Design Patterns Explained

216 Part IV • Putting It All Together: Thinking in Patterns
Like the two carpenters in Chapter 5, "An Introduction to Design
Patterns," who were trying to decide between a dovetail joint and a
miter joint, it is the context that should shape the design. In design
decisions, we often get bogged down by the details and forget about
the larger context of the system. The details cast a cloud around the
bigger picture by focusing us on small, local decisions. Patterns give
you the language to rise above the details and bring the context
into the discussion in practical ways. This makes it more likely that
you will see the forces present in the problem domain. Patterns
help us apply what other designers before us have learned about
what does and does not work. In so doing, they help to create systems
that are robust, maintainable, and alive.