Pattern mining is a structured way to surface recurring solutions that already exist in products and design work. Instead of trying to catalogue everything, this tactic helps you find, cluster, and evaluate the patterns that matter most. It keeps your system relevant by capturing what teams are already doing and turning the best of it into shared solutions.
How to
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Find the hotspots Look at where patterns are already forming, such as repeated flows, components, or design fragments across products.
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Gather evidence Use Audit results, System Health Checks, or Interviews with teams to spot gaps and overlaps. Broader product audits can also reveal what's slipping through.
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Spot repetition Scan design files and codebases to find recurring solutions that aren't yet standardised.
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Cluster and compare Bring examples together. Group them into themes, highlight differences, and note edge cases that may need to remain product-specific.
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Shape next steps Feed promising candidates into Design Exploration or Co-Creation, then validate through Usability Testing before bringing them into the system.