Design review sessions at Pipedrive
We believe design reviews are an essential part of product design: they allow us to bring together multiple perspectives, build better solutions and grow as designers.
In this article, our Product Designers Rajat Parmar, Jakob Päll, and Design Lead Karolin Kaplan will give you an overview of how we approach the sessions at Pipedrive. You’ll also find some tips and ideas about giving and receiving valuable feedback.
A snapshot of Pipedrive’s design review process
Design reviews are structured sessions that provide a safe space for designers to share their work at any stage. The work we share ranges from processes and planning to high-fidelity designs that need that final touch.
The review sessions enable discussions and encourage feedback sharing. They also help designers be aware of the work being done across different parts of the product, learn from each other and build stronger connections within the group. The result is an improved user experience.
At Pipedrive, we hold weekly design reviews via Zoom since the design team is dispersed across different offices. During these sessions, each product design team shares its progress with the rest. Design groups then use Miro to share feedback for follow-up discussions.
⚙️ The review group setup
We’ve figured that it’s best if designers remain in the same design review group for longer. This way, those attending the session are familiar with the project’s context and process, and we can focus on continual feedback sharing.
Our review groups consist of up to 10 designers. This helps to maintain a safe environment for the presenter and offers space and time for everyone to share their thoughts. We always include a designer from the alignment team and a design lead for additional input.
👐 Facilitating the review session
Designers participating in the review session can take on three different roles: facilitator, presenter or feedback provider (continue reading to learn more about those roles). A designer can take on multiple roles during the session. Still, we aim for presenters to take on a facilitating role. For facilitating, we’ve developed a session template we reuse each session. It’s worth mentioning that, though some parts of it have changed over time, its core has remained the same.
Here’s a sneak peek into our design review process: before the review session, the facilitator would normally ask designers via Slack if there’s anything they’d like to share. They then circulate a template with questions about the project’s topic, stage and required input.
During the session, each designer is given around 30 minutes in total:
- 10 minutes to present their work and share its context
- 10 minutes for individual silent feedback sharing through Miro
- 10 minutes for follow-up group discussion
Giving valuable feedback
To design great solutions, we aim to review our concepts from multiple perspectives, whether from an end user, an internal stakeholder or another designer working in a different product area.
🧩 Understand the context
The first step in giving valuable feedback is understanding the context. Give your best to listen carefully and ask questions to better understand the problem area the other designer is working on. Try not to limit yourself to a design standpoint: Which business metrics do you need to consider? Are there any limitations they’re working with?
If you’re the one presenting your work, try answering these questions first:
- What’s the subject of your presentation?
- What problem are you trying to solve?
- How can other designers help you?
The goal of asking these questions is to be on the same page across the room and align with the problem statement before giving feedback.
🕵️ Wear different hats
Approach feedback from multiple angles to dig deeper into a concept and understand it holistically. There are countless effective methods out there. The “four pillars” method works best for us since it balances reasonable timeframe, effort and thoroughness.
Here are the four questions we always consider:
- What’s currently working?
- What questions do I have?
- Which ideas do I have?
- What could be improved?
Another great approach is the “Bono hats” method, which consists of six colored hats — each corresponding to a specific way of thinking. Wear the white hat to spotlight facts, green to share alternatives and suggestions or blue to focus on technical feasibility.
💭 Include both “what” and “why”
Whenever you are giving feedback, go beyond the “what” can be improved or what isn’t visually appealing. Try being more descriptive by covering the “why” as well. Otherwise, your feedback is nothing more than a subjective opinion.
To provide constructive feedback, try following this simple model.
- Start by briefly describing the subject of your feedback.
- Follow by explaining the thoughts and feelings it evokes.
- Finish by adding the reasons it does so.
Here’s an example: I’m confused about the purpose of the colored dot because its placement doesn’t have a clear hierarchy or supporting text.
🤗 You’re giving feedback all the time
In essence, a design review is similar: the idea here is to avoid overthinking and stay natural. On the one hand, think about how you’d like to receive feedback. As the saying goes, you should treat others the way you want to be treated yourself. On the other hand, there’s no need to wear a designer hat when giving feedback. You can express yourself however you want as long as your feedback is clear.
Receiving valuable feedback
Providing feedback is an art, and if you nail it, the sky’s the limit. Get the most out of your design review sessions by asking for feedback, and don’t forget: It’s about the work, not you as a designer.
🎯 Think about the goal
Take a step back and consider the value you can get from the session and how you’d benefit most. Regularly presenting at a design review is a great way to improve your solution. Not to mention, it helps you grow as a designer thanks to multi-aspect feedback. Don’t worry about the extent or stage of your process: The more and earlier you share, the better.
💬 Be clear about the ask
Being clear about the ask is a good step towards getting valuable feedback. For example, always describe the problem you’re aiming to solve and the stage you’re at. This will ensure everyone’s in sync and help you receive the feedback you’re looking for. Try coming up with specific questions that guide the conversation, and don’t shy away from specifying things you don’t need input about.
🙌 Be open-minded
Product design is a team effort. Tune yourself to be open for all types of feedback, and remember: Other designers are there to help you, not put you down. Their feedback is an opportunity to improve, learn, share and grow. Don’t get caught up trying to defend your design decisions, or you will miss vital insights. If you feel some part of the feedback is unclear, simply ask the provider to elaborate on it.
Finally, don’t forget you’re the one making the final call about how to act on the feedback. Take the time to digest and decide what and how to apply it.
🤔 Listen, consider, analyze
Naturally, the feedback you’ve received can sometimes feel controversial. It doesn’t necessarily mean there’s something wrong with your concept; It simply illustrates that we’re a diverse group of people with different views. The same applies to the users we’re designing for. If you feel the feedback you’ve received is too diverse or broad, consider organizing another round of validation.
As much as the right mindset and preparation are key to success, don’t overthink it. Design reviews should be an enjoyable part of the process. Recognize that it helps overcome blockers and adds value to your design process and outcomes. At the end of the day, you’re the one making the calls.
So, that’s about the design reviews at Pipedrive. In case you have any questions or ideas, let us know!
