Do UI Patterns Destroy Innovation?

Patterns are a great to use as inspiration and to see what has and can be done, but they are not the holy grail and by definition, using them is not being innovative. There are times to use them as described but I would take them with a grain of salt. Look past what has already been done and find a better way. Maybe your innovation will be the next pattern.

genericInnovation

We have been using patterns to solve problems for a long time. Generally people (in our industry) would define a pattern similar to this definition found on wikipedia

In software engineering, a design pattern is a general reusable solution to a commonly occurring problem in software design. A design pattern is not a finished design that can be transformed directly into code. It is a description or template for how to solve a problem that can be used in many different situations.

Are we pulling the emergency brake on innovation when we resort to using a pattern just because it’s been used successfully before? Henry Ford said, “I cannot discover that anyone knows enough to say definitely what is and what is not possible.” Mr. Ford has actually said a lot of inspiring things in regards to innovation.

Sure. There is the usability argument that if people aren’t familiar with it they will shy away. People like the cozy and fuzzy and tend to migrate towards what they are comfortable with, so there are considerations to be taken. But if your innovation breeds experience, people will use it.