Uplevel Your Design Reviews
Tired of design reviews that never seem to go anywhere? Learn how to get better results and fewer bruised egos in this hands-on workshop.
This course is no longer available.
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Course overview
Never ask why?
Asking “why" during design reviews invariably puts the designer into a defensive position where, rather than explaining their design, they must defend their motives. This can lead to tension and damaged egos, but rarely to better design.
This class is for people in product development who want to learn how to run and/or participate in more productive design reviews. Attendees will learn how to guide discussion and questions, define design review roles and rules, and create a more exploratory rather than combative environment
Who is this course for
01
Designers
Frustrated with reviewing designs and never getting constructive feedback.
02
Developers
Trying to understand how to give feedback that makes a difference in project design.
03
Managers
Keeping the project on track and moving forward.
What you’ll get out of this course
Ways to set up a critique with the right participants and the right tone
There is no one-size-fits-all recipe for every critique, but I present guidelines for what helps create a successful critique. It begins with making sure that the right people are participating.
How to ask questions that explore the design, and avoid the ones that cause conflict
Questions are never neutral. There is always an implied message and an implied criticism behind them. Learn how to ask more neutral questions that keep the discussion moving forward.
How to run a successful design critique that moves the solution forward
The key to avoiding aggressive critiques is to set out clear principles and ask open-ended, constructive questions. Remember that the idea is to strengthen the design collaboratively, not to win a design battle.
When to step in to guide conversation and when to step back and listen
The driving force behind every question you ask should be to understand the design decisions, not the designers motives.
Meet your instructor
Jason Cranford Teague
Jason Cranford Teague
Strategy | Coaching | Experience Design
Jason is a Web pioneer having designed the first Web based publication in 1994.
In the thirty years since, he has worked with numerous companies and organizations — including Bank of America, Time Warner, Marriott International, USA Today, and Capital One — providing user experience design and strategy.
Course syllabus
17 lessons • 9 projects
Week 1
- 📄
Introduction: Solutions Before Questions
- 📄
Planning Design Reviews
- 📄
Organizing Design Reviews
- 📄
Preparing for a Design Review
- ✍️
Who you gonna' call?
Submit by May 14 - ✍️
Untitled project
Submit by May 14 - 📄
Introduction: Questions are Hard
- 📄
You and Your Questions
- 📄
Questions That Lead to Solutions
- 📄
Exploring the Possibilities
- ✍️
Untitled project
Submit by May 14 - ✍️
Untitled project
Submit by May 14 - 📄
Introduction: Answers are Easy
- 📄
Running A Design Review
- 📄
Participating in a Design Review
- 📄
What an Effective Design Review Looks Like
- ✍️
Untitled project
Submit by May 14 - ✍️
Untitled project
Submit by May 14
Module 1: Design Review Foundations
Module 2: Asking the Right Questions
Module 3: Getting the Right Answers
Bonus
- 📄
Creativity Under The Microscope
Complete by Oct 22 - ✍️
PROJECT
Submit by Oct 21 - 📄
6 seemingly innocent statements guaranteed to kill creativity
Complete by Oct 24 - 📄
How to get design feedback
Complete by Oct 24 - ✍️
PROJECT
Submit by Oct 23 - ✍️
Reword These Questions
Submit by Oct 25 - 📄
The Critical Components of Preparing for and Conducting a Product Design Review
Complete by Oct 26 - 📄
Design critique from hell
Complete by Oct 26
Critique First Principles
Asking The Right Questions
Practice Design Review
Course schedule
6–10 hours per week
Live Workshops
Mon & Wed: 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM EST
Review video lessons, projects, and answer questions
Lessons & Reading
1–3 Hours
Video lessons and reading
Projects
1-3 Hours
Challenges and experiments
Final Design Reviews
Fri: 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM EDT
Present a design for review
We Create Together
Live Practice Review
You’ll be interacting with other learners through breakout rooms and project teams
Learn with your UX peers
Join a community of like-minded UX professionals who want to learn and grow alongside you
Active hands-on learning
This course builds on live workshops and hands-on projects
What people are saying
Caroline Scheinfeld
Brian Price
Pradyuman Kodavatiganti
Peter Erickson