Design Patterns

Go to Course: https://www.coursera.org/learn/design-patterns

Introduction

### Course Review: Design Patterns on Coursera In today's rapidly evolving software landscape, mastering design patterns is essential for building robust, maintainable, and scalable applications. Coursera's "Design Patterns" course provides a thorough introduction to this vital topic, making it an excellent choice for developers eager to enhance their object-oriented design skills. #### Overview The Design Patterns course extends your understanding of object-oriented analysis and design by introducing you to established design patterns. This course dives into both creational and structural design patterns, as well as behavioral patterns, ensuring that you walk away with a comprehensive understanding of how to tackle common design issues in software development. Additionally, you'll explore identifying problematic designs through the lens of "code smells," a technique that empowers developers to spot and rectify design flaws. The capstone project stands out as a pivotal element of the course, challenging you to redesign an existing Java-based Android application using the design patterns learned throughout the modules. This practical approach not only solidifies your understanding but also provides you with a significant portfolio piece. #### Syllabus Highlights 1. **Introduction to Design Patterns: Creational & Structural Patterns** - This module lays the foundation for the course, helping you to grasp what design patterns are and how they can be effectively utilized in object-oriented software. You will work with UML diagrams and code implementations in Java, ensuring that you are not just absorbing theory but actively applying it. 2. **Behavioural Design Patterns** - Building on the first module, you'll learn about behavioral design patterns, which focus on improving the interaction between objects. This knowledge will further enrich your development toolbox, with practical UML communication and coding techniques. 3. **Working with Design Patterns & Anti-patterns** - Here, you'll gain insights into the Model-View-Controller (MVC) pattern – a crucial design pattern for user interface development. The focus on principles of flexible, reusable, and maintainable software reinforces your understanding of good design practices while providing awareness of "code smells" or anti-patterns, which can compromise software quality. 4. **Capstone Challenge** - The capstone project is where theory meets practice. You'll be tasked with identifying and fixing code smells in a provided Android application codebase. This real-world application of your learning is incredibly beneficial, honing your ability to recognize and apply design patterns effectively. Finally, the course culminates in an exam that tests your understanding of all concepts covered. #### Why You Should Enroll - **Practical Application:** This course is not just about theory; it emphasizes practical application through hands-on coding and a capstone project, allowing you to implement what you learn in a real-world context. - **Comprehensive Coverage:** The syllabus covers a wide array of design patterns and includes discussions on anti-patterns, equipping you with the tools to create better software. - **Skill Enhancement:** Whether you are a seasoned developer looking to refine your skills or a beginner eager to learn, this course provides the right mix of depth and accessibility. #### Conclusion The "Design Patterns" course on Coursera is a must for anyone serious about leveling up their software design capabilities. With its structured approach, practical exercises, and the invaluable capstone project, this course not only teaches you about design patterns but also empowers you to create high-quality, maintainable software. If you're ready to enhance your programming skills and transform your approach to software development, I highly recommend enrolling in this course. You’ll not only learn essential concepts but will also gain the confidence to apply them in your projects. Happy learning!

Syllabus

Introduction to Design Patterns: Creational & Structural Patterns

Design patterns help to solve common design issues in object-oriented software. You will learn what they are and how they can be applied. In this module you will learn the creational and structural design patterns. You will continue to learn and practice expressing designs in UML, and code some of these patterns in Java.

You will continue learning useful design patterns and add them to your toolbox. In this module, you will learn the behavioural patterns. This will include communicating them in UML and coding them in Java!

You will learn a design pattern that is very useful for user interfaces: model-view-controller, or MVC. Then you will learn some principles underlying the design patterns, to create software that is flexible, reusable, and maintainable. Finally, you will learn some of the symptoms of bad design, which we call code smells or antipatterns.

In the previous modules, you were introduced to a variety of design patterns, and applied two of these to the example Android code base. Now, in the final module of the course, you will identify and fix specific code smells in this code base. After completing these tasks, you will be ready to complete the final exam.