Pattern Think

My thought is that the notion of Patterns in Software (derived from Patterns in Architecture) can be analogized in other fields. My formal training is in law and computer science. I have some thoughts (GabrielWachob) that the legal domain is in fact a great example of PatternThink, and might even be described with a big huge Pattern Language. Of course, I might be totally missing the point here. I don't think so.

Furthermore, I'm thinking that Pattern-style thinking might facilitate inter-domain communication. What do others think?

-GabrielWachob

Tom Erickson at Apple has a paper on patterns in workplace studies, where he points out that the most common use of patterns in architecture is for non-architects to communicate their needs/desires to the professionals. Since inter-domain communication involves precisely that, there's certainly an opportunity. There would need to be a higher-level approach to many of the patterns/pattern languages, perhaps only a level or so down from the application definition level, for this to work in the software area.

KenMeltsner

PatternThink definitely applies to solutions in very different domains: buildings, software, the design process, organizations, ... (Do these solutions have something like PatternNature? in common??). There are even PatternsInChess.

Somewhere on wiki somebody wrote that he writes "with a strong SmalltalkAccent". I guess PatternThink can be described as thinking with a pattern accent. :-)

--FalkBruegmann