design review presentation

What is a design review, and when should you do one?

Last updated

18 July 2023

Reviewed by

Miroslav Damyanov

Development and design must move ultra-fast if a business wants to stay competitive. But when things are moving that quickly, ensuring the quality and effectiveness of a design becomes difficult. Design reviews can help with this process. 

Here's what you need to know about design reviews and how to incorporate them into your own design process .

• What is a design review?

Design reviews are a systematic assessment of design work. Design reviews can happen in almost any industry, from construction to software development. They ensure that the design aligns with the project goals and objectives and evaluate its quality, functionality, and adherence to the requirements.

A design review usually involves a presentation to stakeholders followed by a discussion where stakeholders can provide feedback, raise concerns, or propose design improvements. 

What's the difference between a design review and a design critique?

While both the design review and design critique can provide valuable feedback within the design process, the two have distinct differences.

A design review is a formal evaluation process evaluating the design's viability and alignment with project goals. A design critique, on the other hand, is more informal and involves more subjective feedback. For example, the feedback may focus on the aesthetics or creativity of the design. 

What is the scope of a design review?

It can include various aspects, such as: 

Functionality

User experience

Technical feasibility

Potential risks

Scalability

Ethical or legal concerns

Always establish the scope of the design review before the meeting. This allows the designers to prepare their presentations appropriately and for stakeholders to focus their feedback on those areas. 

Who attends a design review?

There may be a range of stakeholders at a design review. The more complex a project is, the more stakeholders there will likely be in attendance. Stakeholders could include: 

Project managers

Subject matter experts

Having a diverse panel of stakeholders at the design review can help thoroughly evaluate a project and gather actionable feedback on the design. 

• Why you should do a design review

A design review is an important opportunity for stakeholders to give project feedback. By involving multiple stakeholders and diverse voices, you can generate innovative ideas for improvement while ensuring the design aligns with the project’s intent and goals. 

The reviews can help catch design flaws and discrepancies early in the project, helping avoid potential disaster after a product launch . This can help save time, money, and the company's reputation. 

These meetings are also an opportunity for collaboration. Bringing all the stakeholders together can help create a unified vision for the project, resulting in a more effective design. 

Design reviews also help build a culture of continuous improvement within the team. Incorporating them throughout the development process creates a culture where feedback is implemented to deliver a better result. 

• What are the different types of design reviews?

There are various types of design reviews, depending on the goals and needs of the project. Three of the most common types of design reviews include: 

Stakeholder design review

This type of design review involves all of the project stakeholders , which could include clients, sponsors, and a management team. These reviews will assess the design's alignment with objectives, budgets, and timelines. They may also consider whether the design fits the market or is technically feasible. Stakeholders can influence the design to help align it with the larger company vision. 

Peer design review

In a peer design review, the reviewers will be the designer's peers or colleagues, not the project stakeholders. These reviews can be a great way to collaborate within a team or get a fresh set of eyes on a project. 

They can also be an excellent tool for professional growth and a way to network with other experts in the field. Peers can evaluate the design for technical feasibility and offer suggestions for improvement. A peer review can be a great way to prepare for a stakeholder review . 

Customer design review

Customer design reviews aim to gather feedback directly from the project’s end users. Potential users can provide information on whether they find the design appealing and user-friendly or whether it solves a problem they’re experiencing. 

Involving customers in a design review can enhance the user experience and ensure the project meets their paint points. A customer design review is one of the best ways to ensure a project meets real-world expectations. 

• Five steps to set up your design review process

Want to implement a design review into your project development timeline? Here are five steps to set up a design review with your team:

1. Define the objectives and criteria for the design review 

Decide what aspects of your design you want to evaluate, such as functionality or compliance. Establish the evaluation criteria and guidelines for these aspects to create a consistent framework for the assessment instead of relying solely on subjective opinions. 

2. Decide who should attend the design review

Invite a diverse panel of stakeholders to the review to get the most comprehensive feedback. But remember the well-known saying, ‘a camel is a horse designed by a committee.’ Only invite those with an actual stake in the project who can provide insightful, actionable feedback. 

3. Schedule the reviews

This means more than just finding a time on everyone's calendar. You should consider the overall timeline for the project, including its milestones, and schedule reviews accordingly. Plan for regular reviews to help you catch issues early on, and make sure you look at different aspects of the design throughout the review process. 

4. Keep the reviews structured

A structured approach to each design review will help keep the reviewers focused and make the meetings more productive. Encourage discussion, ask specific questions, and gather actionable feedback. Document the review and note both the positive feedback and the areas that require improvement. 

5. Put the feedback to work

After each review, you should analyze the feedback with your team and decide what actions to take. Incorporate the feedback into your next design, using each review as a learning opportunity to help you continuously evolve and enhance your design. 

These five steps can help you establish a continuous growth mindset within the design review process. You can mitigate risk and ensure the quality and effectiveness of your designs, leading to a more successful outcome.

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Critical Design Review Presentation Template

Confidently present your in-depth assessment of a design with this presentation template. Ensure that your team is in agreement before moving to the next development stage.

Trusted by 65M+ users and leading companies

About the Critical Design Review Presentation Template

Present your system’s final designs before its implementation with this Critical Design Review Presentation Template. Use this template to finalize the design phase of a project and keep all your team members on the same page.

With the Critical Design Review Presentation Template, teams can easily showcase every fleshed-out aspect of their design thus far. From there, they can make informed conclusions about the design’s uses, materials, effectiveness, and estimated fallibility. This is the closing chapter in the design-creation process.

What’s a critical design review?

A critical design review showcases a project’s entire design process , from its inception to its end state. It typically includes a detailed review of the completed final designs, simulations, analyses, data, and test results, providing insights into the system’s design mechanisms and projected success rate. 

A design team may present a critical design review presentation to cross-functional team members who are not directly involved in the design process, such as supervisors, managers, and other stakeholders. Presenting this multifaceted technical review helps determine whether a system can meet its performance requirements. This collaborative process establishes the initial product baseline for a system.

A critical design review is necessary for any design-focused team. Before production, advertisement, and distribution can begin, a formal critique of the final design and design approach needs to be shared with directors, other team members, and potential investors.

What should a critical design review presentation include?

A critical design review presentation should include the complete scope of every aspect of the product design. Any questions about the product’s physical design, target market, and overall qualifications should be answered with data-backed evidence and examples. 

A critical design review presentation should include the following details around your product’s final design:

Design changes and improvements from the preliminary design review (PDR)

A list of the final parts 

Visual representations of the final design 

Final implementation plans

Test qualifications 

A target audience review

Technical risks and risk assessment of the design

Product assurance

Your design review presentation may have to be adapted, depending on the nature of your design. For example, software design reviews will be very different from physical products like kitchenware or gadgetry.

Tips for giving a critical design review presentation

As with any formal presentation , there are a couple of things a team can do to strengthen their game and have a bigger impact. Keep the following tips in mind when presenting your critical design review:

Understand your attendees. The more you understand your audience, the easier it will be to meet and exceed their expectations. Find out what you can about their intentions for the product design, and try your best to ensure that your designs meet their needs. Preempt the actions they may ask for, and ensure you provide the answers in your presentation.

Be transparent. Every design has its own risks and flaws. For a more transparent presentation, discuss them openly and honestly rather than shying away from them.

Provide space and time for feedback. It’s important for presentation leaders to listen and engage with attendees. Your audience is bound to have questions, queries, or concerns about the final design outcome, so be sure to provide ample opportunities for feedback.

Tell a story. The most effective design review presentations tell a story that the audience can relate to or connect with on some level. Use the information you have collected to illustrate a story that compels attendees to share your enthusiasm. 

How to use the Critical Design Review Presentation Template

Miro has created a Critical Design Review Presentation Template to simplify your presentation process and make preparation even easier. This template acts as a guide for all of your slides and formatting. All you have to do is fill in the blanks. Here’s how to use the template: 

Fill in your template.  

Once you have compiled all of the relevant information for your presentation, you can fill in your presentation template. This includes everything from final design changes and risks to the target audience and test qualifications. The all-encompassing nature of Miro’s template helps to ensure that nothing gets left out. 

