Saying that collecting constructive feedback is the core of a product design process is stating the obvious. I am lucky to work amongst truly passionate product designers who also believe in that. Together we look for ways of collaborating and regularly exchanging feedback beyond our cross-functional teams. But for some reason, until recently, we were doing it in a form that didn’t feel creative and was pretty stressful. As designers, you probably experienced that uneasy feeling of facing and defending your work in front of a judging audience.
This article isn’t about giving tips on how to give a killer presentation or win stakeholders’ hearts. Instead, this article is about a review format that requires zero (or little) preparation and creates a safe space for sharing ideas without fear of being criticised for them. If you want to increase the quality of received feedback, encourage more organic collaboration and have a recipe for a meeting that everyone enjoys, you’re in the right place. So let’s see how to change a review from a nightmare into a pleasant one.