What Makes a Pattern
Thursday, January 24th, 2008Patterns are generally made up of high level recommendations that are identified, documented for later use and reviewed periodically.
Writing a Pattern:
- Problem - what does the user want?
- Solution - how to meet the user’s needs.
- Context - when to use the pattern
- Examples - pictures, links, example code, etc.
- Name it - as a pattern library grows naming a pattern becomes more important for findability.
- Rating - see below.
A pattern is not a visual specification, only a high level description. A pattern should have links to visual specs like schematics or style guide entries.
Rating System for Patterns
( recommendation )
- Level 1 - Working Solution: Recommended starting point for the new design. The designer/project team may adapt the pattern as needed to fit the requirements of the project.
- Level 2 - Best Practice: Strongly recommend - should require some type of management permission to deviate from the documented pattern.
- Level 3 - The “Company” way: Mandatory - should require a high level permission to deviate from the documented pattern.