Recognize Patterns, Save time
24 Apr 2025
Pattern: a reliable sample of traits, acts, tendencies, or other observable characteristics of a person, group, or institution.
In nature, patterns are everywhere. One prevalent example is the nautilus shell whose shell grows in a spiral pattern as the animal matures, following nature’s golden ratio. This spiral not only provides structural strength but also adds new chambers to accommodate its growth. The chambers help the nautilus maintain buoyancy and stability in the water. Another example of a natural pattern is the rings found in the logs of trees, formed due to seasonal changes and environmental conditions. While they may be coincidental, these rings tell the story of time, growth, and perseverance throughout the years of a tree’s life.
In the context of programming
Similarly, in software engineering, design patterns emerge as a result of developers solving common problems. A design pattern is a general, reusable solution to a commonly occurring challenge faced in real life software development scenarios. Developers across the globe often encounter similar high level problems, but the specific implementation of a solution can vary greatly based on the specifics of intended implementation. What separates good developers from great ones is their ability to recognize the pattern and adapt it to their needs. Recognizing the general pattern in the problem allows for more thinking toward solving the specifics of your own problem.
In the context of my life
Many of my math classes rely heavily on pattern recognition which could be identifying sequences, applying formulas, or following consistent steps in order to arrive at the correct solution. My personal music taste also leans toward pattern recognition: I’m more drawn to the beat and bass line of the song rather than the lyrics themselves. Though math and art are seen as two completely different fields of interest, they share the fact that patterns are very relevant.
Similarly in software engineering, two seemingly unrelated problems may have some connection through design patterns. In one instance in my own code, I found design patterns between our weekly assignments and tests. One specific test wanted us to create a webpage with things like background images and headers, but the specifics differed from the homeworks where we were also tasked with researching and creating small backgrounds of surfers on the front page. Up till then, we had mainly focused on page layouts, so finding the pattern in the page allowed me to quickly go through most of the general issues of the in-class test and focus most of my time on creating the row of biographic cards.’
Webpage built using patterns
Final Thoughts
Ultimately, design patterns are more than just general solutions to common software engineering problems; they’re blueprints to saving time in problem areas that have been solved countless times before already. They allow for a larger focus in areas that may have not been covered before. They’re also crucial to build upon as these newer problems arise and are solved. Whether in nature, mathematics, music, or software engineering, patterns guide us in recognizing what works and in building upon it.