What went wrong, what makes a great critique and alternatives.
I ran a design critique the other week. Frankly, it sucked.
Here’s what went wrong and how to make things right (and some great alternatives to a standard design critique thank you Figma conference 2023 Rituals of Great Product Teams).
What I heard (and post retrospective):
- Most of the questions I needed answered could have been answered by our manager before the session.
- The rest of the team was left hanging and hardly had a reason or felt enabled to speak.
- There weren’t clear alternatives to provide feedback on or clear guidance on what feedback I was after.
- The critique space didn’t facilitate a good space for the team to collaboratively contribute or discuss.
- The designs were pretty much done.
- I had gotten used to just scheduling a design critique whenever a design needed some kind of input.
Why do we run critiques?
Running regular design critique across designs gives designers a broader view to see consistency (or inconsistencies) and alternative approaches that we ourselves might not of consisdered.
The Nielsen Norman Group as always has a great breakdown on design critiques that I recommend looking at.
When a design critique loses value:
- If around 80% of the questions can be answered by 1–2 people.
- If the guidelines for feedback are unclear (or non-existent).
- If you’re not specific on what feedback, you need to move forward.
What a good critique feels like
The ultimate goal of a design critique is not to judge a design but support a designer in improving a design.
A design critique should feel like a positive event that should feel good for all parties involved. It should encourage open discussion rather than command and answer.
If a design critique feels like a drag or chore then it’s time for a rethink. If you’re designs…