A Working Pattern Library

The charming and masterful Ethan Marcotte emphasizes the importance of crafting design systems to fit the way an organization works and behaves:

To put a finer point on it, a pattern library���s value
to an organization is tied directly to how much���and
how easily���it���s used. That���s why I usually start by
talking with clients about the intended audiences for
their pattern library. Doing so helps us better understand
who���ll access the pattern library, why they���ll do so,
and how we can design those points of contact.

While a basic pattern library might consist simply of a collection of components, an essential pattern library is presented in a way that makes it not just the “right” thing to use but the easiest. For what it’s worth, this is really hard to do well; as we’ve found in our own projects, there’s some seriously demanding UX/research work behind tailoring a design system to the people who use it.

Ethan Marcotte | A Working Pattern Library