Software design reviews are an important milestone in product development, allowing teams to evaluate the design of a product according to specific criteria. This process can identify potential problems in the current design or prototype before implementation. A formal design review should include members of the multidisciplinary team who are not intimately involved in the design. When organizing a design review, it is important to decide on the meeting style, schedule, and guests.
The designer should create a design review package that includes preliminary design information such as the results of a prototyping effort, relevant performance measurements, and customer feedback. During the meeting, designers present the design and participants provide feedback in the form of questions, challenges, and suggestions for improvements. In some cases, it may be necessary to hold an ad hoc design review meeting only with the people involved in the design. Alternatively, a peer-review method (which is often done to code, but can be done to design as well) or a “minimal design review” may be more effective for some functions.
If you are organizing a structured meeting, indicate the restrictions and design the review guidelines that participants should follow. For example, a design review may focus on the capabilities of a specific feature, but not on appearance. After the meeting, the designer and immediate team consolidate and prioritize feedback. Included on this page, you'll find a free action item checklist template for
design review
, adesign review package
template for designers, and agendas for formal meetings anddesign review techniques
.The design review phase of product development is necessary to define next steps or changes in design.
