Any discussion of UI design will eventually return to UI patterns. As described in the free e-book Web Design for the Human Eye, UI patterns originate as solutions to common usability problems, and their effectiveness correlates directly with their popularity and adoption. That means the more a certain pattern is used, the more powerful it becomes... which means more sites will start using it. In this piece, we’ll dive into the anatomy of UI patterns and how to select them as shortcuts to meeting user explanations. We hope you’ll see UI patterns as not just reusable design best practices, but also as a foundation for you to mold the overall UX.