A Practical Guide to Design Critique and Review
A structured way of getting useful feedback on work in progress, as opposed to opinions about taste.
Priya Raghunathan
At a glance
- Framing critique against stated goals, not personal preference
- Stage feedback should match the fidelity of the work
- Roles someone presenting, someone facilitating, and participants briefed
- Decision a critique should end with a decision or a clear next step
- Documentation decisions recorded, or they are relitigated
Why it matters
Why it matters: Unstructured review produces contradictory instructions from whoever is most senior, and the designer is left reconciling them alone.
Best practice
- State the goal and the question before showing the work
- Ask for critique against the goal rather than for opinions
- Match the fidelity of the work to the feedback you want
- Record decisions and the reasoning behind them
- Name who decides when participants disagree
Common pitfalls
Watch out for:
- Presenting work with no stated question
- Polished visuals when the structure is still open
- Feedback sessions that end without a decision
- Relitigating settled decisions at every review
When to call in a specialist
Bottom line Bring in help when reviews produce contradictory direction, when decisions keep being reopened, or when a team needs a critique process.
Where this comes from
- Nielsen Norman Group — Design critique
- GOV.UK Service Manual — Design reviews
- Interaction Design Foundation — Collaborative design
The figures and practices above come from the sources listed.
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Where to go next
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