Run critique against named principles, not taste
Every critique comment is anchored to a named law, heuristic, or guideline so feedback becomes reviewable rather than personal.
How to run it
- 01
Open critique by restating the user goal and the decision the team actually needs to make.
- 02
Require each comment to cite a principle - Hick’s Law, a Nielsen heuristic, a WCAG criterion, or a HAX guideline.
- 03
Log unresolved disagreements as assumptions to test, not as opinions to settle in the room.
- 04
Use Claude or ChatGPT to pre-generate a heuristic checklist for the specific screen type before the session.
- 05
Close by naming the decision, the owner, and the evidence that would change it.
Anti-pattern this prevents
Critique that resolves on seniority. The loudest or most senior opinion wins, the rationale is never recorded, and the same argument recurs next sprint.