No one likes a medium-rare UX concept

or how and why to use a concept roast

Questions about your UX concept can be challenging.

“Why would the user come up with the idea to use this feature?” “Isn’t the user confused when that happens?” If you don’t have a convincing answer, you might start sweating.

Yet even the most challenging questions have something positive: They can make a concept better! They reveal potentials and what is not yet being understood by users. They show where improvements are possible but also necessary

To have the possibility to critically question a concept at any time during its development, we created a format: The Concept Roast.

The Concept Roast is a design critique method. Not only does it help a UX concept to grow, but it is also quick and cost-effective to execute.

During the Concept Roast, the UX Designer shows his colleagues a created user flow. As soon as the colleagues are wondering about something or don’t understand it, they ask the UX Designer critical questions. The UX Designer then uses these questions to further refine and improve the concept.

So far, so good. In order for Concept Roast to run smoothly, there are two important rules that must be followed:

1. Ask non-judgmental questions

Formulating as well as accepting criticism is not so easy. If you ask questions about the application, this is less likely to be taken as personal criticism. They are easier to accept.

To accomplish this, questions should be phrased in an open-ended way and should not involve any judgment. “Why is the calendar icon placed in the upper right corner?” is a better question than “Isn’t the calendar icon in the upper right corner totally misplaced?”.

The first question is easier to accept and encourages to think about the positioning. If there is a reason, the UX designer can quickly explain the decision. With the second question, the designer may be less open to adjustments or may rush into making a change without having thought about it enough. After all, the positioning was already flagged as misplaced.

2. Don’t discuss solutions

Many, especially designers, have a tendency, when they discover a problem, to discuss solutions immediately. When running the Concept Roast, this is not allowed for two reasons: firstly, discussing takes up a lot of time and would therefore stop the Concept Roast from being a cost-effective and quick method, and secondly, coming up with solutions in groups is not always efficient.

Usually, it is better if the responsible designer takes the critical questions and reworks the concept later. If support is needed, the concept roast participants can be approached for help.

After several run-throughs, the two rules have turned out to be the ones that help us to have a successful Concept Roast.

If you want to also give the Concept Roast a try, feel free to do it as we do:

Preparation

First, think about which user flow you want to test. Our experience has shown that reviewing a full concept with all features is too time-consuming.

Then create a click prototype for this user flow and formulate the task to be tackled by the concept roast participant.

Usually, we run a concept roast with three participants. As participants, we choose colleagues who are familiar with the topic of the application or website or other UX designers since they are experts in creating and evaluating concepts. It is important that no participant was involved in the creation of the concept. This allows them to criticize freely and without bias.

Plan with a 30 to 45 minute time slot for the Concept Roast. The Concept Roast can be run either in a room with a screen, post-its, and a stopwatch, or remotely in a video call using an online whiteboard (e.g. Miro or InVision Freehand). Make sure that there is a device available for each participant to use the click prototype on their own.

Execution

1. Procedure and Rules 5 min

First, introduce the Concept Roast and explain to the participants why it is happening. Give them an overview of the agenda and explain the rules.

2. Project Story 5 min

Now briefly tell the story of the related project. Inform the participants about the project client, the target group, and why the application is needed.

3. Present User Flow 5 to 10 min

Now briefly introduce the user flow. Explain the task that has to be done and show the participants how to access and use the click prototype.

4. Silent Review 10 min

Remind the participants of the rules again. Ask them to use the click prototype for the next 10 minutes and write any criticism as questions on post-its.
( For example: “Why can’t I cancel the process?”, “What does the icon in the upper right corner mean?” or “How do I remove my entry?”). Use a timer to meet the 10-minute time limit.

5. Roast 10 to 15 min

Finally, share the click prototype with everyone one more time. Go through the user flow step by step. If you reach a point in the prototype for which a participant has formulated a question, the participant should ask this question and post it clearly visible on the whiteboard. Ask the participants to ask general questions after you have gone through the click prototype completely. It is helpful for the review to cluster the questions on the whiteboard.

Lastly, look together at the questions and briefly check if there are any other questions that need to be added.

After that, the Concept Roast is already finished. Thank the participants and start working on the review.

Review

Once you are alone, take a moment to look at the questions and document them.

You will quickly realize what is hard to understand and find room for improvement. Update your concept accordingly.