📝 Design Reviews
Design Reviews are an integral part of the design process, enabling teams to evaluate the problem, analysis, and solution collaboratively. The goal is to ensure that designs meet the product requirements and align with the business goals. In each stage of a designer's career, the scope of work, the type of presentation, and the target audience for approval evolve. This document provides guidelines for conducting design reviews at various career levels.
1. Entry-Level Designers
Design Intern, Junior/Associate Designer
Audience:
- Primary: Design Team / Product Team (Product Manager)
- Secondary: Collaboration with Engineers (for handoff confirmations)
Presentation Focus:
- Problem: Clear explanation of the problem you're solving.
- Analysis: Basic research, user stories, or insights that inform your design decisions.
- Solution: Proposed design solution with visual concepts, low-fidelity prototypes, or wireframes.
Approval Goal:
- ✅ Validate design direction with the design or product team.
- ✅ Ensure that your design aligns with the problem definition and the product's needs.
2. Mid-Level Designers
Product Designer, Senior Product Designer
Audience:
- Primary: Design Team / Product Team (Product Manager)
- Secondary: Collaboration with Engineers (for detailed handoff confirmation)
Presentation Focus:
- Problem: Refined problem statement, considering stakeholder feedback.
- Analysis: Deeper insights from user research, competitive analysis, and business objectives.
- Solution: High-fidelity designs, user flows, wireframes, or clickable prototypes that demonstrate the solution.
Approval Goal:
- ✅ Obtain alignment on design direction from the product team.
- ✅ Confirm that the design meets technical feasibility (in collaboration with engineering).
3. Advanced IC Designers
Staff Product Designer, Principal Product Designer
Audience:
- Primary: Design Leadership / Other Leadership (Product Owners, C-Level, Directors)
- Secondary: Engineers (For collaboration, handoff and final approval)
Presentation Focus:
- Problem: A thorough understanding of the problem and its broader implications for the product or company.
- Analysis: Detailed research findings, user insights, and data-backed decisions.
- Solution: High-level conceptual designs, detailed wireframes, prototypes, and a narrative around design decisions that align with business goals.
Approval Goal:
- ✅ Get buy-in from leadership, ensuring that the design aligns with strategic objectives.
- ✅ Confirm resource allocation, timelines, and any necessary design or engineering constraints.
4. Design Leadership
Design Lead/Team Lead, Design Manager, Senior Design Manager/Group Manager, Director of Product Design, VP of Design, Chief Design Officer
Audience:
- Primary: Executive Leadership (C-Level, Directors)
- Secondary: Collaboration with Engineers (For final implementation review and handoff confirmation)
Presentation Focus:
- Problem: Strategic overview of product direction, company goals, and user needs.
- Analysis: Cross-functional research findings, competitive analysis, market research, and feedback from customers or users.
- Solution: Finalized, polished designs, showcasing a clear vision for the product's future. A narrative around how the design fits into long-term strategy and product goals.
Approval Goal:
- ✅ Obtain executive approval for strategic alignment, business impact, and resource allocation.
- ✅ Confirm support for the design roadmap, timelines, and any additional requirements needed from leadership to support the design’s success.
5. Specialist Roles
Design Systems Designer, UX Researcher, Prototyper/Design Engineer, Design Ops Manager
Audience:
- Primary: Design Team, Product Team, Engineering
- Secondary: Collaboration with Product Leadership for cross-functional alignment
Presentation Focus:
- Problem: Detailed analysis of specific design components (e.g., patterns, research insights, prototypes, operations).
- Analysis: Specialized insights from design system work, user testing, or prototyping iterations.
- Solution: Recommendations for system improvements, user testing results, prototypes, or detailed design processes.
Approval Goal:
- ✅ Validate the integration of systems or research insights into the broader design vision.
- ✅ Ensure smooth collaboration and coordination between design, product, and engineering teams for implementation.
Approval Process and Handoff Confirmation:
At all levels, it’s crucial to confirm that the design is aligned with product goals and ready for development. For designers working at Entry, Mid, and Specialist levels, handoffs to engineers will require confirmation of the design’s approval through Design Reviews.
- Entry and Mid-Level Designers: Approval should come from product managers or the design team, ensuring alignment before passing designs to engineering.
- Advanced ICs and Leadership: After leadership approval, designers must ensure handoff processes are documented and communicated clearly to engineering teams, with final confirmation of the design direction before the implementation phase.
Best Practices for a Successful Design Review:
- Prepare Thoroughly: Ensure your presentation is clear, concise, and well-supported with research or data.
- Facilitate Discussions: Allow feedback and collaboration to occur naturally, but keep it focused on the problem and solution.
- Clarify Approval Needs: Be clear about what you need from the audience: feedback, alignment, or full approval.
- Document Decisions: Make sure to record key decisions, feedback, and any action items for the next steps.
This document provides a framework for structuring Design Reviews at different career stages, ensuring effective communication with the appropriate stakeholders to drive design approval. ✨
