6 easy ways to ace your next design critique

I love a design crit. Love ‘em.

They’re the informal session where a team of like-minded people come together to talk about what they love. It’s a beautiful thing. However, for me, there’s always wasted time. Getting side-tracked and caught down dark alleys talking nonsense about that horrid latest iOS update or which theme park we would go to for our next away day (a popular hypothetical topic for our team). It’s all riveting stuff, but it’s not getting your design critiqued is it?

Here’s 6 short and sharp tactics I’ve learned over the years to keep the talk on track so you ultimately come away from the session with what you want. Killer, actionable feedback.

Record the session or have a notetaker

Being able to actively listen to feedback is so important to stay engaged and have more effective conversations. As much as you like to think you can, you definitely can’t do 2 things at once. Leave note taking to someone else.

Set the scene 

As important as it is to show your work, it’s just as important to help those critiquing your work to understand; why you’re doing the piece of work, the users you’re designing for and the constraints you’re designing within. It helps add context and focus feedback.

Say what kind of feedback you want

If you show 5 screens in a journey and people have been talking about the first page for 45 minutes, but you only want feedback on the last page, you’ve only got yourself to blame. Tell folks what you want feedback on; which component, which approach, whatever. You have a captive audience for a limited time, make the most of it. 

Invite other disciplines

Diversify your perspectives. Getting folks from other teams can help you think about things in a different way. It builds bridges with those teams AND you stand to learn a thing or two about that other team’s processes and methodologies.

Show your workings

Just like GCSE maths, being able to show how you got to a solution is sometimes handy. It means that folks in your audience don’t suggest things you’ve already tried and failed at. And, on the flip side they might polish that silly old t*rd into a lovely shiny diamond!

Be careful of the loud ones

As with all settings, loud folks like to have their voice heard right? As you’re the presenter, you’re most likely you’re the facilitator too. Make sure everyone who wants to be heard, gets heard. Check in with those who don’t speak up quite as much to see if they’ve got anything to say. Or, alternatively, share a link to your work at the end of the session and give folks the opportunity to feedback in their own time.

In essence, it's all about putting a little rigour and a few loose processes around your get together so that everyone benefits (mainly you as the presenter). Design crits should empower everyone in the session to have a say, hopefully these tips give some lovely food for thought.