Edit and customize your template.  

This Critical Design Review Presentation Template is fully customizable. Feel free to add or exclude a section to meet your critical design review needs. You have full control when it comes to adjusting the layout and formatting of the slides. Add your own text, visuals, and charts to create the perfect presentation.

Use Miro’s presentation mode.

Presentation mode makes it easy to jump through slides and focus your audience’s attention on certain details of your critical design review. Present your ideas in full-screen mode to ensure that your audience can see every detail of your designs being reviewed.

What are the three types of design review?

There are numerous design review types, but the most important ones are the System Design Review (SDR), the Preliminary Design Review (PDR), and the Critical Design Review (CDR). These encompass the entire design process, from the initial conceptualization to the final, completed product.

What is the difference between a PDR and a CDR?

A PDR focuses on the technical aspects of a design and discusses its major strengths and weaknesses. A PDR is necessary for fleshing out the groundwork of a design concept. It acts as a rough guideline for what the final product will look like. A CDR, on the other hand, only happens once the prototypes and design examples have been completed and refined, allowing for a much more rounded perspective. The purpose of a CDR is to assess a product’s design maturity and review its final detailed design.

How do you prepare for a critical design review presentation?

To prepare for your presentation, you need to be confident in your understanding of the critical design review you are presenting. You should conduct research, gather data, and provide reasons why certain changes or improvements have been made. The aim should be to present a thorough examination of the design and provide data-backed answers to any questions your audience may have.

Get started with this template right now.

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How to Present a Design Review

Nicole Thayer · January 14th, 2019

Arguably the most difficult skill you’ll learn in your design career is how to communicate that you did what you set out to do in a way that gets people to support and continue the work you did.

Presenting design successfully is about knowing what you want out of the meeting and structuring it to meet those needs. There’s a cliche of design reviews as interpersonally fraught spaces where stakeholders alternate between going on tangents and ripping your work apart. It doesn’t have to be that way.

Ideally, you’re using what you’ve designed as a way of understanding the needs of the people you’re meeting with more thoroughly. You explain what you hoped to achieve with the design, they explain what they need the design to do, and the review is about how to square those two in a way that satisfies user goals. (This is a great ideal whether you’re meeting internally or with an external stakeholders team: you’re never gonna go wrong getting better at design reviews.)

Establish a shared understanding

At the top of the meeting, confirm the duration and goals of the meeting. This will help people understand when to go into detail and when to organize a breakout session, and will help keep feedback appropriate to where you are in the design process. Bonus points for explaining the goals of the meeting from the user and business perspective.

I like keeping people up to date by having design reviews frequently (weekly is best, every other week is okay). Some designers share out their work the day before so everyone who will be present in the meeting will have time to prepare.

Socializing your work is scary, but important. When people are surprised by changes, they may assert control in ways that don’t necessarily further the goal of the project. It’s important that no one feel caught off guard by the design work you’re presenting.

Help, there’s a stranger in my design review!

Sometimes, meeting invitations spiral out of control and you’ll end up with folks from outside the project reviewing your work. It’s important to understand why they’re there and what’s at stake for them before you internalize their feedback. It’s also appropriate to review the project history and goals with them before design review so no one is coming in blind and delivering feedback on the spot.

When I talked to the other designers at Carbon Five about this, they mentioned that project kickoff is a great time to set expectations around attendance and etiquette and get attendance commitments from the folks who will need to approve design. Knowing that some people will only be able to make monthly design reviews, for example, will help you set the agenda and prepare your drop-in stakeholders beforehand.

If you’ve got people in the meeting who care about the outcome of the project but have less direct involvement, be ready to explain the work in terms of the effect it will have on them. “We want to increase our sign-up completion rate by 10% with the next release, so we’re addressing user feedback that the sign up process takes too long” is going to be a more compelling design rationale than “everyone else is doing keyboard-only form input.”

What kind of feedback do you want?

Feedback that comes too early and isn’t correctly managed can hang over your design like an albatross… if you let it. Without clearly stated objectives, your audience won’t know what kind of feedback is going to help you and may say whatever random things pop into their head. Set the scene at the top of the meeting (e.g., we’re going to use this wireframe to go over the order and verbiage for the navigation in the desktop and mobile states) to get everyone talking about the same thing.

Your audience is as scared of you as you are of them

Design is a nebulous, squirrely thing with tendrils in a lot of different disciplines, and you need a lot of input from everyone — subject matter experts, developers responsible for implementation, and users — to make a design successful.

Still, a lot of the people who will be directly affected by the design don’t know how to evaluate it, and part of your job is to educate them. Some designers like to go into meetings like Don Draper and sell an audience on a vision. I like going in more like Bill Nye, explaining the design terminology and rationale behind my work until everyone understands the core principles a little better. Anything that helps your audience feel qualified to offer their expertise within the scope of the review is worth the effort.

It doesn’t matter if your audience likes it

The tastes and expectations of the stakeholders are absolutely going to affect your design whether you solicit them or not, but design reviews aren’t about catering to the taste of the folks in the room. We’re trying to design a successful product that meets business and user needs. Why ask “Is it good?” when the question could be “Do we think this solution will positively affect the people we’re trying to reach?”

What if they go outside the desired sphere of feedback anyway?

If a stakeholder really wants to give feedback outside of the goals you set out for the meeting, you have two options: take the feedback or push back.

If you feel like their feedback was on point, write it down and promise to look into it further. Then research it and offer them a thoughtful response in the next design presentation.

If you disagree, and you have established a good level of trust, you can gently remind your audience of the scope of the meeting and refocus the conversation to keep it from going off on a feedback tangent.

Vision, then details

When you’re done presenting, try asking someone in the room to present it back to you.

For instance, ask someone in the room to articulate the user’s goals in going through a sign-up flow. If no one can explain why a user is engaging with this piece of the product, it might not be the time to talk about whether the colors are right.

Focus on one thing if you want the group to focus on one thing

Making too many changes at once in a design can split the attention of a room and derail a meeting. If you want feedback about information hierarchy, focus on making changes to your information hierarchy. For example, if you add fields to a form and change the font at the same time, your audience is more likely to fixate on the choice of font and won’t offer feedback on whether those additional fields are necessary.

Sometimes you need to present changes to multiple dimensions for feedback in a single meeting. If you can take the time, split each dimension into separate artifacts to keep everyone focused on a single dimension. This is where things like style tiles and wireframes come in handy — they keep things separate until it’s time to see them together.

Presenting options

Sometimes the best way to get feedback on design is to show a few different design directions. Seeing different solutions to the same problem can help folks in the meeting focus on a unified design direction rather than blue-sky feature pitching. It can also demonstrate to skeptical stakeholders that you’ve considered different options and made thoughtful choices.

I’ve worked with designers who put a lot of work into ordering the options they present to make the case for the design direction they think is most interesting. My preference is to put my energy into detailing the pros and cons of the different design directions.

Keep an open mind about the strengths and weaknesses of your design options when you present – and take the time to acknowledge the broader context of the work. Factors like brand legacy, implementation cost, and looking different from the competition matter as much as the formal qualities of design. One option might address an edge case user very effectively and one might take less time to build. One might talk very specifically to an existing customer, one might be geared at broader acquisition at the expense of alienating existing customers. It’s up to the product owner to determine which aligns with their strategy.

If none of the work you present aligns well to the broader strategy, or there are unknowns in determining which option is going to work out the best, set aside some time after the meeting to test the versions with users, or agree to iterate on the design with a little more data.

Developers in Design Review

If you depend on other people to bring the final design into the world, it matters what they have to say. I worked briefly in signage and packaging, and relied on the pre-press team to tell me whether a design would look good in the real world or if it was likely to encounter problems in shipping or production. Design is only as good as the final product.

Nowadays, I work with developers and invite them to design reviews for their perspective. Developers can articulate hidden pitfalls and edge cases you might not have considered.  If building a design is going to create changes to the underlying data model or add a much higher implementation cost, the product owner will want to factor that into their decision. If you’re worried about developer feedback derailing the meeting, make sure to check in with developers beforehand and present their feedback as part of your presentation.

