To create new solutions, design thinking teaches us how to observe, ask the right question, generate options - but how to construct some solutions? We believe Patterns provide a way.. rooted in human needs and behavior, they give us a menu to work with.

1. Patterns
To Design With
Kalpana Korwar
Ashok Korwar
September 2020

2. Why Patterns?
• The conventional design thinking methodology is good at dissecting,
diverging…
• Basically analysis..
• But does not offer much guidance on synthesis – how to actually put
together a solution
• Beyond choosing from the alternatives generated in the divergence
phase

3. What is a Pattern?
• Arises from fundamental human needs, fears and concerns
• Can be woven together to weave a solution
• Which would delight a human user – Wow!
• Patterns offer a menu of choices – some may be relevant, some may
not, in a given context – put together to design the solution

4. A list of patterns
Based loosely on
- Christopher Alexander ‘A pattern Language’
- Murray Silverstein et al ‘Patterns for Home
- AND drawing ideas from
- COPARIS by Intellect Design Arena Ltd.

5. In every case..illustrate with two contexts
• 1. A software product/system
• 2. An experience/event, like the Sawai Gandharva music festival
(henceforth MF)

6. Pattern 1: Inhabiting the Setting
• Becoming one with the surrounding/context
• The product/experience should seem to be naturally growing out of the context it is set in..
Software product:
• Can it come on the instant I switch on my workstation?
• Can it be the natural platform for me to work on all day?
Music Festival (MF):
• Does it seem to be a natural setting for a music concert or is it a hastily-converted parking lot?
• Do the surroundings seem to encourage a music festival?
• Is it in a place where music would naturally happen?
When this happens, the human user becomes instantly comfortable with what is going to happen..

7. Pattern 2: Inside/outside closely interwoven
• How smoothly do the outside and inside flow into each other
Software:
• How do other apps on the workstation interact with this one? Do they look and feel complementary
to each other?
• How easily can the user navigate between the product and the platform it is on?
MF:
• Does the surrounding cityscape enter the music aangan? Does the music overflow melodically into
the outside space? Does the music inside resonate?
• Do activities around the venue flow into the venue and vice versa?
When this is done well, the user moves comfortably from outside to inside and vice
versa

8. Pattern 3: A sense of shelter
• Does the user feel safe, sheltered, when she is in this space?
Software :
• Cybersecurity – protection from viruses, malware but also
• A feeling of being able to focus – few distractions, no news chatter
running along the corner of the screen, no random lights blinking
MF:
• No Cars honking outside, sirens wailing, people walking and talking,
outside loudspeakers blaring
• No cold blast of wind
When the sense of shelter is achieved, the user relaxes and is able to
enjoy the experience fully

9. Pattern 4: Light and Shade
• We need light but a continuous glare of light would make us seek shelter –
the shade enhances the light and vice versa
Software :
• The right areas of the screen need to be highlighted, the rest kept in shade, until they
become the ones to work on
MF:
• The stage needs to be lighted up, but not the areas where the audience sits, but the
artistes also want to see the audience.. But don’t turn on the floodlights all the time,
use them discreetly and selectively
When light and shade is well-managed, the user can focus on what she needs to give
attention to

10. Pattern 5: Parts in proportion to the whole
• The human user enjoys having the parts of anything in the right proportion
to the whole – there is no formula, but there is a certain magic to it.
Software:
• How much space do we allocate on the screen to what?
• Are the elements of the system given resources,time, space appropriate to their
importance?
MF:
• How much time do we give different genres of music/dance?
• How much time to junior artistes? How do we allocate time between them?
• How much of an interval for people to enjoy other things in the festival?
• How much space for the exhibits, food stalls etc?
When this is achieved, the user does not get an uneasy sense that something is off

11. Pattern 6: Flow Through
• Each component may be great in itself, but how does the user flow
between them? Are there appropriate transition spaces/slots in
between? Perhaps she needs to gather her thoughts before moving on.
Software:
• How does the user go from one module of the system to another? Is it seamless,
intuitive, natural, follow the natural order of work/life? What happens between
modules to make the user feel at ease, unhurried..?
MF:
• Is the user given a tour of the entire festival, of the grounds, and the events?
• How does he get a sense of flow from one event to another? Exhibits to the
event on stage to the food stalls to the toilets?
When this flow is designed well, the user feels a kind of dynamic harmony, as
distinct from the static harmony of any one module or experience.

