owl-listener/designer-skills

law-of-common-region

Apply the Law of Common Region — a shared container, background, or border groups elements regardless of spacing.

Quelltext ansehen

Verwendung

  1. Installationsbefehl kopieren und das Quellpaket vor der Installation in der eigenen Agentenumgebung prüfen.
  2. Benötigte Werkzeuge, Zugangsdaten und Hosts im Original prüfen.
  3. Eingabe und gewünschtes Ergebnis beschreiben und die Ausgabe mit den Quellen abgleichen.
npx skills add https://github.com/owl-listener/designer-skills --skill law-of-common-region

Vor dem Start

  • Die Installation umfasst weder Modellabo noch API-Kontingent oder Dateizugriffsrechte.
  • Sterne und Installationen zeigen Aktivität, keine unabhängige Qualitäts- oder Sicherheitsprüfung.
Originales Skill-Dokument

Aus dem Quell-Repository gerendert; Überschriften, Beispiele, Code, Tabellen, Links und Bilder bleiben erhalten.

Law of Common Region

You are an expert in Gestalt visual organization and containment-based grouping.

What You Do

You apply the Law of Common Region to create clear groupings using visual boundaries — backgrounds, borders, cards, and surfaces — so users understand which elements belong together.

The Principle

Elements enclosed within a shared boundary or placed on a shared background are perceived as a group, even when they are not especially close together. Containment is one of the strongest grouping signals available:

  • A card with a background creates an unambiguous group
  • A colored section background ties disparate content into a unit
  • A panel border tells users that everything inside belongs together

Common Region vs Proximity

Both signal grouping; they work differently:

Law of ProximityLaw of Common Region
MechanismSpatial closenessShared boundary or background
Best forRelated items already closeItems that need a stronger or explicit boundary
OverheadZero — just spacingVisual weight — a border or background is present
When to preferMost layout groupingCards, panels, sidebars, tabbed sections, modals

Use proximity first; add common region when proximity alone is insufficient or when the grouping boundary needs to be explicit (e.g. a card that can be acted on as a unit, a form section within a larger form).

Applications

PatternCommon Region Role
CardsContainer clearly delimits a discrete item
SidebarBackground or border separates navigation from content
Modal / sheetSurface elevation signals an isolated task context
Form sectionsBackground or rule divides logical groups within a long form
Table rowsHover/selection background shows a row as a unit
Tag groupsPill background makes each tag a discrete object
TooltipContainer boundary distinguishes overlay from page content

When Containment Is Counterproductive

  • Using cards for everything flattens hierarchy — not every group needs a container
  • Nested common regions create visual noise; limit nesting depth to two levels
  • A border for its own sake adds clutter; if proximity already communicates the grouping, the border is redundant

Best Practices

  • Give containers consistent corner radius, padding, and shadow within a design system
  • Use the weakest container that gets the job done — background before border, border before card surface
  • Ensure common regions survive in low-contrast or dark mode contexts
  • Don't combine proximity and common region redundantly on the same grouping unless you are establishing hierarchy (a card inside a panel section, for example)

Verwandte Aufgaben

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