Design critique guide

How to give and receive design feedback

Design critiques are a core skill for UX designers and PMs. Learn how to give feedback that improves designs and how to receive feedback that does not derail your work.

What is a design critique?

A structured discussion aimed at improving the work — not judging it.

A design critique (or design review, or crit) is a structured discussion of design work with the goal of improving it. It is not about opinions or whether you like it — it is about whether the design achieves the user and business goals.

Done well, a critique is one of the highest-leverage activities on a product team. It surfaces problems before they are built, aligns stakeholders on what the design is trying to do, and gives the designer clear direction for the next iteration.

The rules of a good critique

These apply to everyone in the room — designer, PM, engineer, and stakeholder.

Critique the work, not the person

Separate the designer from the design. 'This layout does not solve the problem' is critique. 'You did not think this through' is an attack. The goal is improving the artifact, not evaluating the person who made it.

Connect feedback to goals

Ground every observation in user needs or business outcomes. 'For users who are doing X, this layout might cause confusion because...' is actionable. 'This feels off' is not.

Ask questions before giving solutions

Before suggesting what to change, ask what the design is trying to accomplish. 'What is this section trying to help the user accomplish?' often reveals that the reviewer misunderstood the intent.

Be specific

'The contrast here is too low' is better than 'this looks wrong.' Specific feedback is actionable. Vague feedback forces the designer to guess — and they will usually guess wrong.

Distinguish between 'must change' and 'consider'

Label the weight of your feedback. A usability blocker is not the same as a stylistic preference. If you conflate them, the designer cannot prioritize — and will either change everything or nothing.

Giving feedback as a PM

PMs should critique against user needs and business goals, not aesthetics.

GOOD

'For the user flow we defined, would new users understand what to click here first?'

AVOID

'I do not like that color' or 'Can we make it more modern?' — these substitute personal preference for product judgment.

Giving feedback as an engineer

Engineers should flag technical constraints early — not at launch.

GOOD

'This animation will be difficult to implement consistently across all device sizes — is there a simpler version that achieves the same effect?'

AVOID

'That is impossible to build' without an alternative. A veto without a path forward shuts down the conversation instead of advancing it.

How to receive feedback as a designer

Receiving critique well is a skill — and a competitive advantage.

Thank reviewers before responding

Even if the feedback feels off, lead with gratitude. It creates psychological safety for the reviewer to be honest — which is what you actually want.

Separate 'I disagree' from 'I will not change this'

They are different. You can disagree with a piece of feedback and still change the design. You can also agree with feedback and decide not to act on it because the cost outweighs the benefit. Be explicit about which situation you are in.

Ask for the underlying concern, not the suggested solution

When a reviewer says 'make the button blue,' they are describing a solution, not a problem. Ask: 'What is the concern this is solving?' The real problem is often different — and addressable in a better way.

Document feedback and close the loop

After the critique, share what you changed and what you kept — and why. This shows that feedback was heard and builds trust with reviewers. It also creates a record that protects you from re-litigating decisions in future reviews.

Critique frameworks

Use a framework to give a critique structure before it starts. An unstructured review defaults to whoever talks loudest.

I Like / I Wish / What If

Generative

Low stakes, generative. Start with what is working ('I like...'), note what is missing ('I wish...'), then open possibilities ('What if...'). Good for early-stage reviews where the goal is exploration, not evaluation.

Rose / Thorn / Bud

Diagnostic

What is working (Rose), what is not working (Thorn), what has potential (Bud). More structured than I Like / I Wish. Useful when a design has clear strengths worth preserving alongside problems worth fixing.

Critique against a rubric

Evaluative

List the design principles or success criteria upfront, then evaluate each one in turn. The rubric makes the standard explicit before the review starts, which prevents opinion-based disagreements and keeps the discussion anchored to agreed-upon goals.

Next step

Build your UX design skills

Design critiques are one part of a broader UX skillset. See what else is covered in the UX designer role guide.

Explore the UX designer role