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Plate FND·008 · UI foundationGrid C1 · Rev. 2026-08-14

Continuity

Elements arranged along a line or curve are read as a connected sequence.

UI foundationEstablished researchIntermediate

Definition

The Gestalt principle of good continuation. The visual system prefers to interpret arrangements as continuous paths rather than as abrupt changes of direction, so aligned elements read as related and sequenced.

Established research. Originates in published research and has been replicated. The effect is real. Its size in your product still needs measuring.

On this plate
  1. 1Definition
  2. 2Where it operates
  3. 3Using implied lines deliberately
  4. 4In practice
  5. 5Local chart
  6. 6Sources
  7. 7Continue from here

Reach for this when

  • Designing progress indicators, timelines and feeds.
  • Plotting time series with incomplete data.

Common mistakes

  • Connecting chart lines across missing data.
  • Breaking alignment mid-sequence, which reads as a new group.
  • Drawing a connector between steps to look finished, on a flow where steps are independent.

Where it operates

  • Step indicators, where a connecting line turns separate dots into a sequence.
  • Navigation, where a row of items reads as a single set because they share a baseline.
  • Timelines and activity feeds, where a vertical rule binds entries into chronological order.
  • Charts, where a line is read as continuous even across missing data, which is why gaps must be shown explicitly.

Using implied lines deliberately

Do

  • Align related items along one axis, so the eye follows them as a set.
  • Use a connector between steps that genuinely follow one another.
  • Let a strong line lead towards the primary action rather than away from it.

Do not

  • Connect points on a chart where no data exists between them.
  • Imply a sequence between items that can be done in any order.
  • Break an established column with one stray element, which reads as an error.

In practice

  1. i.

    Connected step indicators

    Multi-step flows

    Adding a connecting rule between step markers converts a row of circles into a legible sequence with a clear direction.

  2. ii.

    The line that invented data

    Continuity in charts

    Joining two monthly readings with a straight line implies eleven values that were never measured. For sparse or irregular series, points alone are the honest representation.

Local chart

FND·008 · Region II · Grid C1

This entry and the entries it is stated to connect with. Each line is labelled with what the connection means.

ChartCMP·028 · APPLIED THROUGHProgress IndicatorCMP·026 · APPLIED THROUGHActivity TimelinesPAT·019 · APPLIED THROUGHLaw of PrägnanzLAW·017 · PRINCIPLES BEHIND THISNatural MappingPRIN·008 · PRINCIPLES BEHIND THISAlignmentFND·003 · RELATED CONCEPTClosureFND·007 · RELATED CONCEPTData Visualization ColorFND·029 · RELATED CONCEPT

Sources

Where a source establishes something narrower than the popular reading of it, the note says so.

  1. [1]

    Untersuchungen zur Lehre von der Gestalt

    M. Wertheimer, Psychologische Forschung, 1923

Continue from here

Each link says what the connection is, so you can tell a principle from an alternative from a thing people mix this up with.

Applied through

Where this shows up as a concrete interface decision.

Principles behind this

The reasoning this solution is an application of.

Related concept

Connected closely enough to change how you apply this.