What is the most effective way to use design patterns in your object oriented design?

1 Know the problem

Before you look for a design pattern, you need to identify and analyze the problem you are trying to solve. What are the requirements, constraints, and goals of your system? What are the main challenges or difficulties you face? What are the possible sources of change or variation in your system? By answering these questions, you can narrow down the scope and complexity of your problem and focus on the essential aspects of your design.

2 Know the patterns

Once you have a clear problem statement, you can search for design patterns that match your needs. There are many sources of design patterns, such as books, websites, blogs, and forums. However, to ensure the quality, credibility, and suitability of the design patterns you find, it is important to evaluate them based on criteria such as intent, structure, behavior, consequences, implementation, and examples. For instance, you should consider what the goal or objective of the design pattern is and how it addresses the problem you have. Additionally, you should examine how the design pattern organizes and relates the classes and objects in your system and how it defines and coordinates interactions between components. Furthermore, it is essential to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of using the design pattern in terms of performance, scalability, modularity, testability, and readability. Finally, you should consider how to implement the design pattern in your programming language and environment as well as look at real-world or hypothetical scenarios that illustrate its use and benefits.

3 Apply the patterns

After you have selected one or more design patterns that suit your problem, you can apply them to your design. However, this does not mean that you should copy and paste the design pattern code or follow it blindly. You need to adapt and customize the design pattern to fit your specific context and requirements. You may need to modify, extend, or simplify some aspects of the design pattern to make it work for your system. You may also need to integrate or combine different design patterns to achieve a more comprehensive or coherent solution. The key is to use the design pattern as a guide or inspiration, not as a rule or template.

4 Evaluate the results

Finally, you need to evaluate the results of using design patterns in your design. You need to check if the design patterns have solved your problem effectively and efficiently. You need to measure and compare the quality attributes of your system before and after applying the design patterns. You need to identify and resolve any issues or conflicts that may arise from using design patterns. You need to document and communicate your design decisions and rationale to others. You need to review and refine your design as new requirements or changes emerge. You need to keep learning and improving your skills and knowledge of design patterns.

5 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?