Design critique is essential for fostering a positive culture that enhances product development through constructive feedback and emotional detachment from design work. Best practices for effective critique include avoiding problem-solving during discussions, promoting equal participation, and focusing on important issues while practicing active listening. Preparation for a critique involves understanding project goals, target audience, and defining success criteria.

1. What is Design Critique?
practical-ux.com/slack

2. Why Design Critique?
• to encourage a positive culture to
improve products
• to boost open exploration and discussion
of designer’s intent and the choices made
to reach the designer’s objectives
• to detach emotionally from design by
receiving feedback from other designers
• to help designers refocus their work in
areas that fall short while learning about
their design process

3. Design Critique - Feedback that is NOT useful 😡
• I like it.
• I hate it.
• It's cool.
• I love it.
• I don't like it.
• I hate you.
• I love you.
• You are awesome.
• You suck.
• I wish you should shut up.
• Your work is bad so you are bad.
• I would have done it like this…
• You should try it like that…
• What if you did this…
• This is right.
• This is wrong.

4. Best Practices
• Avoid problem solving during critique
• Create an equal playing field
• Focus on the things that matter
• Practice active listening skills
• Focus the conversation with clear scope
• Use round robins

5. Feedback examples
Bad: That layout is so confusing?!
Better: Please explain how does this layout
make it easier for the user to accomplish
their task quickly and efficiently?
Bad: I think that button is in the wrong spot
and the overall page looks busy.
Better: If the goal is to have the user login
quickly, I think we are placing emphasis on
the wrong elements and hiding the primary task
by making the button hard to find.

6. Inspired by essays
• “Improving Design With Critique” -
Adventures in UX Design
• “Want To Build A Culture Of Innovation?
Master The Design Critique” - Co.Design
• “Design Critiques: Encourage a Positive
Culture to Improve Products” - NNGroup
• “How to give design critique” - Mitch
Goldstein

7. Preparation: Project Questions
• Why are you doing this project?
(what are its business goals)
• Who’s your target audience?
List at least three personnas.
• What problem(s) are you trying to solve?
• What does success look like, and why?
• List at least 3 adjectives to describe work
(emotions that should be triggered by target
audience)

8. Thank You!
@violinar
practical-ux.com/slack