Perception: Introduction

     Trying to understand psychological subjects by perceiving them as organized and planned instead of viewing them as the sum of their parts, Gestalt psychology separates itself from more traditional techniques and makes itself stand prominent with such concepts as holism, holism and context. Gestalt goes hand in hand with the study of signs, or ‘semiotics’ as it is commonly referred to. This essay means to explore the subjects of Gestaltism, Semiotics and design and dive deeply into what they mean.

      The main sources that I will use will be “Semiotics: The Basics” (2002) by Daniel Chandler, Designing with the Mind: Simple Guide to Understanding User Interface Desiogn Rules” (2010) by Jeff Johnson, “Information Dashboard Deisgn” (2006) by Stephan Few, “Our Cell Phones, Ourselves” (2004) an online article by Christine Rosen and “Mobline Phones as a Status Symbol” (2011), another online article by Andrena Markley.

     To begin with, the assignment introduces the concept of phones and what impact they have on society followed by the model of phone this essay will be studying. It will then go on to explain what exactly the gestalt principals of perception and semiotics are and how they link in with the design of the phone. The essay will then show other examples of these aspects of design in action. In conclusion, it will round off by discussing how useful Gestalt psychology and semiotics are in designing products that are to be interacted with, both visually and physically.

     To briefly explain, Semiotics is the study of signs and why we as humans perceive them as we do. Such examples are traffic lights, handheld controllers and keyboards. This proves useful in design because, if semiotics are considered, make the product easier to use. Likewise with the Gestalt principals of perception, which is the study of shapes, design is one of the main departments of which this subject can fall into and be taken into great use.