Join over 30,000 designers! Learn to advocate for your ideas, influence your teamβand step up your product design career with Femke β¨
π€ Unlock the Art of Feedback β Transform Your Design Talks!
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| I'm Femke β a senior product designer helping designers level up their design careers. |
Hey Reader,
Let's dive into the world of design feedback, shall we? I know, I know β it can feel like wading through murky waters at times, but let's clear things up.
π First up: Design crits. These informal, no-stress, all-chill sessions with your immediate design team are where the magic happens. You rock up with your work β messy, raw, maybe a bit of this, a bit of that β and just lay it out there. No prep needed. It's about bouncing ideas around, not a polished pitch!
We ran these twice a week at Uber, super consistent-like. Twenty minutes, three slots, short and sweet. You claim your spot, you show your Figma file, and boom β you're getting the kind of feedback that's like gold dust.
Now, remember, crits are for designers by designers. This is not the place for cross-functional feedback. Keep it cosy, keep it constructive, and keep it within the family of design folks.
π Moving on to design explorations β oh, the playground of creativity! Got a sandbox of ideas? Perfect. Organize that Figma file so it's not a wild maze for your PMs and engineers. Give 'em the context, the concepts, the rationale, and your recommended solution. Make it a story they can follow.
As always, context is queen. Share the stage of your design, the problem you're tackling, and lay out your explorations. Then, hit 'em with the rationale β your design decisions aren't just pretty pictures; they're thoughtful solutions.
Whether it's live design jams with your team or presenting high-fidelity flows, it's all about clarity and collaboration. And hey, if you're doing something different with your team, I'm all ears! Drop your experiences in the comments; let's chat about it.
Until next time, keep creating, keep critiquing, and most importantly, keep the feedback loop spinning.
- Femke
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π Spotlight: Design Leader Insights
I spoke with Fuego UX earlier this month and chatted about starting a successful side hustle in design while maintaining work-life balance, the importance of design having an influence on product, and more!
| Watch here |
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π Work Smarter, Not Harder
π§ Mastering the Mindset of Feedback
Now that weβve mastered how to approach design feedback, letβs deep-dive into feedback psychology. We've compiled some resources that will transform the way you give and receive design critiques.
Courses to Course-Correct:
- Jump onto LinkedIn Learning for the "Giving and Receiving Feedback" course, where you'll hone the art of effective communication.
- Learn how to test your concepts both solo and as a team with Into UX Designβ
Podcasts for Your Commute:
- Tune into "WorkLife with Adam Grant" where you'll find episodes dedicated to making feedback a breeze and not a blizzard.
- "The Feedback Loop" podcast is your go-to for a deep dive into the nuances of feedback β all in bite-sized, commute-friendly episodes.
- Lastly, Charli and I had a great podcast on βCollaboration with Senior and Junior Designers.β Learn how to make designing in a team seamless!
π Gems of the week
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π Such fun things in this gift guide!
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π€© Such a fun coffee table book idea! Adding it to my wishlist.
Have a topic you'd like us to chat about? Reply to this email and let me know!
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Level up your product design career!
Join over 30,000 designers! Learn to advocate for your ideas, influence your teamβand step up your product design career with Femke β¨
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