Definition
Pattern Language
Christopher Alexander's architectural concept applied to digital product design: every interface is composed of recurring patterns — buttons, navbars, cards, modals, prompts — each with explicit rules and constraints. Building from patterns rather than inventing screens from scratch enables consistency, predictability, and AI-generated enterprise experiences. Chris Strahl frames it as the foundational shift: when you design patterns instead of screens, everything downstream — development, QA, AI generation — becomes tractable.
From the episode “Stop Designing Screens, Start Designing Patterns”Hear it on the podcast1 episode
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