First off, being a student of interaction design, I had to lay down some basic definitions within my field for whether or not the design system and patterns of interaction design were limiting creativity in our field. The design system will give us reusable components and standards to be able to brand in every aspect that allows for efficiency. In general, interaction design patterns can be defined as solutions developed against some design problems; they help in building the experience consistently throughout the user interface.
I was worried that such tools could actually interfere with my creativity and foster more of a reuse strategy than one of invention.
A design system gives me the common language and consistent framework for freedom inside it to explore and innovate within the framework. Brad Frost quotes atomic design: “a design system supports rapid prototyping and iteration of prototypes with a collection of reusable components.” Therefore, they allow more time for a really innovative thought process.
In this context, I noted that interaction design patterns do not offer fixed solutions at all. Rather, they are great starting points. These are patterns that have stood the test of time and show how to overcome common pitfalls in designs, and even give inspiration to finding more inventive solutions to those that exist. As Jenifer Tidwell puts it in “Design Patterns: Common Interaction Design Solutions,” this underlies the point that design patterns as a tool don’t, in any way, limit creative thinking.
What is more, I have understood that creativity will not flow with too much freedom but, on the contrary, very often thrives within certain constraints. Actually, a design system and the interaction design patterns framework would fuel my creativity and urge me to find innovative solutions within it.
In summary, as a designer, I can say that I do not see any way how the presented and studied cases of design systems and interaction design patterns for design could hinder creativity in interaction design. On the other hand, they offer enough support and structure to my innovation, making me pay more attention to the ways through which I can augment the quality of the experience of the user. Such tools enable me to experiment and try out fresh ideas without losing consistency and usability of the design.
Frost, Brad. “Atomic Design.” Brad Frost, 2016, https://atomicdesign.bradfrost.com/.
Tidwell, Jenifer. “Designing Interfaces: Patterns for Effective Interaction Design.” O’Reilly Media, 2011, https://www.oreilly.com/pub/au/2312