Class Based Design

From MobileDesign

Class-based design requires a Device Hierarchy with device capabilities. Each node in the hierarchy is a more generic form of all the nodes below. For a given project, select a set of target nodes including the most generic. Design for each node, and detect the device characteristics to determine which design goes on which node.

A key advantage of class-based design is that the generic design can be used where applicable. For many parts of an application, only one design is necessary. Devices and device classes can be chosen strategically, based on market and user needs.

A corporate user interface design pattern library can have patterns, including targeted at several nodes. Thus a new project can be highly targeted at the user's device while simultaneously being developed quickly.

All the design patterns and device descriptions presented here presume class-based design.