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Plate FLOW·001 · WorkflowGrid G1 · Rev. 2026-08-14

Design Critique

Structured feedback against stated objectives, which is a different activity from a decision meeting.

WorkflowCraft conventionIntermediate

Definition

A critique is a session where a designer presents work and colleagues give feedback against explicit objectives and constraints. It is not an approval gate and it is not a vote.

Craft convention. True because the industry converged on it. Breaking it costs familiarity, not correctness.

On this plate
  1. 1Definition
  2. 2Structure that works
  3. 3Giving feedback
  4. 4Three kinds of comment, and what each is worth
  5. 5In practice
  6. 6Local chart
  7. 7Sources
  8. 8Continue from here

Reach for this when

  • Work is in progress and the designer wants input.
  • Building a shared quality standard across a team.
  • A decision is close and the team is about to commit to it without another pair of eyes.

Common mistakes

  • Unstated objectives, which produces unfocused feedback.
  • Senior opinion anchoring the room.
  • Critique that is actually an approval gate.
  • No summary, so nothing is agreed.
  • Running critique with an audience that has no stake in the work, which produces reaction rather than judgement.

Structure that works

  1. 1

    Frame it

    The presenter states the problem, the constraints, what has already been tried, and the specific feedback they want.

  2. 2

    Silent review

    Give everyone two or three minutes to look before anyone speaks, so the first comment does not anchor the room.

  3. 3

    Clarifying questions only

    Understand before evaluating. This step removes most misdirected feedback.

  4. 4

    Feedback against objectives

    Each comment names which objective it relates to. Preferences that relate to no objective are noted separately.

  5. 5

    Presenter summarises

    They restate what they heard and what they intend to do. They are not required to agree.

Giving feedback

Do

  • Describe what you observe before interpreting it: 'my eye goes to the illustration first'.
  • Tie feedback to a stated objective or a principle.
  • Ask about the reasoning behind a decision before criticising it.
  • Separate 'this will not work' from 'I would have done it differently'.

Do not

  • Redesign in the room.
  • Give feedback on things the presenter said were fixed constraints.
  • Use 'I don't like' with no reasoning attached.
  • Let the most senior voice speak first.

Three kinds of comment, and what each is worth

CommentExampleWhat to do with it
ReactionI do not like the greenNote it, ask what it is competing with, do not act on it alone
ObservationMy eye went to the illustration before the priceValuable. It is data about the design from a fresh pair of eyes
PrescriptionMake the button biggerAsk what problem it solves, then treat the answer as the real comment

In practice

  1. i.

    Stating the question first

    Framing a session

    A designer who opens with I need help deciding between one column and two gets fifteen minutes on that decision. A designer who opens with here is my work gets fifteen minutes of scattered reaction and no decision.

  2. ii.

    The silent seniority problem

    Order of speaking

    Whoever speaks first sets the frame, and if that person is the most senior, the rest of the room tends to elaborate rather than disagree. Collecting written notes before discussion costs two minutes and changes what gets said.

Local chart

FLOW·001 · Region IV · Grid G1

This entry and the entries it is stated to connect with. Each line is labelled with what the connection means.

Confirmation BiasBIAS·009 · PRINCIPLES BEHIND THISCurse of KnowledgeBIAS·008 · PRINCIPLES BEHIND THISDesign BriefTPL·010 · OFTEN USED WITHDesign CritiqueTPL·012 · OFTEN USED WITHLoomTOOL·048 · OFTEN USED WITHMuralTOOL·008 · OFTEN USED WITHDesign CritiqueTERM·111 · SHORT DEFINITIONAI Design CritiqueAI·009 · RELATED CONCEPTDesign Brief to Wireframe DirectionAI·008 · RELATED CONCEPTContribution ModelsSYS·007 · RELATED CONCEPTHeuristic EvaluationRES·002 · RELATED CONCEPTDesign QAFLOW·003 · RELATED CONCEPT

Sources

Where a source establishes something narrower than the popular reading of it, the note says so.

  1. [1]

    Discussing Design

    A. Connor and A. Irizarry, O'Reilly, 2015

    On separating critique from reaction and approval, and on how to ask for the feedback you need.

Continue from here

Each link says what the connection is, so you can tell a principle from an alternative from a thing people mix this up with.

Principles behind this

The reasoning this solution is an application of.

Often used with

These usually appear in the same screen or the same decision.

Short definition

The one-paragraph version, for when that is all you need.

Related concept

Connected closely enough to change how you apply this.