Being a designer, one thing that I have never been able to avoid no matter if I am in a big corporation, small startup or design agency, is giving and receiving design feedback from peer designers. Most designers fear it. Some designers think design feedback from peers is unnecessary if they already have feedback from other disciplines such as Product Management and Engineering. Some designers are just over-achieve-givers (OAG) who want to give feedback but unlikely to seek feedback from others. Some designers are the over-achieve-giver+seagulls (OAGS) who are always ready to give negative and not constructive criticism.

Giving and receiving design feedback is hard, awkward or even painful. If it is so bad for us then why should we do it? The reason is “IT WORKS”. Peer designers review is a key part of the design practice (it is an unwritten piece of the job description for designers), and it is an invaluable experience for us to always develop our skills, knowledge, taste, and learn to grow. I have been on the receiving end of some really tough and mentally torturing design reviews that resulted with great feedback by my fellow designers that pushed me to think about other problem-solving approaches, how to communicate my design story better, how to make the right design choices, and how to be stellar at my craft. Reflecting on these design reviews, they were actually not bad at all once I overcame my psychological insecurity. Each review became easier, more comfortable and natural. By taking valuable feedback through design reviews, with an open mind to absorb and understand, you are expanding your horizons and learning from others, and helping each other be better designers.

In AR/VR Commerce Product Design team, we have a weekly design session that designers get together to share their current work. For this newly formed design practice in our organization, I was debating about what I should call this design session. Should I call it Design Critique, Design Review, Feedback Loop? Finally, I decided to call it Design Show & Tell. The goal was to give designers a safe space to share their work progress with their peers and help each other to improve their design quality by providing constructive feedback. I wanted to start with something a little bit less formal than a real design critique. As we build trust among each other and as the team scales, we will elevate our approach and conduct more structured design critiques that other bigger design teams in Facebook are using. We are still feeling and finding our way to run these Show & Tell sessions more effectively. Here are some myths and tips I have learned, and I hope my learning could be applied to other disciplines if they are running their own Show & Tell.

Myth 1: Designers are working with their product development team closely, and have been given product and engineering level feedback. There is no need for feedback from peer designers.

While the truth is that a well-thought-out design requires various types of feedback. When asking for feedback from a stakeholder, expect them to be thinking about a different set of problems than a designer would. They are not going to comment on ways to simplify a flow, applying interaction standards, making a layout clean and pleasing, using the right color or objects. Product Excellence and Design Excellence must co-exist and be weighted equally.

How can you help if you are a stakeholder?

Tip: Encourage the designer you are working with to show their in-progress work in Design Show & Tell, seek feedback early and often from other designers. Make it an essential step in the product development process.

Myth 2: Other designers are not working on the same project. They don’t understand the consideration that led to the solution. They will go off track and it is a waste of time to get feedback from them.

It is true that if the peer designers don’t understand the problems the designer is trying to solve, how will they be able to give useful feedback? Especially the designer who has been working on the project for a while so what right do the peer designers have to dive in with strong opinions?

How can you help if you are the designer showing your work?

Tip: Help set the context for your peers. What problems are you solving, what challenges are you facing, and what you have tried. Show your work and tell your story. Then, help your peers to switch from listening mode to constructive feedback mode. Tell your peers what you need feedback on. Be specific and keep things focused to guide your conversation.

How can you help if you are one of the peer designers?

Tip: Listen first and don’t interrupt the one who is showing the work and telling their story. Ask questions next and demonstrate a learner mindset before providing your opinions. Ask about who are the target users, what are the user problems, what was your first approach to address the problems, etc. Once you feel you understand the problem space and have put yourself in the designer’s shoes, provide honest yet kind feedback. Feedback needs to be specific. Don’t just say good job or I like it. Don’t say something that cannot point the designer in a better direction. Be specific to tell why you like or dislike something, and why you are suggesting this solution over the other.

Myth 3: I don’t have anything to show. I am going to skip the Show & Tell.

How can you help to solve this myth if you are that designer?

Tip: Showing up is caring. Caring is trust building. Even though you are not going to show any work, you still can listen and learn what other designers are working on and how their work are connected to your work. If you have constructive feedback, give it. Always be specific, honest and kind when providing your feedback. And make a commitment to the team by showing up.

My last thought to designers: All feedback, even feedback that we don’t agree with, and most of the time they are from peer designers, is an opportunity to understand a different perspective. It is a dialogue centered on how to improve design, and not a mandate on what must change. It is the designer’s opportunity to consider the trade-offs, and up-level the design work to create excellent design outcomes. Most importantly, design feedback enables us to grow professionally and learn from our fellow designers.