Design practice

Design Critique Practice

Give and receive structured feedback on a design in progress

Start the exercise

01 / Prepare

What you’ll
work on.

Practice giving and receiving structured design critique. You will present a work-in-progress design for feedback, then critique a partner's work using a structured framework. This builds the communication skills that distinguish senior designers.

Before you begin

  • A design in progress (from any exercise or real project)
  • A critique partner (peer, mentor, or community member)
  • Experience discussing design work with teammates or peers

02 / Practice

The work,
step by step.

Work through these 4 parts at your own pace. Keep your notes and work together so you can review them when you finish.

  1. Prepare Your Presentation

    30 min

    1. Frame the problem — What are you designing and why? (2–3 sentences)

    2. State the constraints — What can't change? (Technical limits, brand requirements, scope)

    3. Show the work — Current state of the design.

    4. Ask a specific question — What feedback do you need? Not "what do you think?" but "Does the information hierarchy work for the primary use case?" or "Is the onboarding flow clear for first-time users?"

  2. Receive Critique

    30 min

    1. Present your work following the structure above.

    2. Listen without defending — Take notes, ask clarifying questions, don't justify.

    3. Separate preferences from problems — "I don't like blue" is preference. "The CTA doesn't stand out from the background" is a problem.

    4. Ask for specifics — If feedback is vague, ask "Can you point to where that breaks down?"

  3. Give Critique

    30 min

    1. Start with what works — Identify specific strengths (not generic "looks good").

    2. Frame feedback as observations, not instructions — "The secondary action competes with the primary CTA" vs. "Move the button."

    3. Ground feedback in principles — Reference hierarchy, consistency, accessibility, or user goals.

    4. Respect the question — Answer what they asked, then offer additional observations.

    5. Be specific — Point to elements, reference patterns, suggest alternatives.

  4. Reflect

    30 min

    1. What was the most useful piece of feedback you received?

    2. What was hardest about giving feedback?

    3. What will you change in your design based on the critique?

    4. What will you do differently in the next critique session?

03 / Review

Look at what
you’ve made.

Gather your deliverables, then use the criteria to find what worked and what you would change. They also give a peer something specific to respond to.

What to bring together

  • Presentation notes (problem, constraints, specific question)
  • Critique notes received (organized by actionable vs. consider)
  • Critique notes given (your feedback on partner's work)
  • Reflection (what you'll change and what you learned)

How to assess your work

Presentation clarity
Problem, constraints, and question clearly framed
Receiving skill
Listening without defending, asking clarifying questions
Giving skill
Specific, principled, respectful, actionable feedback
Reflection quality
Honest self-assessment, specific next actions

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