or shape similarity in most contexts.

Meta

• License: Apache-2.0
• License Provenance: package-authorship-claim

Confidence

proven

Applies To

• form field grouping (label proximity to input)
• navigation menu spacing
• card layouts (related items grouped)
• data table column groups

Quantitative

• Practical Implication: Increase spacing 1.5-2× between groups vs within groups
• Rule Of Thumb: If users misread groupings, the within-group spacing is too LARGE relative to between-group spacing

Counter Conditions

• Strong color/shape contrast can override proximity grouping
• When alignment grids force equal spacing, proximity loses its grouping power — use vertical separators or background tint instead

Sources

Relations

related: [@community/fact-gestalt-similarity, @community/fact-gestalt-closure]

Meta

• License: Apache-2.0
• License Provenance: package-authorship-claim

Confidence

proven

Source

• Max Wertheimer, 'Untersuchungen zur Lehre von der Gestalt II', Psychologische Forschung (1923)
• Wolfgang Köhler, 'Gestalt Psychology' (1929)
• lawsofux.com / Laws of UX

Applies To

• form field grouping (label proximity to input)
• navigation menu spacing
• card layouts (related items grouped)
• data table column groups

Quantitative

• Practical Implication: Increase spacing 1.5-2× between groups vs within groups
• Rule Of Thumb: If users misread groupings, the within-group spacing is too LARGE relative to between-group spacing

Counter Conditions

• Strong color/shape contrast can override proximity grouping
• When alignment grids force equal spacing, proximity loses its grouping power — use vertical separators or background tint instead