Interaction design patterns are design patterns applied in the context human–computer interaction, describing common designs for graphical user interfaces. A design pattern is a formal way of documenting a solution to a common design problem. The idea was introduced by the architect Christopher Alexander for use in urban planning and building architecture and has been adapted for various other disciplines, including teaching and pedagogy, organization development and process, and software architecture and design. Thus, interaction design patterns are a way to describe solutions to common usability or accessibility problems in a specific context. They document interaction models that make it easier for users to understand an interface and accomplish their tasks.

History

Patterns originated as an architectural concept by Christopher Alexander. Patterns are ways to describe best practices, explain good designs, and capture experience so that other people can reuse these solutions. Design patterns in computer science are used by software engineers during the actual design process and when communicating designs to others. Design patterns gained popularity in computer science after the book Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software was published. Since then a pattern community has emerged that specifies patterns for problem domains including architectural styles and object-oriented frameworks. The Pattern Languages of Programming Conference (annual, 1994—) proceedings includes many examples of domain-specific patterns. Applying a pattern language approach to interaction design was first suggested in Norman and Draper's book User Centered System Design (1986). The Apple Computer's Macintosh Human Interface Guidelines also quotes Christopher Alexander's works in its recommended reading.

Libraries

Alexander envisioned a pattern language as a structured system in which the semantic relationships between the patterns create a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts, much like the way that grammatical relationships between words make language meaningful. While some collections of patterns attempt to create the structural relationships needed to form a language, many others are simply an assemblage of patterns (and thus are more appropriately termed pattern libraries.)

Mobile interaction pattern libraries

The popularity of mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets usher in a need for a library of mobile interaction design patterns. This need is driven by:

Elements

For patterns to be helpful to the designers and developers who will make use of them, they need to be findable and readable.

Common elements

Though pattern descriptions vary somewhat, many pattern libraries include some common elements:

Optional elements

Pattern libraries can also include optional elements, depending on the needs of the team using them. These may include:

Reasons to use design patterns

Benefits of using interaction design patterns include:

Advantages over design guidelines

Guidelines are generally more useful for describing requirements whereas patterns are useful tools for those who need to translate requirements into specific software solutions. Some people consider design guidelines as an instance of interaction design pattern as they are also common approach of capturing the experience in interaction design. However, interaction design patterns usually have the following advantages over design guidelines: Guidelines and patterns are not necessarily conflicting, and both can be used in conjunction to identify the problem and then create a valid solution.