Design critiques, crits for short, is an informal time to give/get feedback on any work in progress. Crits are meant for designers only, this is not meant to exclude other disciplines, we’ll hold Design Reviews for the broader audience. Crits are a great way for designers to share ideas, no matter what stage you are in in the design process, in a safe and judgment-free space. You don’t need to prepare ahead of time or have a formal agenda, the crit is meant to be short and sweet.
The goal of the crits
Understand the work your peers have done and help guide them towards a decision/solution they feel confident about.
Design crit structure
No more than 4 designers (goal)
For now, we can keep it to the entire team. Then scale back as we grow.
Crits are held twice a week
Monday and Friday
Ideally at the same time each day to be consistent
30 mins each with 3 - 10 min slots:
Slot 1 [10 min]: Name
Slot 2 [10 min]: Name
Slot 3 [10 min]: Name
We can adjust the times up or down as needed
Presenting designs
Always start with ‘what’ you need feedback on
This helps to set the context for the other designers
After setting the context, ask if anyone has any clarifying questions
This will allow you to clear up any misunderstandings
Start presenting your work to the team
Dive into the feedback from your peers
Live design/updates are encouraged to flesh out ideas quickly
Things to avoid
If you’re not presenting a design, it’s recommended to avoid doing the following:
Please avoid cross-talking to help keep the conversation focused
If you’re not presenting, it’s best to practice active listening and wait for the presenter to finish before jumping in and asking questions
Unproductive feedback, make sure you’re proving constructive and actionable feedback with clear intentions
Ask questions
You’re strongly encouraged to ask questions. It helps it many ways from sparking new ideas and help to uncover missed solutions. Here are a few recommended questions to get things started:
Why did you ‘choose this direction’…
Have you thought about…
What was your thinking behind ‘this decision’...