Discussing Design: Improving Communication and Collaboration through Critique

Real critique has become a lost skill among collaborative teams today. Critique is intended to help teams strengthen their designs, products, and services, rather than be used to assert authority or push agendas under the guise of "feedback." In this practical guide, authors Adam Connor and Aaron Irizarry teach you techniques, tools, and a framework for helping members of your design team give and receive critique.

Using firsthand stories and lessons from prominent figures in the design community, this book examines the good, the bad, and the ugly of feedback. You’ll come away with tips, actionable insights, activities, and a cheat sheet for practicing critique as a part of your collaborative process.

This book covers:

• Best practices (and anti-patterns) for giving and receiving critique
• Cultural aspects that influence your ability to critique constructively
• When, how much, and how often to use critique in the creative process
• Facilitation techniques for making critiques timely and more effective
• Strategies for dealing with difficult people and challenging situations

• Org Design for Design Orgs: Building and Managing In-House Design Teams
• Design Leadership: How Top Design Leaders Build and Grow Successful Organizations
• Articulating Design Decisions: Communicate with Stakeholders, Keep Your Sanity, and Deliver the Best User Experience
• UX Strategy: How to Devise Innovative Digital Products that People Want
• Mapping Experiences: A Complete Guide to Creating Value through Journeys, Blueprints, and Diagrams
• Strategic Writing for UX: Drive Engagement, Conversion, and Retention with Every Word
• Lean UX: Designing Great Products with Agile Teams
• Ruined by Design: How Designers Destroyed the World, and What We Can Do to Fix It
• 100 Things Every Designer Needs to Know About People (Voices That Matter)
• Orchestrating Experiences: Collaborative Design for Complexity