Overview

Design patterns are repurposed, optimized total solutions to common software design problems we encounter daily.

In general, a pattern has four essential elements:

1. The pattern name is a handle we can use to describe a design problem, its solutions, and its consequences in a word or two. Naming a pattern immediately increases our design vocabulary. It lets us design at a higher level of abstraction. Having a vocabulary for patterns lets us talk about them with our colleagues, in our documentation, and even to ourselves. It makes it easier to think about designs and to communicate them and their trade-offs to others. Finding good names has been one of the hardest parts of developing our catalog.

2. The problem describes when to apply the pattern. It explains the problem and its context. It might describe specific design problems such as how to represent algorithms as objects. It might describe class or object structures that are symptomatic of an inflexible design. Sometimes the problem will include a list of conditions that must be met before it makes sense to apply the pattern.

3. The solution describes the elements that make up the design, their relationships, responsibilities, and collaborations. The solution doesn't describe a particular concrete design or implementation, because a pattern is like a template that can be applied in many different situations. Instead, the pattern provides an abstract description of a design problem and how a general arrangement of elements (classes and objects in our case) solves it.

4. The consequences are the results and trade-offs of applying the pattern. Though consequences are often unvoiced when we describe design decisions, they are critical for evaluating design alternatives and understanding the cost and benefit of applying the pattern. The consequences of software often concern space and time trade-offs. They may address language and implementation issues as well. Since reuse is often a factor in object-oriented design, the consequences of a pattern include its impact on flexibility, extensibility, or portability. Listing these consequences explicitly helps you understand and evaluate them.

How Design Patterns Help Developers

1. Speed Up Software Development

During application development, using design patterns allows developers to have a tool to solve common problems in software design. Even without those problems, mastering design patterns is helpful as it helps developers see how to solve problems through the application of object-oriented design principles.

2. Clear code, easy teamwork

Besides, design patterns define a common language that developers can use to communicate more effectively. For example, just by naming a pattern, all teammates in the team will visualize the structure, the idea behind it, and how to apply it. Optimize the time to develop ideas because it limits the time for explanation.

3. Code reuse

On the software project side, design patterns make it easy for developers to reuse and extend code with proven optimal solutions to common problems in software development. soft. Therefore, when having problems in software development, developers can consider design patterns as a guide to help them solve problems instead of looking for solutions on their own (which may not have been thoroughly tested)

4. Limiting potential errors, easy to upgrade

In addition, reusing design patterns also helps developers avoid potential problems that can cause major bugs in the future, along with that, it also helps developers. make the project easier to upgrade and maintain in the future.