discuss design without losing your mind
DESCRIPTION
This is an updated version of Discussing Design: The Art of Critique. We’ve all struggled at times in sharing our designs with teammates and stakeholders and collecting feedback on them. The comments we receive can seem to more about personal preference or indicate some misalignment of goals and vision for the project. Our ability to critique and to facilitate critique with others speaks directly to the quality of these conversations. Designers frequently complain about the quality and uselessness of the feedback they are given, but we rarely take a step back and examine how to collect useful feedback and make our discussions around our designs more productive. With this talk we look deeper into the various aspects of critique, not just as an activity for collecting feedback, but as a key skill in our ability to communicate and collaborate. We examine the language, rules and strategies for critique and provide participants with takeaways that can immediately be put to work to create a useful, collaborative environment for discussing designs.TRANSCRIPT
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DISCUSSDESIGNWithout Losing Your Mind
ADAM CONNOR @ADAMCONNOR
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Conversations can hurt.
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It’s laid out too much like [popular service]. We should be different.
The new Spotify design is perhaps even worse than the old Spotify design. The visual hierarchy and underlying IA are terrible.
No. That won’t work. What if we do it this way...
It needs more flululululuh!!The wireframes are still not answering our problem and are not providing enough an easier solution for the page.
Change the order of the screens so that the 3rd and first one are switched.
It doesn't have enough spunk.
What kind of company shuts down a much-loved service like Google Reader but keeps the vegetative Google Plus?
We're disappointed in this solution. We're going to have our own designers come up with one.
Looks ugly. Make it pretty.
What. The hell. Is this?
I would never use this. I don’t like the layout.
We should make that a dropdown instead of radio buttons.
None of this is what I asked for.
This is terrible. I have no idea what the lines mean.
I like the paper form better.
I'm just not feeling it. I don't know what, but it isn't right yet. Just needs to be more innovative.
Make it look more like SharePoint.
Here is a rewrite. My intention is to sharpen the language, make it more precise.
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The new Spotify design is perhaps even worse than the old Spotify design. The visual hierarchy and underlying IA are terrible.
No. That won’t work. What if we do it this way...
Change the order of the screens so that the 3rd and first one are switched.
What. The hell. Is this?
We should make that a dropdown instead of radio buttons.
None of this is what I asked for.
Here is a rewrite. My intention is to sharpen the language, make it more precise.
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“Good lord! That’s awful! An inebriated cocker
spaniel could have done better!Reaction
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“Good lord! That’s awful! An inebriated cocker
spaniel could have done better!
“You should have made all of those radio buttons a
drop down [,because…]
Reaction
Direction
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criticalthinking
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critique
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“If the objective is for users to seriously consider the
impact to their bank balance before making a
purchase, placing the balance at the bottom of the
screen at the same size as all the other numbers
isn’t effective because it get’s lost in all of the other
the information.
Critique
“Good lord! That’s awful! An inebriated cocker
spaniel could have done better!
“You should have made all of those radio buttons a
drop down [,because…]
Reaction
Direction
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We need tools & a plan.
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What was the creator trying to achieve?
How did they try to achieve it?
How effective were their choices?
Why is or isn’t what they did effective?
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How did they try to achieve it?
What was the creator trying to achieve?
How effective were their choices?
Why is or isn’t what they did effective?
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How effective were their choices?
What was the creator trying to achieve?
How did they try to achieve it?
Why is or isn’t what they did effective?
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Why is or isn’t what they did effective?
What was the creator trying to achieve?
How did they try to achieve it?
How effective were their choices?
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INTENTAt their foundation is
There are two facets to critique,
Giving & Receiving
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Giving critique with the wrong
intent is self focused.
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Giving critique with the right
intent is objective focused.
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When giving critique...
Use a filter. Gather initial thoughts and reactions. Revisit them in the right context.
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When giving critique...
Don’t assume. Find out the reason behind thinking, constraints, or other variables.
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When giving critique...
Don’t invite yourself. Get in touch and ask to chat about the design.
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When giving critique...
Lead with questions. Show an interest in their process and learn more about their objectives.
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When giving critique...
Talk about strengths. Critique isn’t just about the things that aren’t working.
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Receiving critique with the right intent takes
humility & restraint.
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When receiving critique...
Remember the purpose. Critique is about understanding and improvement, not judgement.
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When receiving critique...
Think before responding. Do you understand what the critics are saying?
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When receiving critique...
Participate. Analyze your proposed solution alongside everyone else.
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When receiving critique...
Set the foundation. Use prior agreements and objectives to get everyone on the same page.
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Design Reviews
Standalone Critiques
Collaborative Activities
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Critique is a skill. You need to practice.
Choose who you critique with carefully.
Think before you speak.
Start small.
Keep in mind…
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Avoid problem solving.
The designer is responsible for next steps.
Everyone is a critic.
Everyone is equal.
Rules of critique
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Set the right foundation.
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Set your foundation with...
Personas User archetypes that describe their average behaviors, goals, expectations, knowledge, etc.
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Set your foundation with...
Goals Desired, measurable outcomes of the user interacting with the product or service. Can be user oriented, business oriented or both.
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Set your foundation with...
Principles Statements, often worded as rules, that capture the desired qualities or characteristics of the final solution.
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Set your foundation with...
Scenarios Short narratives that the describe the desired behaviors, thoughts, emotions, etc. of the user as they move through a use case.
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Design Reviews
Standalone Critiques
Collaborative Activities
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Synthesize Observations
Create or Refine
Observe & Evaluate
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Synthesize Observations
Create or Refine
Observe & Evaluate
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Critique is about iteration and improvement. So long as you’re looking to improve on whatever it is you’re doing, you’ve got an
opportunity for critique.
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Who gets an invitation?
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Start things off on the right foot.
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Facilitating critiqueCritique Goals
Round Robin & Quotas
Direct Inquiry
Six Thinking Hats
Facilitators
Active Listening
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Yes.You will have to deal
with difficult people.
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What comes next?
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Design ReviewsStandalone Critiques
Collaborative Activities
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Design Reviews
also have their
challenges.
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Design Reviews
also have their
challenges.
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Don’t rely on them for critique.
Take control.
Pretend you’re dealing with difficult people.
Recap objectives.
Solving the review problem
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Design Reviews
Standalone Critiques
Collaborative Activities
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The ever popular brainstorm…
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Divergent Thinking
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Divergent Thinking
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Divergent Thinking
Convergent Thinking
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Divergent Thinking
Convergent Thinking
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Divergent Thinking
Convergent ThinkingCritique
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critiqueis at the core of
collaboration.
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THANK YOU!For more thoughts on
critique, communication,
and collaboration, check
out discussingdesign.com.
!And look for Discussing Design from O’Reilly Media in 2015!
Adam Connor Experience Design Director
!
@adamconnor [email protected]
Aaron Irizarry Sr. Product Designer
!
@aaroni [email protected]