What is a design critique? Definition for design teams
A design critique is peer feedback on a design in progress — a non-binding conversation where other designers help the author see their work more clearly.
A design critique is peer feedback on a design in progress — a non-binding conversation where other designers help the author see their work more clearly.
The format earns its keep because designers, like writers, lose perspective on their own work. A second pair of eyes catches the things the author cannot see anymore: an inconsistent pattern, a missing state, a screen that reads as obvious to the author and confusing to anyone else.
What separates a useful critique from an unuseful one
The author frames the work first — what they're trying to do, where they're stuck, what kind of feedback they want. Without that, the critique drifts to wherever the loudest voice goes. Then the participants react to the work itself, not to the author; the question is always "what is true about this design" rather than "what would I have done differently."
Async critiques work too. A designer can ship a short capture of the prototype with their own commentary, and peers can attach written feedback on the same artifact at their own pace. The output is a markdown record the designer can iterate against without needing to retell the context to each reviewer separately.
Frequently asked questions
How is a critique different from a review?
A critique is non-binding and lower-stakes; the goal is to help the designer see their work more clearly. A review is decision-bearing — the design either passes or it doesn't.
How do you keep a critique useful?
Frame the work, ask for the kind of feedback wanted, time-box the session, and capture the observations somewhere the designer can refer back to. Critique without a record is mostly forgotten by the next afternoon.
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