Riffing on Rails: sketch your way to better designed code
summary
Design work happens in a single Ruby file using Rails conventions and near-runnable code to sketch controllers, models, and names quickly; sessions run about 40–60 minute sessions and favor rapid iterations over migrations, commits, or tests. The practice surfaces unknowns (API gaps like SignedGlobalID), lets teams try alternate names/associations, and produces shareable artifacts. Obstacles are needing Rails API familiarity and getting past the blank-file fear, but pairing short riffs reduces cost and boosts design confidence.
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chapters (8)
- 0:00Introduction
- 1:05The problem of code design
- 3:16Understanding riffing
- 4:53Live demo of riffing
- 8:36Benefits of the technique
- 14:09Overcoming obstacles
- 17:23Second live demo
- 32:43Conclusion and resources
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