As Software Developers, we often valuate our code through Design Patterns. It’s the core of every good or bad written code and a high factor for security and performance only to mention two. We are often looking for opportunities to write our code better and searching for new Design Patterns. I think we’re often misusing this words to describe Best-Practices or To-Do’s which we should follow anyway. For me, the core of Software Design Patterns consists of the following 6 rules.

1️⃣ They are proven solutions
2️⃣ They are easily reusable
3️⃣ They are expressive
4️⃣ They ease communication
5️⃣ They prevent the need for refactoring code
6️⃣ They lower the size of the codebase

1️⃣ They are proven solutions

Because design patterns are often used by many developers, you can be certain that they work. And not only that, you can be certain that they were revised multiple times and optimizations were probably implemented.

2️⃣ They are easily reusable

Design patterns document a reusable solution which can be modified to solve multiple particular problems, as they are not tied to a specific problem.
If you want to guarantee quality over the lifespan of the software project, a reusable adaption must be considered. This procedure also offers other developers a simple adaption into the existing solution.

3️⃣ They are expressive

Design patterns can explain a large solution quite elegantly.
There is often code in your codebase, which you would like to exchange, because it is very slow or difficult to understand. Do not be afraid to exchange it or delete it completely and write it from scratch. If this is not possible, try to separate the individual tasks of the code better to make the code more understandable.

4️⃣ They ease communication

When developers are familiar with design patterns, they can more easily communicate with one another about potential solutions to a given problem.
If you’re working with colleagues in a team of multiple developers, agree with them about the design patterns, as they can help you better with a problem. Also with regard to the maintenance of software you should follow such procedures, as you make maintenance operations faster and more efficient.

5️⃣ They prevent the need for refactoring code

If an application is written with design patterns in mind, it is often the case that you won’t need to refactor the code later on because applying the correct design pattern to a given problem is already an optimal solution. If such solutions are then updated, they can be seamlessly applied by any good software developer and do not cause any problems.

6️⃣ They lower the size of the codebase

Because design patterns are usually elegant and optimal solutions, they usually require less code than other solutions. This does not always have to be the case as many developers write more code to improve understanding.

Therefore, if you're writing code on a daily basis, design patterns of your code might be interesting for you. Try to validate them with these basic ruleset to verify them. Happy coding! 👩‍💻👨‍💻