No. 33 Law of Proximity
Translation
Close together = belongs together.
Our eyes group things by distance. Put each label closer to its own field than to the next one & nobody has to guess.
Space does the job lines & boxes usually do.
Try this
Label gap small. Group gap big.
Where it comes from
In 1923, psychologist Max Wertheimer published the Gestalt grouping laws.
One was proximity: we group whatever sits closest together, no lines needed.
A century later, it’s on every designer’s cheat sheet, including Laws of UX.
- Max Wertheimer, “Untersuchungen zur Lehre von der Gestalt II,” Psychologische Forschung (1923)
- Jon Yablonski, Laws of UX, “Law of Proximity”
Save this
Save this for the next time a form makes you guess which label goes where.
Every format
Carousel slides