The Frankenstein Option

Sometimes you’ll make inferences about how everything is going to fit together in presenting design options and discover that the team likes a little bit of each. Sometimes that’s okay. Sometimes it’s really, really irritating.

The good news is that you’ve got the attention of everyone in the design review, and they’re invested in the outcome. If you’ve got a team that’s prone to combining elements like this and you’re at a phase in the project where it feels appropriate, set aside some time during review to recombine the elements as a group. Talk about whether the new composite version feels complete. You can even hand your design reviewers scissors so they can cut and paste elements that are working.

If Frankenstein versions aren’t the right solution, there are ways to prepare before the meeting starts. Get another designer to confirm that you’re presenting strong, distinct options rather than unclear iterations on the same basic style. Take the time to break your work down into separate artifacts and confirm them separately before showing them in combination.

Either way, it’s important to get the folks in design review to articulate why each sub-option works for them and why they work well together. That additional piece of context is the difference between a clear and actionable design direction and a design by committee. Write their notes down and reference them in the next design review, where you present the final composite design.

Questions and feedback

Design, as many other people have noted, might be visual but it isn’t an art. The work we’re presenting is informed by stakeholder interviews, competitive analysis, analytics, and user research. This is where you’re going to want to be able to back up the design decisions you’ve made with the data you’ve gathered.

Justifying your decision-making is different from getting defensive. Ideally, everything you’ve done is mapped to a best practice, a piece of user feedback, or a business priority. You’re offering additional context for the design rather than telling the person who asked why they’re wrong to criticize you. If you don’t know or remember why a decision was included in the design you’re presenting, write it down and address the decision in another design review.

Watch the time on the meeting and make sure to save 5-10 minutes at the end for a recap. This is where you read back the notes you’ve taken based on the questions and feedback of the people assembled to make sure you heard them correctly.

In the end you should have a list of actionable feedback and feel prepared to start on a new iteration of the design. Ideally, you know who said what about what, and you can start the next meeting by talking about how you addressed each valid concern.

Design reviews are one of the best — and highest stakes — tools a designer has for helping the extended team feel represented in the product. These reviews can build trust and make everyone on the team feel like their contributions matter. You’re offering the broader organization the opportunity to champion your team’s hard work and make the final project as successful as it can be.

Finally, set a time and a rough topic for your next design presentation  — then put your headphones back on — you’re done until next time!

Illustrations by the author.

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How to Conduct a Design Review

During a project build, it is necessary to evaluate the product design and development against project requirements and outcomes. A design review is a step of development that measures project success and prioritizes the next steps or features to continue developing. Design reviews are nothing new. My grandfather, who was a draftsman in the auto industry, would talk about how project teams would get together and review sketches for dashboard layouts, prototypes of radio interfaces, stitching patterns and fabric colors for car seats, and mockups of instrument panels in order to get feedback on design decisions.

A design review is not a design pitch. It’s a process to evaluate and critique current design work. The review looks at how specific features have been implemented and/or evaluates a prototype of a project feature or user flow. Design reviews can be modeled after the five elements of the user experience with an evaluation of the elements from abstract concepts to concrete stages.

Setting up a Design Review

Before the design review, it is important to set some constraints and guidelines for the session. These should include restating the project and business goals that stakeholders want to be achieved, and the project timeline and deliverables (include completed and outstanding project items). Additional constraints include what can and cannot be changed, i.e. navigation or content. A checklist can help direct a design review in the right direction.

Always ask, “Is continuity of the UX being maintained?”

State the overall goal that the team hopes to achieve during the design review. Limit the number of questions the review should answer. Questions should focus on the user experience and consider whether the features are supporting the project goals.

• Can this task or feature be simplified?
• What if we remove a step, task, section or page?
• What tasks are obvious? What tasks are vague?
• What is the call to action?
• Impressions from a 1-second or 5-second test

The review process should be fast-paced to capture first impressions and feedback. It is not a time to revisit items that have been signed off on by the client, nor a time to work outside the scope of the requirements. The focus is on the design decisions that have been made and the analysis validates those decisions. Everyone’s feedback is important. Everyone should have time to review the prototype and gather their impressions. Everyone should participate and provide input. Each reviewer should present their individual feedback, followed by a discussion on the merits of the idea.

Remember to have a dispute resolution mechanism in place for contentious ideas or lack of agreement between reviewers. Using stickers is a simple way to vote up or down ideas. Reviewers are given a set number of stickers to vote on ideas that are not in agreement. Green to vote up, red to vote down. Blue can be added to place an idea or feedback on hold. Feedback and ideas can be written down on individual sticky notes.

Capture Feedback

Take detailed notes on the various talking points. Capture the feedback digitally so it can be shared and distributed quickly to project team members. Avoid feedback that is subjective, emotional or does not move the discussion forward. Subjective feedback lacks measurable data/facts and can take design discussions on an unnecessary tangent.

Use the session to review the feedback. Keep the best, discard the rest. If necessary, ask for clarification on any of the discussion points before closing the session.

After the Review

Feedback from the design review should be prioritized and turned into actionable items to be addressed for the the next design milestone. Allocate time for research on the feedback from the session. An iterative process with research and experimentation will allow designers to explore possible solutions and make decisions about action items.

Running a design review is a great way to gather feedback and validate ideas. Design reviews help teams access designs in a collaborative and dynamic setting and help assess design decisions and continuity in addressing the requirements of a project. Design reviews also develop a design culture in your workplace and holistic approaches to problem solving and establishing an assessment process for projects.

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Architecture Pin Up: How to prepare for a winning design review

• Updated: October 15, 2023

An architecture pin up or design review, is for most students one of the most nervous moments of their architecture school experience.

Few people enjoy them, and why would you? A whole semesters (…sometimes a years) worth of hard work all boils down to that one moment …there’s a lot riding on it.

In this post we want to highlight the key areas for preparing for an architecture pin up and design review, as we feel this is the most important part of the process. You simply will not be able to deliver the best presentation you can without good preparation.

The key areas include:

Presentation layout

• Time management
• What to wear
• Arriving on time

But first…

What is a pin-up in architecture?

In the context of architecture, a “pin-up” refers to a formal or informal presentation or review of architectural designs. This can be in a studio, academic, or professional setting. The term comes from the tradition of literally pinning up drawings, diagrams, and renderings on a wall for critique and discussion.

Pin-ups can vary in formality and structure. Some are more formal, with a set time for presentation and a panel of critics. Other times, they may be informal, with work simply being displayed for peer feedback or self-review.

These presentations play an essential role in the architectural design process. They offer an opportunity for architects, designers, students, and others to discuss ideas, receive feedback, challenge assumptions, and refine their designs.

What is the pin up process like for students?

The “pin-up” process for architecture students generally follows these steps:

• Preparation: Students spend time creating drawings, diagrams, renderings, and sometimes physical models that communicate their design idea. This includes plans, sections, elevations, perspectives, and conceptual diagrams, and may also include details, analytical drawings, and other types of images. These are often printed out on large sheets of paper for presentation.
• Pin-Up: The physical act of pinning one’s work onto a presentation board or wall space. This is where the term “pin-up” comes from. The layout of the work is very important, as it needs to tell the story of the project in a logical and compelling way.
• Critique: Once the work is pinned up, it’s time for the critique (often referred to as a “crit”). This is when professors, peers, and sometimes guest critics will review the work. They’ll look at the design, the drawings, and the overall presentation to offer constructive feedback.
• Discussion: During the crit, there is typically a lot of discussion. The student explains their project and thought process. Critics ask questions, provide insights, suggest improvements, and generally help the student to see their work from different perspectives.

In some cases, as you’ve mentioned, the review can be done without the student present. In this situation, the focus is completely on the material that’s been pinned up, without any verbal explanation from the student. This places a lot of emphasis on the clarity and effectiveness of the visual presentation.

