Running Design Reviews

Scope

Covers

• Planning a design review with a clear decision and requested feedback type(s)
• Running a live demo–centered critique (or async review when needed)
• Capturing feedback without “design-by-committee”
• Synthesizing feedback using Value → Ease of Use → Delight prioritization
• Recording decisions, tradeoffs, and follow-ups so the review changes the work

When to use

• “Prepare and run a design critique for this Figma prototype.”
• “We need a structured design review agenda and feedback log.”
• “Help us review this flow and decide what to change before we ship.”
• “Turn messy comments into prioritized feedback + next steps.”

When NOT to use

• You don’t have a defined problem, target user, or goal yet (use problem-definition first).
• You need build-ready interaction specs / acceptance criteria (use writing-specs-designs).
• You need evidence from users rather than expert critique (use usability-testing).
• You’re doing launch planning, comms, rollout/rollback (use shipping-products).

Inputs

Minimum required

• Design artifact(s): link(s) or screenshots (e.g., Figma/prototype) + what parts are in scope
• The decision needed (what will change after the review)
• Target user + job-to-be-done (1–2 sentences)
• Success criteria (1–3) and constraints (time, platform, accessibility, tech)
• Review format + logistics: live vs async, time box, attendees/roles

Missing-info strategy

• Ask up to 5 questions from references/INTAKE.md, then proceed.
• If answers aren’t available, make explicit assumptions and clearly label them.
• Do not request secrets or credentials.

Outputs (deliverables)

Produce a Design Review Pack in Markdown (in-chat by default; write to files if requested), in this order:

1. Design review brief / pre-read (context, decision, requested feedback, links)
2. Agenda + facilitation script (timed, prompts, roles)
3. Feedback log (captured + categorized + prioritized)
4. Decision record (decisions, tradeoffs, owners, due dates)
5. Follow-up message + next review plan (what changed, what’s next)
6. Risks / Open questions / Next steps (always included)

Templates: references/TEMPLATES.md

Workflow (7 steps)

1) Classify the review and lock the decision

• Inputs: Request + artifact(s) + constraints.
• Actions: Identify the review type (concept / flow / content / visual polish / ship-readiness). Write the decision statement (“After this review we will decide ___”).
• Outputs: Review type + decision statement + scope boundary (in/out).
• Checks: Everyone can answer: “What will change after this review?”

2) Set the requested feedback (and what NOT to comment on)

• Inputs: Decision statement + stage of design.
• Actions: Specify 1–3 feedback questions (e.g., “Is the value proposition clear?”, “Where does the flow break?”, “What edge cases are missing?”). Explicitly defer aesthetics/minutiae until Value/Ease are validated.
• Outputs: Requested feedback list + “out of scope” feedback.
• Checks: Feedback questions map directly to the decision.

3) Assign roles (incl. a sponsor) and prepare a live demo

• Inputs: Attendees list + timeline/risk.
• Actions: Assign: Presenter, Facilitator, Note-taker, and a Sponsor/DRI (senior owner who focuses on “why” + core concept). Decide whether leadership must review all user-facing screens before ship (for high-craft products).
• Outputs: Roles list + demo plan (what will be shown, in what order).
• Checks: Decision rights are clear; the review is anchored in a live demo, not a slide deck.

4) Produce the pre-read (context first, then artifacts)

• Inputs: references/TEMPLATES.md (brief template) + project context.
• Actions: Write a 1–2 page brief: problem → user → success criteria → constraints → options considered → risks/tradeoffs → open questions → links.
• Outputs: Shareable pre-read + “how to review” instructions.
• Checks: A reviewer can give useful feedback asynchronously without a live context dump.

5) Run the review (big picture → Value → Ease → Delight)

• Inputs: Agenda + demo + notes/feedback log.
• Actions: Start with goals/feelings (“What’s bothering us overall?”), then evaluate:
  1. Value: is it solving the right problem?
  2. Ease: can users do it without friction?
  3. Delight: polish, aesthetics, extra joy (only after 1–2) Capture feedback as observations + impact + suggestion, not opinions.
• Outputs: Filled feedback log with categories and severities.
• Checks: The review does not get stuck in minutiae before Value/Ease are resolved.

6) Synthesize + prioritize feedback into a change plan

• Inputs: Feedback log.
• Actions: Deduplicate comments; resolve conflicts by returning to goals and constraints; prioritize by user impact and risk. Convert top items into explicit changes with owners and due dates.
• Outputs: Prioritized change list + updated feedback log status/owners.
• Checks: Top 3 issues are clear; each has a proposed action and owner.

7) Decide, document tradeoffs, and close the loop

• Inputs: Proposed change plan + remaining open questions.
• Actions: Record decisions and rationale; list tradeoffs and risks; define what must be re-reviewed. Send a follow-up summary and schedule the next review or ship gate.
• Outputs: Decision record + follow-up message + Risks/Open questions/Next steps.
• Checks: Decisions and action items are captured in writing; no critical decision is left implicit.

Quality gate (required)

• Use references/CHECKLISTS.md and score with references/RUBRIC.md.
• Always include: Risks, Open questions, Next steps.

Examples

See references/EXAMPLES.md.

Reference files

• references/INTAKE.md
• references/WORKFLOW.md
• references/TEMPLATES.md
• references/CHECKLISTS.md
• references/RUBRIC.md
• references/SOURCE_SUMMARY.md
• references/EXAMPLES.md