- Effective design reviews identify design flaws early, align teams, maintain momentum, maximize reviewer focus, and strengthen team design skills.
- Write an introduction using the 'inverted pyramid' style, starting with broad context understandable to all potential readers, then narrowing to specifics.
- Use collaborative tools like Google Docs or code review platforms that allow inline comments, a stable URL, and change tracking for efficient feedback.
- Invest in clear, editable diagrams (e.g., Excalidraw, Google Drawings, Mermaid) to facilitate constructive discussions about architecture and data flow.
- Give reviewers at least two working days for asynchronous review, and start with a single reviewer to fix major issues before broader distribution.
- Address questions by improving the document itself, resolve comment threads quickly, and move contentious discussions to an 'Open Issues' section.
- Reserve a focused meeting for final unresolved issues, ensuring a written agenda and no last-minute objections.
- Conduct a blameless design postmortem after implementation to improve processes, using a questionnaire and group discussion to identify process changes.