Name Types Using the Language of Your Problem Domain

Overview

Type names should communicate meaning, not structure.

A type named INodeNameValueData tells you nothing. A type named APIResponse or CustomerOrder tells you everything. Use the language of your business domain, not the language of data structures.

When to Use This Skill

• Naming new types
• Refactoring unclear type names
• Reviewing code with domain experts
• Designing public APIs

The Iron Rule

Type names should be meaningful to domain experts.
If a non-programmer can't understand it, rename it.

Remember:

• Business terms > technical terms
• Meaning > structure
• Names are documentation
• Domain experts should recognize types

Detection: Structural Names

// Bad: describes structure, not meaning
interface IEntityWithIdAndName {
  id: string;
  name: string;
}

interface IStringPairList {
  items: [string, string][];
}

interface IDataRecord {
  data: Record<string, unknown>;
}

What IS an IEntityWithIdAndName? A user? A product? A category?

Better: Domain Names

// Good: describes what it IS
interface User {
  id: string;
  name: string;
}

interface TranslationPairs {
  items: [sourcePhrase: string, targetPhrase: string][];
}

interface CustomerProfile {
  data: Record<string, unknown>;
}

Real Example: E-commerce

// Bad: generic/structural names
interface IData {
  id: string;
  props: Record<string, unknown>;
}

interface IEntity extends IData {
  type: string;
}

interface ICollection {
  items: IEntity[];
  total: number;
}

vs.

// Good: domain language
interface Product {
  sku: string;
  name: string;
  price: Money;
  inventory: number;
}

interface Order {
  orderNumber: string;
  customer: Customer;
  items: OrderItem[];
  total: Money;
}

interface ProductCatalog {
  products: Product[];
  totalCount: number;
}

Avoid These Patterns

Hungarian Notation Prefixes

// Bad: I prefix for interfaces
interface IUser { }
interface IProduct { }

// Good: just the name
interface User { }
interface Product { }

Type Suffixes

// Bad: redundant suffixes
interface UserType { }
interface ProductInterface { }
interface OrderObject { }

// Good: clean names
interface User { }
interface Product { }
interface Order { }

Generic Technical Terms

// Bad: generic
interface DataModel { }
interface EntityRecord { }
interface ItemContainer { }

// Good: specific
interface Invoice { }
interface ShippingAddress { }
interface ShoppingCart { }

Property Names Too

// Bad: technical property names
interface User {
  dataString: string;
  valueNumber: number;
  itemsArray: Product[];
}

// Good: domain property names
interface User {
  email: string;
  age: number;
  purchases: Product[];
}

Context Matters

Same structure, different domains:

// Healthcare domain
interface Patient {
  mrn: string;          // Medical Record Number
  admissionDate: Date;
  diagnosis: string[];
}

// Education domain  
interface Student {
  studentId: string;
  enrollmentDate: Date;
  courses: string[];
}

The structure is similar, but the names communicate different meanings.

When Technical Names Are OK

Standard Technical Concepts

// OK: widely understood technical terms
interface HttpRequest { }
interface DatabaseConnection { }
interface CacheEntry { }

Generic Utilities

// OK: truly generic utilities
type Nullable<T> = T | null;
type AsyncResult<T> = Promise<T>;

Internal Implementation

// OK for internal implementation details
interface InternalCacheNode<T> { }
interface TreeNodeImpl<T> { }

Ubiquitous Language

From Domain-Driven Design: use “ubiquitous language” that both developers and domain experts share.

// If domain experts say "fulfillment", use that:
interface OrderFulfillment { }

// Not:
interface OrderProcessingData { }
interface IOrderExecutionEntity { }

Pressure Resistance Protocol

1. “It’s a Technical Detail”

Pressure: “Users won’t see this type name”

Response: Developers will. Future you will. Make it meaningful.

Action: Name it for what it represents, not how it’s structured.

2. “We Have Naming Conventions”

Pressure: “Our style guide says use I prefix”

Response: Conventions should serve clarity, not hinder it.

Action: Challenge conventions that reduce clarity. IUser adds nothing.

Red Flags – STOP and Reconsider

• Type names starting with I, T, or ending in Type/Interface/Object
• Names that describe structure (StringArray, NumberMap)
• Names that a domain expert wouldn’t recognize
• Multiple types that could all be called “Data”

Common Rationalizations (All Invalid)

Quick Reference

// DON'T: Structural/technical names
interface IDataEntity { }
interface StringValuePair { }
interface ItemsCollection<T> { }

// DO: Domain language names
interface Customer { }
interface PriceRange { }  // [min: Money, max: Money]
interface ProductCatalog { }

// DON'T: Redundant suffixes
interface UserType { }
interface ProductInterface { }

// DO: Clean names
interface User { }
interface Product { }

The Bottom Line

Name types for what they mean, not how they’re structured.

Domain experts should be able to read your type names and understand what they represent. Invoice tells you more than IFinancialDataRecord. Use the language of your problem domain.

Reference

Based on “Effective TypeScript” by Dan Vanderkam, Item 41: Name Types Using the Language of Your Problem Domain.