The @mutinycorp design team grew from 1 to 5 in about three months.
And now that we have a full team, it's on each of us to intentionally define the culture and tone for Mutiny Design. So we set out together to built our own guide for collaboration and crits:
We didn't want working with the design team to feel like there were just 'more hands on deck.' Our internal stakeholders should benefit more from a team of designers' perspectives than from a single opinion from their design partner.
But I hate process. Or rather, I hate adding more meetings to the calendar (or more invitees to our meetings) just to pretend that it makes us "collaborative."
Collaboration comes from how you work together—not how much time you spend together.
So we started with our design critique culture. We built out a style that keeps us open and adaptive, and ignores titles. (In fact, if you're invited to the crit and don't have "design" in your title, I send our guide over and tell you that they're a designer for the next hour)
It's easy to just assume that designers joining your team have been to a critique before. But getting the team to work well together from day one means that you have to be intentional in how you set the ground rules.
Here's what our guide looks like:
- Design critiques are not presentations. They are intentionally fluid and open ended.
- We like raw Figma files more than Slides
- We like talking through the story more than we like reading text
- We leave comments so that anyone can contribute
- & we have agreed upon rules:
1. Be curious
If you have an opinion to share, start with a question. Genuinely look for context before trying to give guidance.
2. Pause
Before you share your opinion, take a moment to pause and consider your response. This will help ensure that your feedback is constructive and on point, and that the conversation remains productive.
3. Let others speak
Everyone’s perspective matters, and everyone should feel comfortable to share their ideas without fear of being shut down.
4. Be specific
Keep critiques focused and actionable. Instead of giving general statements, encourage each other to provide specific feedback.
5. Find the best solution
Crit is a tool to find the best solution to our users’ problems. Give the feedback that’s really on your mind. Just do so in a respectful way.
6. Remember our users
We’re here for—and because of—them.
Everything we design should be user focused. Put yourself in their shoes, interact with each others’ designs as if you were a user, and make sure that you aren’t designing for yourself.
If you liked these and want to riff off of it for your own team's needs, here's the full version: mutinyhq.notion.site/Guide-to-Design-Crits-a49f5ea20b834e85aed69770b59c2d14