What are design molecules?
Index Design molecule is another name for a collaboration pattern. We used this analogy instead of the common “building block” analogy. Collaboration patterns are more like chemical molecules than “building blocks” because each part of the pattern – called a pattern player – has unique properties that determine exactly which other pattern players it can pair up with to form a collaboration pattern. Ultimately, only 12 pairs of the pattern players form stable molecules called collaboration patterns. However, like molecules, collaboration patterns can be combined to form compound collaboration molecules. These larger molecules come in two varieties: snap-togethers and overlays. Snap-together collaboration molecules connect two or more collaboration patterns into a larger structure. Overlay collaboration molecules merge pattern players from two or more collaboration patterns, creating new kinds of pattern players, with new characteristics derived from the originals.
