Design Critiquing Simplified!

A Framework for non-designers & designers

For ages, there has been an ongoing conflict between designers and non-designers, which manifests itself in various ways. Personally, I find memes to be the most entertaining form of expression.?These memes often relate to design feedback or alterations, and I'm certain that designers worldwide can relate to them. They serve as a lighthearted way to express the frustration that designers feel when they receive ambiguous, subjective, or poor feedback that results in multiple design changes, negatively impacting their morale.

Well! This article isn't your typical "101 on why non-designers should give better feedback" or a "Ted Talk on the perks of good criticism." I'm giving you all the credit and assuming you're already aware of these things.

In this article, I'll showcase some common design feedback we encounter on a daily basis. Plus, I'll share with you a practical framework that enables you to evaluate and rate design work in a comprehensive, clear, and impartial way, all while setting aside your personal tastes and subjective opinions.

Time to spill the tea on why some critiques are an absolute flop!

"This design doesn't look good"

This is a vague critique as it is too general and lacks specificity, without providing any reasons why.

"This is terrible"

Wowza! That’s a harsh critique. It's overly negative or critical without offering suggestions for improvement, without explaining what specifically is wrong with the design.

"You clearly don't know what you're doing"

What’s with the personal attack? This critique attacks the designer rather than the design itself, without offering specific feedback on the design.

"I don't like blue, so I don't like this design"

Lol, really? This is a very biased critique that is based on personal preferences rather than objective criteria, without considering whether the color choice is appropriate for the intended audience or purpose.

?"This design needs work"

This, my friend, is an unhelpful critique that doesn't offer any practical suggestions for improvement or offer any specific recommendation to improve the design.??

Introducing the Critique Framework! Ta-daa!

The Critique Framework comprises a series of guidelines and questions that aid non-designers in effectively communicating with designers. It serves as a north star for designers, allowing them to evaluate their work before presenting it to clients.

?Using this framework simplifies the process of evaluating design work, as each category is assigned a rating which contributes to an overall score. A design is considered successful if it receives a score between 18 to 21 points, whereas a score below 10 points indicates that the design requires revision.

Let me demonstrate how simple it is to utilize the critique framework and how it works.

Scenario:

As the client, ARRL The National Association for Amateur Radio, you have commissioned a poster design for the first annual Pennington Hamfest, a folk music festival that invites radio stations to participate. The event details are as follows:

?Date: June 2, 2012

Time: 7:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Location: Princeton, KY Fire Training Center

Contact Information: [email protected]

Key Messages to be delivered: No fees for entry or setup, first-come-first-serve indoor tables, and food and drinks will be available.

?Now, it's time to critique the submitted poster design together. How would you provide feedback to the designer in a way that results in minimal back-and-forth and leads to an improved design?

This framework exemplifies how designers and non-designers can understand each other technically, but it's important to note that while it works for most design critiques such as digital ad design, posters, infographics, etc., it may not be suitable for edge cases like logo design projects. In such situations, you can modify the criteria list, specify the ratings, and share the revised framework with your designer, enabling them to evaluate the design against the framework beforehand and minimising rework.

Download the Framework now and critique designs like a pro!