A follow-up to The Privilege of Bad.
I’ve been thinking about what makes a critique good, whether you call it a design review, a working session, or a feedback session. The more clarity you provide upfront, the better the output, and the more shared design language you build with your team and partners.
➡️ Start with the goal. What are the people in the room giving feedback on? Say it at the top of the call, put it in the meeting title or agenda, leave a note in Figma, or organize a whiteboard around it.
➡️ Then get the right people in the room. Talking through a design out loud is as much a part of the craft as making it.
I think about who should be in the room and what questions to ask based on the phase of work:
1. Product requirements phase
These designs come before business, product, or marketing requirements are fully developed. They’re exploratory: ideally many variations, open to any feedback, with room for blue-sky thinking about the best experience for users.
🧠 Goal: Align on business requirements, the problems to solve, conceptual differences, timelines, and next steps.
✋ Attendees: Business owners, design researchers, product owners.
❓ Questions to ask: Does this meet users’ needs? Does it reflect the latest UX research? Will it increase retention, simplify checkout, or otherwise serve the business goals?
2. Wireframes and prototypes
Once requirements are set and the business case is written and funded, the work moves to designing the UX. Feedback here should focus on functionality, usability, and flow.
🧠 Goal: Align stakeholders on the vision, make sure the design meets the product’s KPIs, and make sure developers can build it.
✋ Attendees: Developers, engineers, product owners, designers, UX researchers.
❓ Questions to ask: Does the design meet the requirements? Is it feasible for engineering? Does it serve the business case? Do we need a usability test with our research partners?
3. Visual design
With the UX settled, feedback turns to branding, legibility and accessibility, and copy.
🧠 Goal: Make the design feel cohesive page to page. Feedback centers on pixel-level polish, copy edits, and completeness before build.
✋ Attendees: Brand, marketing, copywriting.
❓ Questions to ask: Does this follow the brand guidelines? Is the type legible and accessible? Is the copy clear, consistent, and in our voice? Is anything missing before handoff?
Creating a safe place to ask the right questions with intention creates alignment across product development.