Design review
Definition
A formal review meeting where completed or near-final design work is evaluated against product requirements, brand standards, accessibility guidelines, and technical feasibility before it is approved to move into engineering.
Design review is a gate, not a feedback session. By the time work reaches a design review, critique rounds are done. The purpose of the review is to check that the design is complete, correct, and ready — not to explore alternatives.
Who attends: Typically the designer, a product manager, an engineering lead, and any relevant stakeholders with approval authority (brand, legal, accessibility, etc.).
What gets evaluated:
- Does the design solve the stated problem?
- Does it meet the acceptance criteria from the spec or PRD?
- Is it consistent with the design system?
- Are accessibility requirements met?
- Is it technically feasible without requiring a scope escalation?
- Are all states covered: empty, loading, error, edge cases?
The whiteboard at design review: Design reviews occasionally surface issues that require quick whiteboard sketching — an edge case that needs a new state, a layout question that needs to be drawn rather than described. Snap those sketches with BoardSnap so the decisions made in the room are captured before everyone moves on.
Design review vs. design critique: Critique is iterative and happens throughout the design process. Design review is the formal approval checkpoint before handoff.
Examples
- A product team holds a design review at the end of the design phase for every feature that will require more than two weeks of engineering work.
- A design review surfaces an accessibility issue in the color contrast of a button — caught before handoff, preventing a rework cycle in engineering.
- A mobile app team uses a design review checklist that covers all device sizes, dark mode, and accessibility before approving any screen.
- A startup runs lightweight design reviews as 15-minute Figma walkthroughs with the engineering lead before development begins.
Related terms
Snap a design review. Ship its actions.
BoardSnap turns any whiteboard — including this one — into a summary and action plan.