While the pin-up and review process can be nerve-wracking, it’s also a very valuable part of architectural education. It’s a chance for students to learn how to present their ideas, handle critiques, and think critically about their own work. It’s also an opportunity to see what other students are doing and learn from their projects and presentations.

What makes a good pin up?

In order to produce a strong pin-up presentation, you should focus on the quality, legibility, and organization of your drawings, paying attention to how they can tell the story of your project without verbal explanation.

We would also add:

• Clarity: Your drawings and diagrams should be self-explanatory. Avoid ambiguity, ensure the scales and orientation are clear, and the main aspects of your design are easy to comprehend. Think of your presentation as a silent storyteller.
• Hierarchy: Not all drawings are equally important. Decide which ones are your key drawings and give them more space on your board. The way you place and size your drawings communicates to the viewer what to pay attention to.
• Consistency: Maintain consistency in graphic style, line weights, and color palette across all drawings. This helps tie the presentation together and makes it visually appealing and professional.
• Narrative: Arrange your work in a way that tells the story of your design process. This could start with site analysis, initial concepts, development sketches, and finish with the final design represented in plans, sections, elevations, and 3D views or models.
• Details and Sectional Views: Including detailed drawings and sectional views can really help to show the complexity and thoughtfulness of your design. It can be very helpful to show how different parts of your design come together.
• Context: Show how your project fits into its surroundings and responds to its context. This could be through site plans, context elevations or rendered views.
• Rendering Quality: Spend time on producing high-quality renderings if they are part of your presentation. They can help to communicate the atmosphere and materiality of your design.
• Design Process: If possible, showcase your design thinking and process. This could be through sketches, study models, or iterative drawings. This gives a sense of your journey and how you arrived at your final design.
• Annotations: Although the drawings should speak for themselves, well-placed short annotations can guide the viewers through your design and highlight important aspects.

Remember, your presentation board is a representation of your design thinking, process, and outcome. Invest time in it and remember to step back from time to time to look at it as a whole. Ask yourself if it communicates your design effectively and adjust as necessary.

Lastly, don’t forget to breathe and relax. It’s normal to feel nervous about this, but remember you’ve worked hard and learned a lot. Use this opportunity to showcase your growth and your creativity.

How to prepare for an architecture pin up or design review

You should plan your presentations layout early on in the projects development, in order to decide on sheet formats and size. This also then provides a guide for how much and what work needs to be produced.

The appearance of your presentation is very important, it must look attractive and be well considered. It must not be a jumble of randomly arranged sheets resulting in you having to jump between pages.

The layout must follow and show your projects progression and story, it must have a beginning a middle and an end. This not only provides you with a guide to ensure you present your work in the correct order, but also allows it to viewed and understood in your absence. Think of your presentation as a short narrative.

For this reason we prefer physically pinning work up and arranging it as a collective, rather than slide by slide via a projector or screen.

Don’t forget to consider where and how you present your models, they should form an important part of your presentation and offer an alternative media that almost never fails to excite and captivate its audience.

Different colleges and universities have different requirements for how your work should be presented, but a lot of them require your work to be physically printed. Which when compared to digital presentations is far better, as your work can be viewed as a whole, rather than in slides.

The size of your sheets should have already been worked out when you designed the layout of your presentation, but be mindful that A4 sizes are really not suitable for this type of presentation and A3’s should only be used to show single images. It’s best to stick to A2 and A1 paper sizes, landscape, portrait, square …up to you.

Before printing your presentation you should always print a draft set first, even if it’s a smaller size, as there will always be things you notice that can’t be seen on your screen.

Final printing needs to occur at least 24 hours before your pin up (at the very minimum), preferably 48, this provides a small buffer of time to re-print something if you need to make some final adjustments.

You also need to bear in mind that your whole year group and even years above and below are likely to be printing their work at the same time, so there may be a queue. One way around this is to use a designated printers outside of your architecture school, which can also be a bit cheaper.

Once printed, keep your work safe and out of harm’s way, there is nothing worse than damaging a freshly printed set of drawings. Drawing tubes are excellent for this (we recommend one here ) and if they are mounted then use a large hard backed portfolio case like this one here .

Giving yourself enough time in-between finishing a project and its critique is key in delivering a good presentation, you want to be aiming to use the last day for only pinning up and/or organizing your slides, along with giving yourself a buffer for any emergency printing.

This leaves the evening relatively stress free and allows you get a good amount of sleep in readiness for the next day.

Though this is obviously a lot easier said than done, and it’s all too easy to leave everything to the last minute. However in every year group there are always a select few that manage to be finished before everyone else, and these are almost always the best students and ones who gets the best grades.

We should all be aiming for the best possible result, and with a little forward planning and time management, it’s quite possible.

Once you have your work printed, then the next stage in your preparation towards the design review is to pin your work up.

We like to do this the day (afternoon) before, as if you pin up too earlier there may be a risk of your work getting damaged during the very busy period with everyone else also trying to do the same thing.

Additionally there should be little than can go wrong at this stage if you have followed the above steps, so you have a little time.

In terms of arrangement, you will already have the order and layout resolved (we set ours out in CAD) and so print a copy of this out to guide you.

Your work needs to be evenly spaced out, straight and aligned, a 2cm gap between each sheet is a good start, and you may want to use a tape measure and spirit level to assist you with alignment.

The pins you use are also important, there is nothing worse than a miss match of sizes and colors. So buy a good set, and keep them in a pot so you can reuse them for future presentations.

We recommend any of these push pins

Note that each presentation sheet should be pinned on all four corners …please don’t leave loose edges, it looks terrible.

Lastly, and once everything is up and you’re happy with it, don’t forget to leave your area tidy by removing any spare pins and bits of paper, and may be even give it a sweep. First impressions are everything.

With your work now pinned up and organised, it will be the perfect time to run through your presentation. You should have organised it so that the start and finish runs left to right or up and down the wall, telling the story and showing the projects process’s.

Starting at the beginning and if you need to, make a few notes on the important points that each sheet address’s to help prompt you during your presentation. When under pressure and normally a little bit nervous, it’s easy to forget key facts.

Try to also highlight where you think the weak points of your project are, and plan your answers around any potential questions you may be asked.

What to wear for a pin up and design review

What to wear for an architecture pin up is a common question and one that architecture school’s don’t often supply any guidance on, which leaves it slightly open to individual interruption.

The short answer is ‘smart casual’, but on the day you’ll notice a full array of appearances.

Some students will simply wear what they wear on a day to day basis, some will still be in what they were wearing the day before, some will be smart, and some will be scruffy. 

What you need to remember is that first impressions count, and if you dress appropriately then at the very least you give the impression that you’re taking the presentation seriously, and are more likely to gain your audiences interest from the beginning.

You are there to represent your work it the best possible light you can, so dress appropriately and sensibly.

On the day, make sure you wake up in time to have a good breakfast. Setting yourself up for the day ahead is vitally important, and you need to give yourself the best possible chance of doing well, starting with breakfast.

If you’re presenting in the afternoon, this means lunch as well!

It’s easy for nerves to take control on the day, but don’t let that stop you from eating and drinking plenty of water.

Arrive on time

This is all about making the presentation day as stress free and easy as possible, and arriving on time is one of the first elements that could throw it all off balance.

Aim to arrive early, and first check that your presentation is all still how you left it (sometimes things fall down) and then go get a coffee …start the day relaxed.

If you’re all set and you see someone struggling, help them out, you are all in this together.

Listen to others

Often the presentations are split into groups and project units to ensure that the review day runs as efficiently as possible, and this can mean that you may find yourself sitting and watching others present (sometimes for the whole day) before you are up.

So be patient, and try to learn from their presentations, don’t talk whilst they are presenting and aim to watch everyone.

There will be a lot to gain from studying how others present, and also the chance to get to know the guest tutors that are often invited to critique you with your full time tutors.

Every design project begins with site analysis … start it with confidence for free!.

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FigJam Critique to collaborate with a design review template

Create constructive, on-task critique sessions with FigJam’s design feedback tool, so your development team will function like a well-oiled machine.

