Software Design is a large topic that developers grow into as they mature in their technical skills. This page introduces a series of larger articles that in turn will contain a sequence of small articles that can be read and digested one at a time.
Software Design Overview
Part 1 – From Code Snippets to Software Design
This first part lays the groundwork for understanding software design by highlighting the common “code snippet collection” problem new developers face and introducing the need for a more structured, top-down approach to building robust applications. It emphasizes the importance of moving beyond simply assembling code snippets and learning to think about the bigger picture of software design.
Part 2 – Thinking in Objects:Why Object-Oriented Design Matters
Part 2 – Thinking in Objects: Why Object-Oriented Design Matters explores the fundamental concepts of object-oriented programming (OOP), explaining how thinking in terms of objects, their properties, and behaviors can significantly improve software design and development. It emphasizes the importance of learning OOP principles early on, even for beginners, and highlights the numerous benefits of this design paradigm.
Part 3 – Designing with Objects: An Introduction to CRC Cards
An Introduction to CRC Cards introduces a simple yet powerful technique for object-oriented design using Class-Responsibility-Collaborator (CRC) cards. It explains how to use these physical cards to brainstorm, identify classes, define their responsibilities, and explore their collaborations, providing a practical starting point for software design.
Part 4 – Visualizing Your Designs: An Introduction to UML
“Visualizing Your Designs: An Introduction to UML” introduces Unified Modeling Language (UML) as a tool for creating visual blueprints of software designs. It explains how UML diagrams, such as class, use case, and sequence diagrams, help communicate and understand the structure and behavior of software systems, making complex designs easier to grasp and share.