Tracing the evolution of HCI patterns as an interaction design tool

Design patterns have been introduced as a medium to capture and disseminate the best design knowledge and practices. In the field of human–computer interaction, practitioners and researchers have explored different avenues to use patterns and pattern languages as design tools. This paper surveys these avenues—from individual pattern use for solving a specific design problem, to pattern-oriented design, which guides designers in building a conceptual design by leveraging relationships between patterns. One of our underlying goals is to investigate how patterns can be used, not only to foster the reuse of proven and valid design solutions, but also as a central artefact in the process of deriving a design from user experiences and requirements. We will present our investigations on pattern-based design, and discuss how user experiences can be incorporated in the pattern selection process through the use of user variables, pattern attributes and associated relationships.