Base120 · Composition
Gestalt Integration
Perceive and leverage whole patterns rather than isolated components
When to use
"Use when analyzing components in isolation misses the meaning. The whole is perceived before the parts; leverage this by designing for the gestalt first, then refining components."
Example
"A user perceives a website as fast or slow, trustworthy or untrustworthy, before they perceive individual elements. Optimizing individual elements (button color, font size) without addressing the gestalt (overall coherence, perceived performance) produces diminishing returns."
Common misuse
"Optimizing components while the gestalt degrades. A faster button on a confusing page makes the confusion more obvious, not less."