12. Pattern 7: Common core/Private edge
• There is an arena which every user accesses, but there are also private edges
accessible only to some..both are necessary
Software:
• the core product is used by all but the user-specific data, her profile, preferences
also matter .. How well are they marked out, how do they flow into the common
core? How much can the user alter the core?
MF:
• the audience spends most of its time sitting in their seats or hanging around the
exhibits, but there is also a back-entrance, a green room, for the
performers/artistes to have their private time, whether for quiet preparation or
to network with each other!
When these are well done, both the user and the administrators feel
comfortable and safe – their space is being respected

13. Pattern 8: Refuge and Outlook
• Humans beings like to feel connected with others but still cherish their
privacy
Software:
• Can I see others using the system without them seeing me?
• Can I see what other modules are running without stepping out?
MF:
• As a performer, can I see what the performer before and after me are going to
perform, so I get a sense of what I should perform? Can I see the audience
without them seeing I am peeking?
• Can I sit in the audience and not be seen by others?
• Can I munch on my snack without others seeing it?
The user would feel part of the scene, yet aloof enough to be oneself.

14. Pattern 9: Tangibles and Intangibles in harmony
• The tangibles should convey the same feel as the intangibles
Software:
• Am I using the right programming language? Am I building on top of the right
platform?
• Does the language match the application?
MF:
• Does the venue seem to be made of materials appropriate for a music festival or
have they used glass and concrete and made it feel like an office building?
The observer instinctively takes cues from the tangibles, about the intangibles she is going
to experience – these should not be dissonant.

15. Pattern 10: Finding my Way
• The user should always feel she knows where she is in the system, so
there is no possibility of getting lost
Software:
• Which module am I working on? How much more do I have to go? How much of
the task have I finished?
• Keep something coming, so I know the system is up..
MF:
• Which day is it? How many performances to go? Has the tea already run out?
• How do I navigate through today’s program?
When this is done well, the user feels in control..

16. Pattern 11: Easy exit and entry
• The user should feel comfortable that he can leave and get back any time
Software:
• Can I exit without losing my work, and come back to it when I have time? Will the
system tell me where I am in the process, prompt me for what I need to do next?
• Is it easy to log on to the system and log off securely?
MF:
• Can I leave in the middle of today’s program and come back later? Will my seat still
be available?
• Can I even get to the venue and get back home from the venue late at night?
The user should not feel trapped and helpless..

17. Pattern 12: Use Natural Language
• Talk to the user like he is a human being, not a robot
Software :
• No screaming error messages
• Use natural language, avataars if possible
• Nudge, suggest what next, don’t tell the user he did something wrong
MF:
• Don’t use artsy jargon only experts understand
• Make the novice comfortable, not just the expert
• Tell me what raaga you are going to perform!
The user feels respected and comfortable, because she understands easily what is going
on

18. Pattern 13: Know who the user is
• Know who I am, and where I am:
Software:
• Give priority to the CEO!
• If the user is in a low-bandwidth area, adjust the screens and flow to it.. don’t
ask me to change my password when I am in a taxi in mumbai
MF:
• Don’t treat the novice and the connoisseur the same
• Give preference to regular attendees, those who have paid for higher-priced
seats, in entry, parking etc.
The VIP needs to be treated like a VIP..

19. Pattern 14: Grow with the User
• As the user becomes more capable, can she unlock more and more?
Software:
• Unlock more capabilities of the system as I grow in experience and familiarity
MF:
• As I grow more familiar with the festival, can more areas be opened up to
me? Can first-time attendees be treated differently from experienced ones?
• Can there be special events, like one-on-one interactions, made available only
those capable of learning from them?
When this is done well, both experienced users and beginners feel comfortable.

20. Pattern 15: Keep overhead operations offline
• Don’t interrupt the flow of the experience with tasks important to the
system but not to the user
Software:
• Don’t update the system when I am in the middle of a presentation!
• Run the virus scan when I am not working on the system
MF:
• Collect my email and mobile number at the break, not just as I am eagerly
entering or leaving..
• Make announcements about CDs on sale, wrongly parked cars etc. between
performances, not in the middle of one.
The user should not feel harried, at the mercy of some faceless official force..

21. Pattern 16: Let the user make mistakes!
• User mistakes should never be fatal – it is never the user’s fault!
Software:
• Don’t delete all my data just because I said so.. I may have made a mistake
• Don’t blast me with error messages that mean nothing to me
MF:
• Don’t throw the user out because his mobile came on at the wrong time, or
because he clapped at the wrong time..
• Don’t bar the gates because the user is a bit late or inappropriately dressed..
The user will feel wanted, and comfortable..