Design review template

Deliver feedback from anywhere with FigJam’s dedicated design critique framework.

Craft your designs with care

Follow the example of great artists throughout time by giving critique a permanent place in your process—and achieve museum-worthy results.

Pick out problems: Identify design issues and carve out space to address them.

Smooth the edges: Think critically about every aspect of your design to deliver impeccable end products and seamless experiences.

Hone your creativity: Develop a clear, consistent style and strategy across projects.

FigJam Gather your collaborators and contemporaries

Host digital feedback meetings on FigJam’s design critique template to collaborate more efficiently than ever before. Easy-to-use tools allow you to focus on the designs you’re developing and the input you’re gathering, while integrated widgets like Lil’ Chat and Excalidraw Pad make for easy communication and creativity.

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Distill your development process with design critique examples from FigJam. Take precious feedback into the next phase using invaluable resources from the FigJam community.

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What should be included in a design review?

Design reviews vary from industry to industry and from organization to organization, but most include a few key components:

- Background information about the project requirements and goals

- Criteria used to evaluate the design—what success looks like

- The design itself

- Direct feedback, questions, and actionable ideas

How do you write a design review?

The best way to write a design review is to use a rubric. A systematized critique process takes the guesswork out of feedback delivery, ensuring that team members can communicate without confusion or tension.

Meet with the relevant team members to create a design review tool that aligns with the needs of your project—which aspects matter most? Where should reviewers direct their attention? By having everyone on the same page as you review the background, requirements, and necessary changes to the design, you can collaborate rather than dictate, building camaraderie while you problem solve.

What are the design review stages?

In most creative processes, the design review stages are:

1. Presentation: The first stage is a review of the design brief, the necessary background details, and the current iteration of the product, program, or page. The designer may choose to contextualize or describe their design as they see fit.

2. Critique: After establishing the criteria—the metrics by which the design should be evaluated, such as “how accessible is the design?” or “does the design fit into our family of products?”—you’ll begin soliciting feedback from the relevant stakeholders and collaborators.

3. Evaluation: Once you’ve gathered these critical thoughts, you’ll want to prioritize them to determine your next steps, using the established criteria and the project’s main objectives as a guiding force.

After the design review, most developers will likely implement the essential changes before presenting their next iteration for a similar review session using the same design feedback template.

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Final Design Review

This document provides guidelines for the Final Design Review (FDR) high-fidelity prototype, oral presentation and written report. What and how you present is ultimately at your discretion based on what you think best conveys the status of your design to the customer and audience.

As you review the outlines and descriptions below, you will notice the format (and some of the content) is similar to what was requested in the PDR, and CDR presentations and reports. Teams are encouraged to use their CDR presentation and report as the basis or point-of-departure in creating both your FDR oral presentation and written report. Your FDR presentation and written reports should articulate the design, analyses, prototyping and validation used to arrive at an optimal (meets or exceeds the requirements and specifications) design.

The overall goal for the FDR is to convince your stakeholders (your sponsor and/or instructor acting as your project sponsor, and mentoring staff) that your design is progressing toward a final product that can be manufactured and marketed to create business and/or society value. To do this you will need to demonstrate/prove that your design achieves its functional objectives and creates a favorable business case that overcomes the risks.

Oral Presentation

Teams will be allowed ~25 minutes (20 minutes for presentation, 3-4 minutes for q&a). your instructors will communicate the exact timing and form of your oral presentation..

• Estimated market size, the target customers and their requirements are understood and reflected in the project objectives
• The full breadth of competition and/or benchmarks have been analyzed and the pros & cons explained against customer requirements
• The unit cost and sales price are accurately estimated.
• The proposed solution will create value for the stakeholders.
• Key relevant information from CDR
• The Final Optimal Design (models, simulations, photo-realistic images/videos of prototype)
• The Engineering Analyses, has helped refine the size, shape, thickness, gaps, fits (allowance, clearance, tolerances, etc.), etc. making a more optimal detailed design; thorough and robust analyses has provided confidence in the accurate functionality of the high-fidelity prototype
• The Test Plan that accurately validates the design
• The Status of Key Remaining Risks
• How innovation incorporated into your final design; Why was Innovation required or necessary; Where is Innovation manifested in your Design, Analyses, Manufacturing, Prototype, etc;
• Prototype Demos/Videos
• Assembly and Disassebly Simulations
• Appendix slides that deal with your most predicted questions.
• CAD/CAE Simulations
• The presenters are wearing the appropriate attire, speak clearly, are confident and credible, and passionate about the project and their product.
• While all of the “What” items listed above contribute to a successful project, remember, you are giving/making a Design Presentation, hoping to inspire transition from prototyping and validation to full production. The majority of your words and slides should be to persuade your sponsor(s) that the design being presented has the shape, topology, dimensions, structure, thermo, flow, controls, HMI, etc. characteristics and features to meet or exceed the requirements and specifications set forth by the sponsor(s).
• The presentation is visually appealing, engaging, easy to follow, and easy to understand. Each slide has a well-defined & intuitive take-away that contributes to the overall message so that the full presentation communicates a clear and significant idea that energizes the sponsor to support the project.

Written Report

• The body of the FDR report should be informative, engaging, and quick for the sponsor to read.
• The report should incorporate the following into its body;
• Well-chosen, mentioned/referenced figures, images, tables, diagrams, lists, etc.
• References to all Appendices, wherein the reader can find greater additional content
• Provide a concise project statement and brief refresher on customer requirements.
• Compelling and credible evidence that the product will produce unique value. (If the result of the project was to learn that the product will not produce unique value, explain why).
• A rational business case.
• The report should reinforce the Oral Presentation and its key takeaways
• It provides a summary of the most important design, analysis, risk-mitigation, etc. elements accomplished over the course of the project to give the reader the necessary information to decide the best next step (e.g. another design iteration, move to production, cancel, etc.).
• Appendices that were included in the PD & CR, and CDR written reports (e.g. Charter, Schedule, Budget, Business Case, etc.) should be updated, changed, and made current with the status of the project (required), but have minimal reference in the body of the report. For example, thus far the project has consumed 93% of its allocated budget, see Appendix C.
• Report Name
• Project Name
• Submitted to: Sponsor Name (if no sponsor, list your professor)
• Submitted by: Team Names
• Per above guidelines
• A: Team Members and Organization Structure
• C: Business Case and Project Budget
• D: Project Schedule, Network Diagram, Work Breakdown Structure, etc.
• E: Risk Mitigation
• F: Sketches
• G: Mechanical CAD
• H: Mechanical CAE (FEA, CFD, motion path simulation, … depending on your project)
• I: Electronic Schematics
• J: Electronic Circuit Diagram/Wiring Diagram (if ready)
• K: Electronic CAE
• L: Flow Chart of Control/HMI Software/Operation and/or Skeleton Code (pseudo code)
• M: Manufacturing Drawings (A- & B-size Drawings and Manufacturing Operation Sheets)
• N: What was learned from the (high-, mid-, low-fidelity) prototypes and validation
• O: List of Standards Referenced/Used/Applied to this project
• P: ...other appendices as applicable

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Free Design Review Templates

By Joe Weller | May 8, 2020

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In this article, you’ll find a comprehensive roundup of free, customizable design review checklists in Excel, Word, and PDF formats. Download checklists for different phases of a design review and for specific types of projects.

Included on this page, you'll find a preliminary design review checklist template , a critical design review checklist template , a final design review checklist template , and a checklist for conducting an engineering design review . 

Preliminary Design Review Checklist

Use this checklist to perform a preliminary design review (PDR) of your project. The template walks you through high-level criteria relevant to this early stage of the process — check off entry and exit criteria, deliverables, risk assessment and mitigation efforts, your agenda, presentation materials, requests for action (RFAs), technical coordination efforts, and more. The simple table also provides space to add comments about each activity.

