CHAPTER 7 Designing Adaptive Interfaces
mock-up or prototype. They act as a clearinghouse for code snippets and
documentation to help front-end engineers work more quickly and effi-
ciently. And they allow the QA team to test discrete components rather
than having to diagnose issues when these components become deeply
entwined.
Pattern libraries are also a boon for users. When a website is built us-
ing a pattern library, it imbues the site with a consistency and predicability
that makes it easier for them to do what they need to do.
They don’t need to spend time trying to figure out how to fill out a
particular form or interact with a particular widget because each instance
is familiar to them. It’s reassuring.
Plus, pattern libraries make it much easier to get everyone on the
dev team up to speed when a component is upgraded or an API changes,
because it is the central repository of information for everyone who works
on the website. After all, a pattern library should evolve over time. It should
be a living document of numerous independently evolving modules. It
should not sit there like a monolith, but should be shaped and molded as
we continue to better understand our medium, the Web, and our users’
interaction with it.The Future is Messy, Embrace it
We live in very interesting times. It seems every day a new device surfac-
es, a new browser, a new interaction model. It’s hard to keep track of it all
and mind-boggling to imagine creating siloed experiences for each new
thing that comes along. Like chasing screen sizes: it’s a fool’s errand. At a
certain point we need to let go and focus on what really matters: people.
We design — content, user flows, interactions, interfaces, APIs and
experiences — to help people do what they need to do as quickly and effi-
ciently as possible. We work hard so they don’t have to.
We’re here to solve problems. To do that, we need to become one with
our customers. We need to empathize with them and experience their
struggles as if they were our own.