Design Critique: Giving and Receiving Effective Feedback

Effective design critique focuses on objectives, user needs, and design principles rather than personal preferences, creating constructive feedback that improves outcomes. Critique preparation involves understanding project goals, target audience, design constraints, and success metrics before review sessions. Feedback structure includes positive observations, specific improvement areas, actionable suggestions, and questions exploring design reasoning. Language choice avoids subjective terms like "I don't like" in favor of objective observations about usability, accessibility, or brand alignment. Remote critique tools like Figma comments, InVision feedback, and Miro collaboration boards enable asynchronous design review. Receiving feedback requires active listening, clarifying questions, and separating ego from work quality. Documentation captures critique outcomes, action items, and revision rationales for future reference. Regular critique sessions build team design literacy and establish shared quality standards. Cultural considerations ensure feedback processes respect diverse communication styles and hierarchy preferences. Critique training develops skills in both giving and receiving constructive feedback effectively.