Download Preliminary Design Review Checklist

Excel | Word | PDF

Critical Design Review Checklist

A critical design review (CDR) is a technical review you perform while a project is underway to verify plans are working out as expected. You usually perform CDRs for technical systems projects, but you can conduct them for any design project to ensure you complete all the elements as specified. Fill in this simple checklist with project objectives, an outline of the approach, system implementation details, a schedule, a status update of each component or deliverable, and any challenges. There is also space to get approval signatures before proceeding to the next phase of the project.

Download Critical Design Review Checklist

Final Design Review Checklist

After you put prototypes or project components through multiple rounds of testing and just before you’re ready to launch or publish your design project, perform a final design review (FDR). This FDR template includes space to detail project or product information. It also includes a table where you can check off each design item and its verification testing outcome. Then you can grade each design item for compliance in a variety of categories. 

The template comes pre-filled with rows for aesthetic, safety, environmental, and industry standards (among others), but you can customize the checklist to fit the needs and specifications of your project.

Download Final Design Review Checklist

Requirements Review Checklist

Some projects benefit from a requirements review , wherein stakeholders determine everything that a project will entail (and require) at the outset. This process differs from a PDR; with a requirements review, you simply make a list of all necessary components, but don’t yet have to review their viability. 

This simple requirements review checklist — adapted from a standard statement of work (SOW) — includes space to list project details, objectives, and your rationale. It also includes a table to note the due date and completion criteria for each individual deliverable. Get input from all relevant stakeholders and have them sign off before moving forward with production. 

Download Requirements Review Checklist

Non-Technical Design Review Checklist

Often, non-developers or non-designers also have to sign off on the design elements of a particular product or project. This template is designed specifically for non-technical design reviews. The checklist prompts you to review design, typography, and size consistency; appropriateness of wording; design flexibility and feasibility; and any legal implications. 

Download Non-Technical Design Review Checklist

Design Review Agenda Template

This simple template walks you through a typical design review meeting to keep everyone on the same page and ensure you don’t overlook any critical factors. The template functions like an outline and provides space to detail the project background, key objectives, and concept selection. The agenda prompts you to perform a brief feasibility analysis, review risks, and decide on next steps. 

The template uses an architecture project as an example, but you can customize the document to fit your needs.

Download Design Review Agenda Template

Excel | Word | PDF | Smartsheet

Design Milestone Breakout Checklist

This Excel template provides four worksheets that break down the review process from start to finish. With this capability, you can review design milestones, high-level pre-design requirements, technical requirements, and the user interface all in one easy-to-use file. 

The template comes pre-filled with sample elements for review but is completely customizable to fit the needs of your specific project.

Download Design Milestone Breakout Checklist

Excel | Smartsheet

Engineering Design Review Checklist

This template is designed specifically with engineering projects in mind. Use the checklist to guide your review of physical product specs, safety considerations, environmental impact, legal and regulatory compliance, and handling and assembly requirements, among other factors. You can customize the template to meet the needs of your engineering project. It also includes signature lines for final approval. 

Download Engineering Design Review Checklist

System Design Review Checklist

Use this template to conduct a design review of any systems-based project, and edit the checklist to include additional specifications that apply to your project. The template comes with space to detail project information, feasibility, design approach, constraints, limitations, risks, assumptions, compliance, and much more. Depending on the stage at which you perform the review, you can also include information about testing and deployment.

Download System Design Review Checklist

Excel | Word | PDF  | Smartsheet

Software Design Review Checklist

This checklist is created specifically with software projects in mind. The simple layout prompts you to review (and comment on) system requirements, software structure, the user interface, data models, and much more, but you can add or remove criteria to fit the needs of your project. Once you complete a CDR and all testing, use this checklist to perform a final review of your software project.

Download Software Design Review Checklist

Electrical Design Review Checklist

Use this checklist to conduct a design review for an electrical project. The template comes pre-filled with sections to address compliance and safety requirements, as well as specific electrical considerations, such as alarm panels, gas, and lighting. Add more rows to fit the needs of your project, and get sign-off on each element to ensure that your electrical project is up to design specs, code, and safety regulations.

Download Electrical Design Review Checklist

Architectural Design Review Checklist

Use this checklist to review architectural designs, particularly for single-home construction projects. The template includes space to review all aspects of a traditional architectural project, including the site, building, and landscape plans; height requirements; and details about the facade (e.g., exterior colors, fencing, and masonry). You can edit the template to fit the needs of your particular endeavor. 

Download Architectural Design Review Checklist

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Design review meetings: How to run them in 2024

Design review meetings don’t have to be a collaboration nightmare. With the right tools and strategy, your design reviews can be much more efficient.

January 4, 2024

Design review meetings are an integral part of being a designer — unfortunately for creatives, most of whom would probably be quite happy to never attend another meeting again. 

Having successful design reviews and getting meaningful feedback means learning how to present (i.e. sell ) your work , facilitating the meeting , and asking the right questions to elicit thoughtful and constructive input from the key stakeholders. 

Being able to conduct efficient design reviews allows designers to be more effective and impactful at their jobs, reach alignment faster, and ship powerful designs that are up to spec, every time. 

In this article, you’ll learn: 

• What a design review meeting is
• How the design review process works
• The different types of design reviews

The key pitfalls of design reviews — and how bubbles solves them

• How to run effective design review meetings
• How using the right tool can help you run more efficient design reviews  

Let’s dive in!

What is a design review?

In a nutshell, a design review is a meeting in which a marketing or product design (or set of designs) is discussed and assessed using criteria such as whether the design is suited to the target user personas, whether it solves the product, and whether it embodies the brand successfully. 

During a design review meeting, the designer(s) presents their design(s) to the other meeting participants. This gives project managers, product owners, engineers, marketers, or content managers, and other relevant stakeholders an opportunity to ask questions and offer feedback . 

The objective of a design review is to achieve creative alignment to ensure that the final version of the design successfully addresses the goals of the product and the business.

What’s involved in the design review process? 

Whether the design asset you’re reviewing is marketing collateral or a new product design, the design review process is a key part of the creative collaboration process . 

An effective design review enables cross-functional teams to get up to speed on the project’s progress, provide the designer with critical feedback , and reach greater alignment.

While every organization has its own way of doing things, here are some of the steps a typical design review process may include:

• Preparing for the review: The designer or design team gets ready for the review process by preparing their design presentation (or design package) and sharing any materials that attendees may need to peruse in advance. If the review is to take place synchronously , they also set the meeting date, schedule it, invite meeting participants, and outline the agenda items.
• ‍ Presenting the design : The designer (or lead designer, if the project involves a team) acts as a facilitator and presents the design work to the other stakeholders. This includes contextualizing the design, walking participants through the user experience, and explaining the creative process and decisions involved. The designer may also provide guidance in terms of what kind of input they’d like or provide a feedback matrix . 
• ‍ Collecting design feedback: The team now has an opportunity to ask questions about the design concept and execution and give their input. Usually, some discussion (and debate ) ensues. If the review takes place in real-time , someone is tasked with taking meeting minutes (ideally not the designer — they need to focus) and documenting action items .
• ‍ Making design changes: After the review, the designer reviews the feedback (or meeting minutes) and reflects on how to implement the team's suggestions and ideas, prioritizing feedback points that impact business value. Next, the designer applies these changes to the current design.
• ‍ Follow-up review and design approval: Once the designer has incorporated the feedback from the preliminary design review, the designer shows the updated design in a design review board meeting. There may be another round (or multiple rounds) of revisions before the final design is approved.

Of course, this is what it looks like when things run smoothly — which they sadly often don’t.

Different ways to run design review meetings

There are various different ways to run design review meetings, but ultimately, the goal of each is to promote cross-functional collaboration that leads to a shared clarity around the direction the design should take.

The roundtable discussion is probably the most commonly followed format for synchronous holding design reviews . Generally, this looks like everyone involved sitting around a table (yes, literally) and adding their two cents. 

This format allows team members to collaborate and freely exchange ideas and solve problems in real-time. Ideas and challenges can be discussed in depth until all stakeholders are aligned and agree on the correct course of action.

Another common way to conduct a synchronous design review is the feedback workshop . In this format, the designer presents their work to the group and the rest of the participants jot down questions and comments they’d like to raise. After the designer has completed their presentation, they open the floor to other attendees to “workshop” the design. 

