But often we wrestle with collecting feedback.
We get comments that are less then helpful because they seem irrelevant or unclear. Or we find that we’re getting feedback and reactions at inopportune times rather than points in the process where they would have been useful in informing design decisions.

Our ability to critique speaks directly to the quality of the conversations we have with teammates, whether they be designers, developers, stakeholders, etc. Designers frequently complain about the quality and uselessness of the feedback they are given, but we rarely examine our own processes to identify how to collect useful feedback and make the discussions around our designs more productive.

In This Talk…
We’ll explore critique as both an activity and an aspect of any communication or collaboration. Attendees will walk away with:

• A clearer understanding of critique is and why asking for “feedback” is problematic.
• Methods for gathering useful feedback from clients and teammates.
• Ideas on how to introduce team members to the idea of critique and get everyone using it.
• An understanding of where critique fits within the design processes and how to incorporate it into projects.

About Your Speaker
Adam Connor
Adam Connor is designer, illustrator, author and speaker obsessed with the creative process. And with stories. No matter how utilitarian a tool may seem, at its core lies a story. Uncovering that story is the key to a successful design.

As a designer with Mad*Pow, Adam uses his design and illustration talents, 12+ years of interaction design experience, and a background in Computer Science, film and animation to create effective and easy-to-use digital products and services.

Adam never tires of explaining how critical collaboration and critique are to the creative process.

In recent years, he has made helping design teams improve their processes and creative cultures a focus of his work at Mad*Pow. There, as the lead of the Organizational Transformation & Training practice, he has helped establish training and organizational consulting services that aid teams in examining and overcoming obstacles to their creativity.

Occasionally, he shares his perspective and approach to design at adamconnor.com and discussingdesign.com.