Lead with questionsGet more information to base your feedback on and show an interest in their thinking.Chances are, before being asked for your feedback, the presenter will give a brief explanation of what he has put together so far and how it would work. This gives you some context and understanding of the objectives he has and the elements of

Where are you in your process?This question reveals a designer’s intended fidelity of thinking. Everyone’s design process is different, and in many cases they vary from project to project. By understanding where a designer feels like he is in his own journey, I can tailor the language in my feedback to reflect that. Is something about to go to a

But, what about other aspects of the design? What about other questions that come up? For example:What new problems, complications, or successes might arise from the choices being proposed?What other objectives should the designer have been considering, but didn’t?Raising these kinds of questions can be important. Ignoring them might mean missing

Talk about strengthsCritique isn’t just about what’s not working.We sometimes have a tendency to focus on negatives, the things that cause us problems, get in our way, and that we’d like to see changed. We often take the positive for granted. In our project meetings and design discussions it’s often no different. We spend the vast majority of time

Central IdeaFeedback encompasses three forms: reaction, direction, and critique. Reaction and direction are limited in their ability to help us understand if the design choices we’ve made might work toward the product’s objectives. Critique, a form of analysis that uses critical thinking, is feedback that focuses on exactly that understanding.

This is your chance to open up the dialogue. By asking questions you give yourself more information on which to base your analysis and give stronger, actionable feedback. If done in a noninterrogative way, it shows the designer that you’re genuinely interested in not only his work, but the thinking behind it, which can make discussing it and

Central IdeaForming critique is a simple four-step process. What are the design’s objectives? What are the elements of the design related to those objectives? Are those elements effective? Why or why not?

What elements of the design are related to the objective?Next we identify the aspects and elements of the design that we believe work toward or against the objective. Whether the aspect or element is the result of a conscious choice by the designer doesn’t matter. We are analyzing the effectiveness of the whole design as it’s presented.

Examples of questions you might ask:Can you tell me more about what your objectives were for [specific aspect or element of the design]?What other options did you consider for [aspect/element]?Why did you choose this approach for [aspect/element]?Were there any influencers or constraints that affected your choices?