Feedback workshops often use feedback matrices like the example shown below to gather insight from all the review participants. 

This approach involves each group member writing down all their positive comments, questions, ideas, and concerns or challenges. The meeting facilitator (or designer, if they’re not the same person) can then review these notes and ask participants to elaborate on their comments .

Each of the design review formats outlined above has its limitations. That’s why we’ve come up with a way to make the process much simpler, regardless of whether you work remotely or in an office.

Don’t worry, we got you .

TLDR: Run your design reviews asynchronously . Use bubbles to nail it.

Challenge 1: Design reviews require multi-functional attendance, but it can be difficult to schedule a meeting with so many people. Key decision makers might not always be able to attend. This can lead to additional back-and-forth if all stakeholders aren’t present and in alignment. 

Solution: Bubbles solves this by allowing you to share the design and gather feedback asynchronously 

Challenge 2: Synchronous design reviews don’t promote thoughtful feedback because people are sharing ideas 5 minutes after seeing the design. Synchronous design reviews can get derailed if the designer is not a skilled facilitator and meeting participants go off-topic. Plus, more extroverted collaborators may dominate the conversation, while quieter team members don’t get a chance to contribute, and neurodiverse peeps struggle to resist zoning out. 

Solution: Bubbles solves this by allowing people to digest the creative at their own pace and take their time giving thoughtful feedback , plus it gives everyone a chance to be heard. 

Challenge 3: It’s difficult to capture feedback from so many people and make sure you got it right. Attendees have to write down their ideas and questions — or remember them — until the group discussion begins. Plus the designer has to take notes or rely on someone else’s meeting minutes. 

Solution: Bubbles captures all the feedback in context, which means no more notes getting lost in translation.

Challenge 4: In real-time design reviews, it’s difficult to have a real conversation about the feedback and get to a decision because you can't offer alternative solutions and discuss every idea in detail — not unless you want all your colleagues to resent you, anyway.

Solution: With bubbles, you can reply to the feedback with an alternative design and go back and forth until you reach a decision — without keeping everyone involved in a looong meeting.

How to run effective design review meetings in 7 steps

Let’s face it, most people suck at giving feedback. And more than that, most non-designers don’t have a clue how to give design feedback , or even what aspect of the design to give feedback on!

Want to avoid the dreaded “This isn’t right, but I’ll know it when I see it” conversation?

Get better at running design reviews.

Help your reviewers out by using the right tools, being prepared, setting the scene, and asking for specific input.

Here’s how.

1. Define the feedback space (Use the right tools)

Design review meetings are pretty much indispensable when it comes to finalizing designs that result in successful products. 

Remote work and asynchronous collaboration are now mainstream, which means it’s more important than ever to get the review and feedback collection process right. 

For best results, you want to control the environment in which the review takes place, so you don’t need to collate feedback from fifty different emails and Slack messages, and project management tools. 

And the best way to control the review environment is by using the right tool . 

Enter bubbles .  

With bubbles’ interactive screen recording tool , you can run efficient design reviews using screen, video, and audio messages so you can present your designs and get detailed, timestamped feedback, all in one place . 

Unlike other screen recording tools, bubbles allows multiple reviewers to comment on specific sections of your design presentation (using timestamps and screen annotation). Plus, they can use text, audio, or even screen recordings to leave these comments. Plus, they can view and respond to other collaborators’ comments, minimizing repetition and bringing those brainstorm-esque conversations online. 

Watch the video below to see how you can use bubbles to request design feedback:

This GIF shows a designer using bubbles to run a micro epic — notice the little bubbles showing  the team’s annotations on the playback bar at the bottom of the screen.

Additionally, bubbles captures the conversation, so everyone is aligned on what was discussed and what will be addressed.

2. Plan and prepare for the design review

It’s important to show up for the design review prepared. After all, it is a presentation . Prepare your main talking points, systematically address each one, and try to anticipate questions and concerns.

Identify appropriate reviewers and share the design review bubble with them for viewing and input (or invite them to the meeting if your workplace insists on doing synchronous reviews).

Developing a consistent design review format is crucial. Being consistent means everyone knows what to expect, which improves collaboration and productivity . This also ensures that no steps get skipped. 

3. Provide context

Begin your presentation with a brief agenda that explains the goal of the meeting and sets everyone’s expectations. Outline what you’ll be sharing and what kind of comments you’re looking for . 

Don’t gloss over that last part. Make it clear to your reviewers exactly what types of feedback you want from the review.

Explain the background and the story of the design first. Answer the following questions:

• What’s the main objective (or problem statement) of the design draft you’ve worked on?
• How does the design align with the project’s strategic goal?
• Who is the target group or audience for the design? How does this design speak to that audience?
• What are the potential use cases? (If it’s a product design)
• What does a potential user experience or customer journey look like? (if relevant)

With bubbles, you can record your screen as you use whatever design tool you prefer, so feel free to use a virtual whiteboard to show your process if Figma is your drug of choice.

4. Present your design(s)

Now that you’ve set the scene with some important context, walk your reviewers through your design(s). Briefly discuss any design themes or principles influencing the work, explaining how you believe your work embodies these principles.

For example, some principles guiding your design may include “accessible,” “inspirational,” and “tongue-in-cheek.” 

Remind the participants that you’re seeking feedback as to how the design(s) succeeds or fails as a solution to the stated “problem,” meets the business’s objectives, and aligns with the project’s specified design principles.

5. Ask the right questions

Don’t just ask your colleagues “how they like your design”. Ask them specific questions, such as:

• What is memorable about this design?
• Who would this design appeal to?
• How could this design be more simple?
• Is there anything confusing about this design?
• What problem does this design solve?
• What feeling does this design evoke for you?

To keep it simple, you can develop your own feedback matrix or question templates for various types of design reviews. 

Share these with participants alongside the bubbles link so reviewers can refer to them as they watch your presentation and consider what to put their comments.

6. Review feedback and outline the next steps

After the rest of the stakeholders and decision-makers have had a chance to engage with your design review and leave comments, it’s time to check — and respond to — the feedback you’ve received. 

With bubbles, this means reviewing the time-stamped comments (or comment threads) on your design review video and responding to them. (Isn’t technology great ? Now you can have real creative conversations — no matter what country or time zone you’re in! ).

Your next step: prioritization. Distill your feedback into action items and take action. 

7. Iterate and repeat

This step kinda speaks for itself, doesn’t it? Apply the feedback you’ve received, rinse, and repeat. 

Try bubbles for efficient async design reviews

Design review meetings are a vital part of product development, and we’re pretty sure they’re not going anywhere anytime soon. 

With bubbles , your design review meetings will take much less time to plan and execute, you’ll be able to discuss your designs and motivations uninterrupted , and, most importantly, you’ll be able to gather higher-quality feedback, in-context, while allowing everyone involved to respond in their own time. 

Best of all? Bubbles is totally free! Try our free Chrome extension and see how quick and easy it is to get started.

Make your meetings matter

Use AI to record, transcribe, and summarize meetings into actions. Bubbles is your home for after-meeting collaboration.

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Get your point across using screen, video, and audio messages. Bubbles is free, and offers unlimited recordings with a click of a button.

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How do you carry out an effective Critical Design Review (CDR)?

A critical design review (cdr) is an essential formal checkpoint in the product development process. undertaking cdr’s ensure designs are fit for purpose, ready for production and checked before further financial investment is made..

An organised and robust CDR helps to identify mistakes and highlight risks/concerns as well as highlight where further design improvements could be made. A CDR ultimately saves time and shares responsibility across all stakeholders.

