The Value of Critique and Integrating it into

Your Design Process

Adam Connor - Senior Experience Designer Alla Zollers - Senior Experience Designer

boston upa

ICE BREAKING

Let’s talk about…

  Part 1: What is critique

  Part 2: Integrating critique into your process

  Part 3: How to critique and run critique sessions

Please hold your questions until the end of each part

ICE BREAKING

Part 1: What is Critique?

Feedback is Important

Feedback is the mechanism by which we

understand the response, reaction or

impact what we do, or a product we’ve

created, has on a person, an environment,

a system, etc.

So why are so many people afraid of it?

  People take it personally

  No one wants to be wrong

  wrong = failure

  wrong = vulnerable

Why do we fear feedback?

Feedback is Important

“We need to let go of our egos, embrace uncertainty, and encourage

those around us to tell us where we’re wrong”

- Dennis Breen, nForm

What makes good feedback?

Good feedback…

  should identify where, and how a design is meeting it’s goals

  should identify where, and how a design is not meeting it’s goals

  should be delivered in a form in which the person receiving the feedback

understands it and can act upon it to make improvements.

This is critique!

What is Critique?

Critique is:

  a “type” of feedback…

  focused on describing what does and what does not work, as well as why.

  delivered from the of the audience/users and goals of the design.

  a tool for collecting structured feedback…

  in which participants give their feedback in the form of critique.

Critique vs Criticism

Criticism… Critique…

finds fault examines structure

looks for problems looks for what does and doesn’t work

condemns what it doesn’t understand asks for clarification

is abrasive is honest and objective

is negative is positive even about what isn’t working

is general and vague is concrete and specific

What is Critique?

Ways in which we already collect feedback

  Reviews

  Focus Groups

  Surveys

  Usability Studies

  Etc.

* Image by smannion, from Flickr

Critique does not replace any of the tools

we already have.

The ability to critique well is insanely valuable

For Designers

  Encourages Designers to “detach”

themselves from their designs and

examine them objectively

  Provides access to new ideas that

Designers may not have found alone

  Provides practice in listening to and

responding to feedback

  Provides practice in explaining the

thinking and rationale behind design

decisions

The ability to critique well is insanely valuable

For Design and Project Teams

  Helps establish a common framework

for discussing designs and ideas

  Creates opportunities for more team

interaction, building collaboration and

trust

  Allows for a cross-pollination of ideas

for projects

The ability to critique well is insanely valuable

  In general, learning to critique well makes us better communicators.

  Critiquing well is about understanding what makes for good

feedback, how to give it, and how to get it.

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Part 2: Incorporating Critique Into Your Process

Plan to Hold a Critique Session

  Identify 3 -6 people you want to invite

  Set one clear goal for the meeting

  Set a time limit (30 min – 1 hour)

  Find an appropriate room and have

materials ready

Room and Materials

  Find a room with plenty of wall space

  Print out handouts

  Utilize sticky notes or note cards • write down the feedback, then affinity sort

• “parking lot” area

Traditional Project Lifecycle

Refinement

Wrap-up of Details

Early on in the Project

Middle of Project

End of Project

Discovery

Traditional Project Lifecycle

  Emphasize higher level user/business goals

  Do not focus on technical constraints, but flag concerns

Example Goals

  Get feedback about a set of different concepts / approaches

  Explore the designs of competing products

  Discuss user flow through the system

Designers Business/ Marketing

Early on in the Project

Discovery

Traditional Project Lifecycle

  Begin to define answers or solutions to issues

  Begin to solve for technical and business constraints

Example Goals

  Compare how different components of a system are designed

  Discuss potential usability issues

  Discuss products that have qualities you want to achieve

  Get cross-functional team feedback

Development Designers Business/ Marketing

Middle of Project

Refinement

Traditional Project Lifecycle

  Solidify answers or solutions to issues

  Solve for technical and business constraints

Example Goals

  Analyze design details

  Discuss potential usability issues

  Get cross-functional team feedback

Development Business/ Marketing

End of Project

Wrap-up of Details

Critique in Agile

Week 1 Week 2

Iteration N

Sketch

Plan For Critique

Recruit for Usability

Hold Critique

Make Updates

Conduct Usability

Create New Stories

Review Stories

Involve your team from the beginning

  Invite developers and customers

Complete at least one critique per iteration

  Depending on the goal, you can have it either in the middle or end of the iteration

  Make sure to account for critique session during estimation

Capture Feedback in a Public Way

  A wiki

  A feedback board

  Attach to specific stories as necessary

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Part 3: How to Critique and Run Critique Sessions

Critique is a Skill

  You will only get better with practice

  Start small

  Perhaps internal only

  Think before you speak

  Choose clients you critique with carefully

Always make sure to review these (and any other) ground rules with clients to gauge how comfortable they are with them before planning a critique.

Also, post the ground rules in the room where the critique will be held.

Ground Rules

  Everyone is equal

  It is up to the designer to decide which

feedback to act upon and which not to

  Design decisions are not to be made

during critiques

  Feedback should be provided from the

perspective of the Design’s audience

  A great use for Personas

Techniques and Tools for Good Critique

  Active Listening / Question for Clarity

  Moderators

  Quotas

  Round-Robin

  Direct Inquiry

Things to Avoid

  Poor body language

  Preference based feedback

  Being overly defensive

  Problem solving

Dealing with Difficult Individuals

  Set expectations at the beginning of the sessions

  Make sure everyone understands what critique is

  Ask quiet people for feedback directly.

  Use personas and documented goals to help ensure everyone stays focused

  Request specific feedback from people with regard to their areas of expertise

(development, marketing, etc)

In Summary

  Learning to critique well improves our ability to communicate with our teams,

clients and others.

  The ability to critique well will only improve with practice.

  Critique focuses on what works, what doesn’t and why, and is delivered from the

perspective of a well-defined audience and goals.

  Critique can be done both internally and with clients.

  Critique is best done with 3-6 people in 30 minutes to 1 hour.

  Be sure to clearly communicate the goals of a critique session as well as ground

rules to all participants.

Critique this Presentation Here is your chance to get some practice.

ICE BREAKING Thank You

Adam Connor Senior Experience Designer

aconnor@madpow.net

Twitter @adamconnor

Alla Zollers Senior Experience Designer

alla@madpow.net

Twitter: @azollers

Documentation

  Slides can be found at: http://www.madpow.net