Gestalt Summary for Instructional Design
- 1. Present information in such a way as to support and take advantage of the mind's natural tendency
to perceive meaningful patterns.
2. "Colours, illustrations, images, lines, pictures, sounds, symbols, texts, and words should be
integrated in such a way that they can be interpreted as a meaningful whole rather than a number of
individual elements" (Petterson, 2010, p. 178).
3. Simplify designs; the law of closure suggests that it isn't always necessary or desirable to present a
complete image.
4. To take advantage of the law or proximity (the tendency to see objects near each other as belonging
together), place related information, or information that you want the learner to associate or connect,
in close proximity on the page or screen. "Make sure that the amount of space between elements in
information materials reflects their relationships" (Petterson, 2010, p. 179).