Designer’s Self-Checks (in preparation for a CDR meeting)

• Thoroughly review your design solution against your Project Brief & Product Design Specification (PDS)
• List any concerns, issues, concessions or problems – try to be self-critical
• At this stage in the project, it is likely you’ll have a detailed 3D CAD model. Therefore, you should run in-built CAD system tests, such as; interference detection, hole alignment and draft analysis etc
• Ensure your project risk log is fully up to date
• Prepare a component interaction map and ensure all parts are listed, so you can systematically cross-check all interactions and their inter-related features

• Check the assembly sequence and perhaps animate this using exploded CAD views
• Check any proprietary CAD Models against supplier datasheets – it’s surprising how often we find incomplete or incorrect models
• Ensure that all your pre-check activities have been recorded and are ready to present in a formal CDR

Once you have covered the above points, the next stage is to request a formal in-house CDR. You should invite the design team , design manager, and all key stakeholders such as manufacturing representatives and the client. Use BS.7000:2 to help you identify who should be in the meeting for your business.

Critical Design Review Meeting

The goal of any CDR meeting is to make sure designs meet the requirements of all stakeholders. Remind those attending the CDR of their responsibility in it too. It’s a shared responsibility and not just the designers to make the project a success!

The project’s lead designer should be prepared to cover the following agenda:

• Explain the overall purpose of your design and how it meets the Product Design Specification (PDS)
• Walk the team through the CAD files, showing each part, sub-assembly and the general assembly by using section tools and isolated views, so that the detail is clear
• Explain the general functionality
• Discuss the key performance parameters
• Explain the intended use, user steps and experience
• Explain how the design will be manufactured including process, projected volumes and manufacturing cost estimates
• Explain how the design will be assembled, perhaps by using 3D CAD exploded views or simple animations
• Explain any design logic, calculations and FEA that supports the design
• Openly review the risk log (include technical, safety, project & commercial risks) and if applicable, review any other risk assessment methods, such as FMEA or Fault Tree Analysis (FTA)
• Senior managers should ask challenging questions throughout the process, with a view to finding solutions where possible. If there are no or few questions, it’s likely that people haven’t understood or are not paying attention. You need to be challenged now so don’t be afraid to remind them of their responsibility – it’s too late once the device is in manufacture!
• If the design is of a complex nature, then the senior designers reviewing the project should take more time to study the CAD files meticulously, measuring and critiquing the fine details of the design
• The Project Manager should record all comments, findings, concerns and further actions in a standard review template, using CAD screen captures for clarity

Following the meeting, minutes should be complied and distributed to those involved.

Once approved, the design team can work on the agreed changes. Once the changes are deemed complete, you should organise a ‘back mod’ review meeting with your design management team to ensure changes were understood and have been complete. If so, the Design Manager should then formally approve the designs for prototype manufacture.

By keeping to a formal method of review, you can limit your exposure to unnecessary risk, which could hinder your project in terms of its delivery schedule, development costs and ultimately the return on investment. Hopefully, these guidelines are useful and help you develop your own formal review system. Please get in touch to learn more and discuss how HD can help you.

Get in Touch with Mark Heynes

Design Director

Mark has worked in new product development for almost 15 years. Graduating in Product Design from Staffordshire University and designing for the medical, healthcare, building products and automotive sectors, Mark uses this experience to manage the design team, ensuring project resource is well planned and design outputs meet high standards. Outside of work, he spends time with his family and practicing karate. Currently a 4th Dan with over 30 years training, Mark has the same dedicated approach to karate and design.

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8 best practices to improve design review presentations.

8 best practices for you to implement during your presentations to achieve productive and effective coordinations that expedite sign off.

VRcollab Official Account

What’s better than having good design review meetings? Having great, productive and effective coordinations that expedite sign off. We want to help you achieve that so here are the 8 best practices for you to implement during your presentations.

1. Set proper sunlight angles

Poor lighting can make a photo of the Eiffel Tower look bad. Similarly, without good sunlight angles, important features might get overlooked.

You can adjust the sunlight in VRcollab by opening the tool icon (or press F8 ) to access the ‘Adjust Sunlight’ function. You would want to position your light source where most light can enter and illuminate the interior design.

2. Know your hotkeys

Nobody wants to see anyone fumbling over figuring out how to switch functionality. We strongly recommend you get used to the hotkey layout, in order to have the smoothest transitions for an impressive presentation.

For the complete hotkey guide, you can visit our help centre .

3. Use different render modes for specific stakeholders

VRcollab has 4 different render modes – normal, sketch, x-ray and high definition.

Normal Mode is VRcollab’s default render mode. This mode is less GPU intensive which can be helpful to run larger complex BIM models on lower specification computers, however with less material appearance accuracy.

Sketch Mode , VRcollab will remove all materials and lighting in the environment, letting you focus on space and design. Sketch mode is most preferred during architecture space review where general massing and spatial analysis is the key focus.

X-Ray Mode , VRcollab will show coloured systems while having everything else appear translucent, allowing you to inspect MEP systems hidden between other trades. Colours shown are either from Revit®Shaded Style properties or colours that are further away from dull grey. X-Ray mode is often used during mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) design reviews.

High-Quality Mode , users’ model will be rendered at a higher quality with better ambient lighting compared to normal mode. This mode is great as it renders an accurate material appearance in accordance to your BIM model, while also including accurate shadows, lighting and ambient occlusion.

4. Adjust threshold and contrast

When you’ve chosen your preferred render mode, it’s best to go one step further: fine-tune it. You can adjust the threshold and contrast to bring out important elements of design. Other than making it look better, this can also make it easier to spot for any issues.

5. Send an interactive coordination document to your stakeholders

Get everybody on the same page before the presentation starts by sending a (.exe file) copy of the design. They won’t need to download VRcollab to view this file. Plus, they will be more prepared for the meeting, increasing the team’s productivity.

To create the .exe file,

• Click on “Export Project”
• Choose whether you would like to attach documents
• Select the destination to save your file
• Standalone will then be exported (Make sure there is enough disk space on your machine for the successful creation of .exe file)
• Standalone.exe file will then be exported to the chosen save location

6. Export a report after presentation

Don’t leave anyone hanging after the presentation. To keep the communication transparent, you can export the report (automatically created) from VRcollab. This doubles up as the meeting minutes with a compilation of all the text comments and screenshots from your meeting. You can choose to export in PDF, Excel, Navisworks XML, BCF, Web.

7. Use Virtual Reality (VR)

VR is hot in the market right now; It gives you a competitive edge to present your designs in VR. Combine VRcollab’s VDC tools and VR capabilities, you get to better interrogate, communicate and showcase your model during presentations.

VR gives users a 1:1 perspective of the model and puts them in an immersive environment. It allows clients to “walk in the building” of the virtual design. Other than impressing your clients, VR gives users a better understanding of the spatial elements of the building.

8. Take your time

Keep calm, breathe and take your time. Be sure to cover every aspect of your design. You don’t want to rush over small details that could result in major errors in the future. Your attention to detail can make the presentation go a long way.

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Design review template

By invision.

Document requirements and run a productive design review

When design teams create new products, they don’t immediately start sketching and prototyping. The design process starts with knowing your business, your competitors, and your customers. Design reviews help teams understand their problem space so that they can create smooth, updated experiences for their customers. Use the design review template to shape your creative strategy. This will help you document creative requirements, present designs, and record insights and open questions raised during your review.

How to use the design review template

Step 1. organize your design process.

Start by collecting all of the background information your design team needs for this project, so your team will be ready when it’s time to conduct your design review. Use the template to organize product requirement documentation and list any technical requirements. Make sure to add Jira tickets, metrics reports, and any other page your team needs to design. Once you’ve outlined your requirements, explain the customer problem you’re trying to solve and how design can improve the customer experience.

Step 2. Present designs

Once you’ve outlined your design project’s goals and requirements, you can use the template to conduct a design review. Add screenshots of designs ready to launch and provide context that will help your team think creatively. You can also create InVision prototypes to showcase new interactions and experiences. As you present each design to your team, explain the potential benefits and challenges of each option and ask your team for their input.

Step 3. Capture design review insights

During your review, you and your team should use the template to take down notes. As you discuss designs, record open questions and information gaps so that your team can plan research sessions. You can organize and track issues raised during your review. Continue to update the template as you finalize designs and set up design tests and deployment plans.

InVision is the digital product design platform used to make the world's best customer experiences.

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