6 ingredients of a design concept review

I’ve had some great feedback about my article discussing the preparation of a great design brief. Thank you to everyone who sent me comments and emails about this.

One question that kept coming back at me was “How do I evaluate new concepts, and what criteria should I use to select the best direction for development?”

To create some context, let’s paint a hypothetical picture of your journey so far:

1. You’ve written a great design brief
2. You have hired a designer (perhaps in-house or outsourced)
3. The designer has prepared a range of initial concepts, and…
4. Now its time to review their work and decide which direction(s) to take the design.

You’re now facing what can be the most daunting and stressful period of your project (and you thought recruiting the right designer was difficult?!?)

It’s during these design reviews that the major direction for the project is determined, and in some cases can lock in a series of requirements, costs and expectations that can become difficult to change as you progress through the design process. It’s vital that you thoroughly prepare for your design reviews so that everyone on your team (including your designer) can evaluate the concepts objectively and free from subjective biases or unsubstantiated personal views.

A good design review will have the following ingredients:

1. A printed copy of your design brief (for use as a quick reference during the review)
2. A summarised list of the design criteria you’ll use to evaluate your concepts
3. Prioritised design criteria – ie. most important to least important, 1-10 scale or similar
4. Participants with an open mind to new possibilities
5. A wide range of ideas to assess, from conservative to totally wild.
6. At least 3 concepts, presented in verbal, written and illustrated formats.

Depending on your company’s structure, culture and preferences, design reviews can be highly formal, documented affairs or more relaxed conversations among colleagues. Whichever suits your business environment, it pays to document the outcomes of the review and distribute to all participants afterwards. This way, individual recollections and memories won’t be relied upon, and changes to design requirements (which can often occur during these meetings) can be recorded for future reference.

Design reviews need to be a place where the designer can feel comfortable presenting their creative thinking for public scrutiny. The review needs to be a positive and constructive process where, even if the initial concepts are not answering every aspect of the design brief, some directions, evolutions or refinements of the designer’s ideas can be identified and pursued.

It is this iterative process of innovation that helps align the designer’s thinking with your requirements whilst at the same time providing you with fresh ideas and perspectives which you may never have thought possible.