Discussing Design

Appendix C. O’squo^®: Discussing Design

Real critique has become a lost skill among 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, Adam Connor and Aaron Irizarry teach you techniques and tools for helping members of your team give and receive critique.

Using firsthand 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, and activities for making critique a part of your collaborative process.

Topics Include:

• 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

Adam Connor, VP of Organizational Design at Mad*Pow, helps teams improve their own ability to create and collaborate effectively.

Aaron Irizarry, Director of User Experience for Nasdaq Product Design, provides workshops to help product teams improve the discussion around product design.

“I have personally been able to leverage many of the valuable insights and takeaways they shared with my team at Disney to structure formal design critique sessions, and it has helped ...