Unveiling the lessons learned from Facebook's design critique process, we delve into the transformative insights that shape the world of design. Discover the four pivotal elements that have redefined the approach to design critique in one of the world's leading tech giants.
Critique is an important part of any design process
The feedback you get through a formal critique can help get you outside your own head in order to make better decisions, overcome obstacles, and strengthen your craft.
- At Facebook, meetings are centralized around authentic critique
- Dedicating a few hours every week for a meeting can undoubtedly prove itself to be valuable
Focus on feedback, not criticism
If the goal of critique is to help move solutions forward and empower the team, feedback should primarily be presented in the form of exploratory and guiding questions
- Critique should not serve the purpose of boosting the ego or agenda of anyone in the meeting
Laptops (and phones) stay closed
The point of a critique is to explore problems, nurture ideas, and grow the team, primarily through listening and asking questions.
- You can’t accomplish this goal if you’re constantly checking your phone or working on your computer.
Establish clear roles
Everyone in a critique has a role to play – presenter, audience, facilitator
- The presenter is the individual sharing work, their role is to: Succinctly describe the problem being solved
- Ask a lot of questions
- Present design or content solutions they have come up with
- Their job is to keep everyone within their confined roles for each presentation
Ensure everyone understands (and agrees on) the problem
Remind everyone of the problem being solved before showing any work in a critique
- Vocally state what you are not focused on exploring during the critique as much as what you want feedback on
- Once everyone understands the problem statement, share the design solutions
