UIEtips: Components, Patterns, and Frameworks! Oh My!

I think we can all agree the most fun part of any design project is coming up with something nobody has ever thought to do before. These moments of innovation are exhilarating, getting the heart pumping and the adrenaline flowing.

However, on most projects, they are few and far between. That’s because, even in the most innovative projects, the portion that counts as never-been-tried-before is only about 20% of the project.

The remainder is supporting functionality — things the new functionality needs to work. That supporting functionality doesn’t get the heart pumping or the adrenaline flowing. It’s just nose-to-the-grindstone, must-do work that is part of every project.

But what if we could reduce that work and make it possible to spend more time on the fun, exciting innovative parts? Well, that’s just one benefit of having a solid re-use strategy.

In today’s UIEtips article, we explore the use of Patterns, Components, and Interaction Design Frameworks. These critical development tools, which make up what we’re calling the Re-use Trilogy, give developers a chance to increase the percentage of time they spend on the fun stuff, while delivering better quality results. Read today’s article to see how this works.

Has your team tried building a pattern, component, or interaction design framework? What has your experience with these tools been? We’d love to hear what you’ve learned. Share your thoughts below.

On Wednesday, May 27, you’ll have a chance to learn more about Interaction Design Frameworks. Robert Hoekman, Jr will show you how this important new tool can jumpstart your designs and ensure you deliver high-quality experiences. Watch a sneak preview of the Virtual seminar.