How to Level Up Your Design Critiques Fast

Design feedback is hard. An effective design critique is even more difficult.

Teams struggle because of absent structures, directness, and time. They face internal silos, disconnection, and knowledge gaps.

It’s time to make design critiques approachable. And that begins with what a critique is.

Detailed analysis and assessment of design(s)

Simple, right? Wrong.

Critiques lose focus. They become brainstorming sessions or evaluations of a design’s usability. They’re also used to gauge a designer’s performance. Teams leave critiques feeling uncertain about the next steps. Feeling beat up. Feeling worse than when they entered the room.

Why Design Critiques

Teams mature through an effective critique process. They become empowered. More accurate in solving problems. More trusting. More energized.

Running an effective Design Critique

Truth be told, it’s pretty simple.

1. Define roles.
2. Stay in your role’s lane.
3. Rotate roles within your team. Experience each role. Build empathy.
4. Stop asking, “So what do you think?”

Effective design critiques involve 4 key roles. Keeping the room to 7 or fewer is key. More than 7 risks an ineffective conversation. (My favorite design critiques are with 4 people in a room.)

You’ll want to establish the following roles:

• Presenter — the 1 person delivering their design for critique.
• Critiquer(s) — up to 3 people focused on analyzing the work being shared.
• Facilitator — the 1 person keeping the conversation on track — time and topics.
• Note taker (one of the most important roles) — the 1 person taking detailed notes.

I’m a Presenter. What now?

Establish a baseline with the following givens.

• What’s the problem you’re solving?
• Who are the users with the problem?
• What’s the goal of your design?
• What part of your design reaches that goal?

Approach your presentation with an open mind. State your assumptions. Be humble, curious, and certain.

Humble so you can admit where you need help. This is not a reflection of your design skill, but rather a strength to admit where you’d like the team to focus.

Curious by asking questions. Don’t be defensive about your design. Embrace feedback, and ask more questions. Peel layers of feedback away to get at the core.

Certain that everyone is there to be honest and direct. With a single goal — to improve the design.

This presentation should take around 5–10 minutes. Your presentation should lack interruption.

Common statement structures to leverage:

• I removed [this] because [that].
• I wasn’t 100% certain where to put [this], but it’s important because [reason]. Is there a more effective placement to consider?
• Is there enough emphasis on [this]?
• What should we remove?
• Does the placement of [this] convey the importance to users?

I’m a Critiquer. Will I hurt someone’s feelings?

No. Everyone involved in the design critique must leave their ego at the door. Your goal is to make the design better. Solve hard problems together. Embrace the cohesive unit. Don’t be competing individuals.

Giving a great design critique is difficult. The reality is we will not be perfect during our first critique, or ever.

When starting a critique, focus on the areas below. Write them at the top of your notes. Remind yourself. Be aware and accountable.

• Is the critique rational?
• Is the critique objective?
• Is the critique actionable?

While these may be obvious, here are examples of bad critique.

• I love this!
• Wow, this is cluttered.
• What is that?
• This is missing something, but I don’t know what.

Here are some good examples.

• This seems to be missing something between steps 1 and 2. How do you expect a user to know what their next action is?
• The font decision looks clean and legible. I missed the hyperlinks in the first paragraph though. Is there enough contrast in the hyperlinked copy color?

I’m a Facilitator. What if the conversation goes awry?

The Facilitator must step in when the critique goes off-topic. If a critique lacks ration or objectivity and action, say it. Don’t be afraid to interject.

Keep track of time and be the Presenter’s best friend. You are there to ensure they succeed in getting the information they need to move on. Ask for clarifications or elaborations. Leave no uncertainty behind.

I’m a Note Taker. What if I miss something?

The note taker is not concerned with providing critique. They should have an uninterrupted focus on documentation.

Record the conversation if possible. Go back and ensure notes are accurate. Document any way that is best for you. Share a written recap with the team afterward. Highlight the next steps. Call out any dependencies blocking progress.

Note takers should consider a few things too. Acknowledge your thoughts in writing to improve the next critique.

• What worked in the critique?
• What needs improvement?
• Did future inspirations come up?

How do you know your Design Critique was effective?

• The team agrees on the changes needed through engaging conversation.
• The presenter knows they have the full support of the team to move forward. They feel heard and understood.
• Any objections and resolved.
• The outcome of the critique is actionable. And the designer is confident they can take actionable next steps.

Closing Thoughts

Design Critiques are hard. We’re building Orchestra to improve the design operations process. Step one is feedback in a critique. Reserve your workspace to follow along.