Whitespace and grouping.
WHAT SPACE DOES
Groups related things Separates unrelated things Creates emphasis Makes text readable
WHY IT MATTERS
Proximity is the strongest grouping signal there is.
Things near each other are understood as related, regardless of anything else.
WHAT THAT MEANS PRACTICALLY
A label must be closer to its field than to the field above.
Otherwise people associate it wrongly.
WHAT TO CHECK
Whether spacing reflects the actual relationships.
WHAT TO AVOID
Even spacing everywhere, which conveys no structure Cramming, which makes everything look equally important Space used inconsistently
WHAT CONSISTENT SPACING REQUIRES
A scale: a small set of values used throughout.
WHY A SCALE
Arbitrary values produce subtle inconsistency that reads as carelessness.
WHAT TO USE SPACE FOR
Separating sections Giving the important thing room Making long text readable
WHAT PEOPLE FEAR WRONGLY
Empty space looking unfinished.
Crowded interfaces look cheap and are harder to use.
