There has been great discussion on LinkedIn about the benefits of UI design patterns. Some of the benefits mentioned by different people are improved consistency across company’s products, reduced design time, code reuse, improved usability etc. These are all really good points, but I especially liked what Jared Spool wrote:
In my thinking, the primary benefit of patterns is the conversation that goes into creating the patterns, maintaining the library, and choosing the right elements for each design project. That dialogue educates the team on matching the design elements to the desired behaviors in the users.
We do know from our past research that the more teams talk about design, the better the designs they produce. If you want great designs, give them something to talk about. Design patterns are one way to get there.
This is exactly what I think too. In-house design pattern libraries encourage and facilitate discussion. Great interfaces get built when developers, designers and managers communicate and share their ideas clearly, and design pattern libraries help make this happen.
-Janne
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