Definición RápidaA Design Critique is a structured team session where designers present their work in progress to receive constructive feedback from their peers. The goal is to improve the design, not to judge the designer.
What Is a Design Critique?
Imagine you are a chef creating a new dish. Before putting it on the menu, you present it to other trusted chefs. They taste it and give you their expert opinion: “The acidity of the lemon is perfect, but maybe it needs a bit more salt to bring out the flavors. Have you tried searing the fish for one less minute?”. They do not say “I do not like your dish,” but instead give you specific, professional feedback to help you improve.
A Design Critique is that tasting session for designers. It is a safe space to share unfinished work and receive quality feedback that helps elevate the level of the solution.
Why Is It Important?
- Improves design quality: Multiple perspectives will always find things that a single person missed.
- Fosters a culture of collaboration: Breaks the idea of the “lone genius designer” and promotes design as a team sport.
- Develops communication skills: Teaches designers to present their work and justify their decisions, and also to give and receive feedback constructively.
- Increases consistency: Helps ensure that designs from different people feel like part of the same system and follow the same [[Design Principles]].
Roles in a Design Critique
An effective critique has clear roles:
- The Presenter: The designer presenting their work. They are responsible for providing context, explaining the objectives, and guiding the session.
- The Facilitator: A person (may or may not be the presenter) who moderates the meeting, ensures the rules are followed, and keeps the conversation focused.
- The Critics: The rest of the participants. Their job is to listen, understand the context, and give constructive feedback.
How to Structure a Session
- Present the Context (10 min): The presenter explains the problem they are trying to solve, the design objectives, the target audience, and any important constraints. This is the most crucial step. Without context, feedback is not useful.
- Ask Clarifying Questions (5 min): The critics ask questions to make sure they understand the problem and context well. No feedback is given at this stage.
- Give Feedback (15-20 min): The critics share their opinions. The presenter should listen and take notes, not get defensive.
- Summary and Next Steps (5 min): The presenter summarizes the key feedback points and defines what the next steps will be.
Rules for Good Feedback
- Critique the design, not the designer: Say “The button could be more visible” instead of “You did not make the button visible.”
- Be specific: “I do not like it” is not useful feedback. “The color contrast between the text and the background is low and could be an accessibility issue” is.
- Use [[Design Principles]] as a guide: Base your feedback on the team’s principles. “Considering our principle of ‘Clarity above all,’ I think the iconography could be more explicit.”
- Frame feedback as questions or suggestions: “Have you considered what would happen if the user had a very long name?” is more constructive than “This will break with long names.”
Mentor Tips
- Do not present overly polished work: If you present a design that looks finished, people will feel less inclined to give honest feedback for fear of hurting your feelings or making you redo a lot of work.
- As the presenter, do not get defensive: Your job in the critique is to listen and absorb. Note everything down and decide what to do with the feedback later. If you get defensive, people will stop giving you honest feedback.
- Establish a regular cadence: Make critiques a recurring part of your team’s routine (e.g., twice a week). This normalizes them and turns them into a habit.
Resources and Guides
- Books:
- Discussing Design: Improving Communication and Collaboration Through Critique by Adam Connor and Aaron Irizarry: The reference book on the topic.
- Articles:
- How to Run a Design Critique - Nielsen Norman Group
- A Guide to Giving and Receiving Design Feedback - Figma Blog