Design Critiques
Design Critiques are structured, collaborative sessions where designers present their work to the team to gather feedback, suggestions, and constructive criticism aimed at improving the design's effectiveness and alignment with user needs.
Goal
To foster an environment of continuous improvement and collaboration in design practices, ensuring high-quality, user-centered design outcomes.
Context
With design experts aligned to individual Stream Teams there is a risk of siloed design practices and inconsistent design quality across the product. Design critiques provide a platform for sharing knowledge, aligning design decisions, and maintaining a high standard of design quality across the product.
Critique Types
| Type | Description | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| Stream Team Critiques | Sessions involving the entire team, providing diverse perspectives on the design. | Continuous, as the team are always working on designs together. |
| Design Function Critiques | Sessions involving design experts from across multiple Stream Teams to ensure consistency and alignment with design principles. | Periodic, to ensure alignment across the product. |
Inputs
| Artifact | Description |
|---|---|
| Prototypes | Visual representations of the design concepts to be reviewed during the critique. |
Outputs
| Artifact | Description | Benefits |
|---|---|---|
| Tasks | Granular work items that need to be completed. | Track the improvement effort. |
| Improved Product Outcomes | Feedback can lead to higher quality deliverables and fewer defects. | Improved customer satisfaction and reduced rework costs. |
Anti-patterns
- Personal Preferences Over Design Goals: Overlooking the critique's objective by focusing on personal preferences rather than design goals.
- Dominance of Negative Feedback: Focussing too much on negative feedback without offering constructive solutions.
- Limited Input: Allowing one or two voices to dominate the session, limiting diverse input.