The Role of Design Patterns in Modern Software Engineering
25 Apr 2025
We Don’t Write Software From Scratch Any Longer
You think of software engineering and probably think of an individual alone in front of a computer typing tens of thousands of lines of code by hand into a blank screen. Times are a little different now. We no longer write software from scratch each time anymore. We leverage frameworks, libraries, APIs, and naturally design patterns heavily. It’s not reinventing the wheel. It’s taking what exists and making it work in new contexts.In a way, it’s a bit like building a house—you’re not making bricks or windows from scratch every time. You’re using what already exists to build something that meets your current needs. Software engineering today isn’t so much about inventing something brand new as it is about knowing how to put together proven ideas into a coherent, stable system. And that’s when knowledge of design patterns becomes truly priceless.
So Much More than Writing Code
We have more to our role as software engineers than simply writing code. Of course, code still has to be written, but that misses the bigger picture. What we’re actually doing is solving problems. And not just any problems—we’re solving them efficiently, predictably, and reliably. That’s why it’s good that software engineering has evolved to be what it is today: a field where finding solutions is valued over constantly trying to invent brand-new ones. It would be too time-consuming coming up with new solutions every time and making so much room for mistake. Rather, the application of known good solutions—like design patterns—works to keep it all organized, efficient, and simpler to fix. It’s more of an engineering mindset than creative, although there is some creativity to it, too. It’s utilitarian creativity instead of out-of-control invention.
Blueprints at Work: How I’ve Used Design Patterns
Throughout ICS 314, I have found it possible to see design patterns in action—both indirectly and directly. For example, throughout the majority of our class assignments, we were left to structure our apps and components using patterns like Model-View-Controller (MVC) or Container/Presentational Component patterns in React. These patterns separated the logic from the layout, making it a much easier process to debug and iterate. But the most hands-on experience I’ve had with applying these ideas is in our final project, where my group is using the Next.js Application Template. This template isn’t just some starter code—it’s built using multiple design patterns under the hood. There’s a consistent directory structure that uses separation of concerns, reusable layout components, built-in user authentication flows, and clean form handling with validation. With this template, we could see how great patterns contribute to scaling and managing complexity. Instead of focusing on putting a new system together from the ground up, we could spend more time developing out features and addressing actual user-facing problems.
Understanding and Adapting Patterns
Learning design patterns is not memorization. It is a matter of understanding the reasoning behind each pattern and knowing when and where to use them. Not all patterns will fit all problems, and you will need to modify a pattern to fit the problem that you are attempting to solve. That is where the talent comes in. Learning patterns helps you to think about architecture and structure first, ahead of time, before actually sitting down to code. It makes you ask yourself “what’s the most straightforward, sustainable way to solve this problem?” rather than “how fast can I bodge this together?” And if you’re asking yourself that, your code just naturally ends up being cleaner, less buggy, and easier for other individuals (and for yourself in a few months or a couple of years) to read and maintain. Ultimately, patterns aren’t intended to get you to do things this way or that way—they’re intended to be a good starting place and a shared vocabulary among other developers. They allow you to get there faster and build better systems because you’re standing on the shoulders of all the folks who worked out this stuff before you.
The essay above used ChatGPT for spelling and grammar corrections/suggestions