Let's try and understand what we did just now.
We didn't invent mirrors in elevators. We've seen them thousands of times. But we formalized the problem (riding in an elevator is boring) and discussed alternative solutions (TV screens, glass walls) and the benefits of the commonly used solution (solves the problem, easy to implement). That's what design patterns are all about.
The basic steps of the design process are:
- Define exactly what the current problem is.
- Consider different alternatives, based on the pros and cons.
- Choose the solution that solves the problem, while best fitting your specific constraints.