Make 2017 a Year of Giving & Receiving Constructive Design Feedback

Frank Clark once said, “Criticism, like rain, should be gentle enough to nurture a man’s growth without destroying his roots.” Herein lies the fundamental purpose of design reviews: to nurture the design and accelerate its maturity while validating both the individual designer and the core principles of design.

Whether you’ve been a part of a thousand design reviews or you’re hoping to participate in your first, we all could stand to improve our skills of providing effective design feedback. In the spirit of the new year, let us resolve to make 2017 a year of giving and receiving more effective design feedback for the sake of each other, better design and more innovation.

Once the art of critiquing designs has been practiced and perfected between you and your teammates, you will find that the benefits of truly constructive feedback are numerous. Design reviews can vastly improve collaboration, boost productivity and significantly ameliorate your final product. On the contrary, when feedback is given in an unconstructive manner, resulting hazards include reduced productivity, low morale, ill will and sub-par work.

However, with some tact and careful consideration of the following tips, you will be on the right track to unlocking the benefits of excellent design feedback for your projects.

Prepare ahead of time.

If you are leading the design review, prepping for the review ahead of time can help to ensure the review goes smoothly.  Here are some things to consider:

Share The Project Ahead of Time.

Email the project to the review attendees the day before so that they can look at the work ahead of time. There is significant value in getting uninformed and unbiased feedback before you explain what your intention is. Dieter Rams says, “Good design makes a product understandable.” The best designs are self-explanatory. Sending  your designs in advance enables feedback on this essential measure of good design.

It can also be a great way to get ideas flowing in advance of the project and can lead to more constructive conversations about solutions to defects.

Have Physical & Digital Copies Present

During the design review you want to make sure that everyone can easily access and review the same material at the same time. Ideally participants don’t bring their laptops and thus have physical copies they can take notes on and reference. Sometimes it’s also helpful to gather around printouts of the designs that have been posted on the wall or displayed on a screen.

Think About Space

How will the room be set up? Will the attendees be standing or sitting? These details can contribute to the tone of the review. Oftentimes, standing design reviews are recommended because it is more natural for people to walk up to the prototype and make suggestions; but if you’re anticipating a long review, it may be a good idea to make sure people have chairs.

Establish Some Goals

Do you know what feedback you’re looking for? What questions will you ask to facilitate that feedback? The people in the room are there to contribute feedback but will need to be directed as to how to best structure that feedback. Consider creating a rubric with aspects of the design you want your team to evaluate, and ask them to fill it out ahead of the discussion. Frame your questions to the group to reflect the goals of the design review. Keep your goals in mind throughout the review. At the end, revisit the goal and ask yourself and the group if you think the feedback provided has accomplished the purpose of the review.

Consider a Review Schedule

It is generally best to have your work reviewed early in the design process and often. Try to set your reviews to re-occur weekly on a set day at a set time, such as every Wednesday at 10 am. This makes design reviews a well-practiced and effective experience for your team. Set an allotted amount of time for the review. Keep it under 45 minutes if possible. You always want to be respectful of everyone else’s time. Doing so will encourage others to participate again in the future.

Make Your Invitations Count.

If possible, invite a diverse group of individuals that can contribute comprehensive insight into the project. A varying group of designers, researchers, engineers, managers, customer services reps and even sales and marketing, can help to improve the quality of feedback you receive. Keep the number of invitees to around 6-7 people.

Plan to document the review.

For future reference, plan on recording your review. Whether you are going to tape the meeting, write individual notes, or whiteboard as a team, it is important to keep track of the feedback you receive.

Start the Design Review

Open with a brief summary of the project and your goals for the design review. Encourage honest feedback. Let non-designers, who may be uncomfortable in a design review, know that they are valued for their expertise and for their opinions on the design.

Structuring Your Feedback

Be as specific as possible

Communicate clearly and specifically. Do not simply say “It looks nice” or “I’m not sure about this…” Give details. Walk up to the design and point out what you are referring to.

Explain your Reasoning

One of the biggest frustrations for many designers is to be criticized for a decision without being provided with the reasoning behind the criticism. It is a best practice to be able to provide an explanation for your opinion and, for bonus points, some ideas on how to solve the problem or improve the design.

Honesty is key

Some designers believe that it is best to “sugar coat” their feedback by giving a compliment, then expressing their criticism and concluding on a positive note, a process sometimes referred to as a “sandwich.” This should be used with discretion. If you believe the designer is particularly sensitive or attached to the work, then this may be a fine approach. However, sugar coating in critiques is not always necessary as long as you are respectful. You don’t want to risk obfuscating the essence of the feedback with too much tap dancing around someone’s feelings. If certain aspects of the design are working well, there is no harm in saying so. But remember, the goal of a design review is to improve on the design.

Be open to others

Avoid putting the designer on the defensive by being careful not to blame them for the design’s drawbacks directly. Be friendly and receptive. Avoid shooting down any ideas too soon. You want to encourage discussion.

Consider the user

When providing your feedback, always consider who will be using the design, what they will be trying to accomplish, etc. It is easy to stray from your target user during a critique. Ask questions like “Is x decision the best decision for the user?”

Ask questions freely

Don’t be afraid to ask questions about the design as they come up. It is likely someone else has a similar question. Also it gives the chance for the designer to elaborate on a point that may be misunderstood.

Be mindful of the timing of your feedback.

For example, if a project is mid-way in the design process and the team is already well into the work that is being done, it is best not to give the kind of feedback that would only be useful in stage one of the process. This creates frustration and can be considered unrealistic.

Follow Up

It’s a good idea to keep in communication with your design review team as your project develops. This is beneficial because you can direct questions as they arise to those who made specific points in the review or ask for additional feedback. Plus, closing the loop on the feedback you received is a great way to show others that you value their opinions, and it encourages more feedback in the future.

Great design is the work of teams, iterating together through honest feedback with sincerity and humility. You and the world deserve your best work. Commit this year to giving and receiving excellent feedback in pursuit of more perfect design and design practice.

The points above are by no means comprehensive or conclusive but are examples of learning from my experience. What principles do you follow or practices have you found useful for providing constructive feedback?

Please comment below!