Human–Computer Interaction Modeling Based on Gestalt Principles in Digital Graphic Design: From the Perspective of Donald Arthur Norman

Abstract

In the digital era, effective Human–Computer Interaction (HCI) requires a deep understanding of users' perceptual, cognitive, and behavioral mechanisms. This study aims to model HCI based on Gestalt principles and Donald Arthur Norman's perspective, elucidating the connection between perceptual psychology and digital graphic design. Within the theoretical framework, Norman's interaction model, including three core components—perception, cognition, and action—is considered the foundational processes of User Experience (UX). Concurrently, Gestalt principles such as proximity, similarity, continuity, figure–ground, closure, and balance are introduced as a framework for visual organization and for facilitating the cognitive processing of visual information. Theoretical findings indicate that Gestalt principles play a mediating and facilitating role at each stage of Norman's model: enhancing visual coherence and clarity during the perception stage, supporting semantic understanding and predictability of system behavior during the cognition stage, and promoting ease of interaction and effective feedback during the action stage. Accordingly, the present conceptual model delineates a dynamic cycle from perception to action, in which the  UX is shaped holistically and intuitively. This study concludes that integrating Norman's cognitive perspective with Gestalt principles offers a novel approach for human-centered, comprehensible, and interactive digital graphic design and provides a theoretical basis for the development of user interface and  UX design.