Why Design Reviews and Ways to Better Them
Sharing the kind of feedback that has a big role in great design work.
Why design reviews
Most of us know what great reviews look like. The problem is that great sessions are hard... Design reviews are so much more than a production milestone.
When diligently executed, measured, and improved, design critiques are a window into the soul of how a design department thinks. It’s like a spiritual experience and a unique team bonding exercise.
Without high levels of emotional and contextual awareness (including a fair accounting of feedback avoidance) it’s very tough to know if all that talk is actually improving designs. That’s a pretty big knowledge gap since our teams rely on productive and honest critiques to align their work and grow as strategic contributors to the product.
It doesn’t help that the criteria for successful feedback isn’t easy to define. And when design critique success is defined, it’s typically vague. We might have our designers-only group reviews. Executive reviews. 1:1s with specific designers. We can talk “designery” things. Yet it’s fair to say that even the things that can be tracked (like frequency) don’t offer enough insight into the actual performance of the design reviews.
Before we talk about what successful critiques might look like, let’s get into what it doesn’t look like. Here are three behaviors we may see frequently across companies:
1. Overly-Aggressive
Shoddy group dynamics are a catalyst for poor feedback. There’s usually two ends to this.
On one end, we can find ourselves exhibiting over exuberance and even arrogance that comes from experiencing some success. This attitude can creep in when we least expect it and has the ability to stem from the executive suite, managers, and designers alike.
Poor feedback in this regard often looks like strong suggestions for specific solutions and an adoption of the “I’ll do it myself” and “my way or the highway” states of mind. This probably sounds familiar.
2. Overly-Sensitive
On the other end is a more dubious and growing problem. Toxic positivity that eventually leads to apathy.
Organizations whose communication policies appear excellent on paper breed a team dynamic that’s overly polite and distant. Leaders flaunt a glossy disposition. Everyone is afraid of hurting feelings. Work is always fine enough (great even). It’s disingenuous. In truth, nothing is okay (and no one is safe).
I feel like we must be particularly aware of this apathetic style as it’s both a warning of growing malcontent and a catalyst for others to share in the sentiment. Apathy is addicting and contagious.
3. Not Actually Review
Design feedback is not a performance review. It’s not red-lining. It’s not pixel pushing. Designers need to know that. As creators, designers need to be nurtured. Abolish your favoritism.
It’s a messy concoction of culture, communication, and group dynamics. It cannot thrive without a safe space. Honesty is critical. And the participation of everyone in the organization.
Moving Toward Better Feedback
To solve for better design feedback in an organization, start with workplace conditions. Take toll of culture and openness in your organization. Write about it. Take an educated accounting of moods and attitudes. Get quantitative.
The head and heart cannot thrive without the inspiration and nurture that comes from great feedback.
Design reviews aren’t just for the design or product teams. They are for the entire company. They exist within a highly complex company dynamic and can be really hard to own. We might pick up standard processes and claim victory over it. But the story rarely ends there.
There’s no one way to run a successful design review. Here are some ways that make the process a little easier:
- Be open and bold: Communicate clearly. Be open-minded as a giver and receiver of feedback.
- Own your process: Democratize the process. Practice a disciplined and documented approach.
- Make it positively impact performance: Focus on future actions. Share your strategic thinking.
- Give useful advice: Show the way. Don’t leave them guessing.
- Include all stakeholders: Get everyone involved. Manage expectations across roles.
What’s your biggest complaint on design reviews? When is a time you’ve experienced useful feedback?
