How We Take Design Reviews at Marvya to the Next Level

So, I sat in on a design review meeting today. And let me tell you—our designer wasted no time jumping into optimizations! 🚀 The problem? The client had never met her before, so there wasn’t any trust built up yet. Her ideas ended up sounding more like guesses than solid strategies, which didn’t exactly help her credibility. 😬

That got me thinking: How can we, as Marvya, come across as more professional? How do we make sure our suggestions feel rock solid instead of like we’re throwing darts in the dark? The answer: We need a structured approach! 💡

1️⃣ Let’s Start with the Data – Quantitative Analysis

Before we even think about making suggestions, we need to check the numbers. They tell a story—but only if you know how to read them. 🧐

  • Google Analytics: How long are users sticking around? Where do they drop off? How many abandon their carts? We need to dig in!
  • Heatmaps (e.g., Hotjar): What are people clicking on? What are they ignoring? Are there areas that just aren’t working?
  • Performance Check: Is the site loading fast enough? If not, people will bounce before they even get to the good stuff.

This shouldn’t just be on the UX designer—developers and the Product Owner should be involved too. Team effort! 🙌

2️⃣ Ask the People Who Matter – Qualitative Analysis

Numbers are great, but you know what’s even better? Talking to real users. Because we can sit around and guess all day, or we can just ask the people who actually use the site.

  • Usability Tests: Get real people to test the site.
  • Expert Review: Have UX pros go through and check if we’re following best practices.
  • Defined UX Principles: Oh, right, we still need to set those up. Definitely something to work on. 📚

3️⃣ Competitive Analysis – Because Peeking is Allowed 😏

Other companies are doing UX, too—and some are crushing it. Let’s learn from them!

  • Find 3-5 competitors with similar products.
  • Compare where we’re doing better—and where we need to step it up.
  • Set clear comparison criteria so we’re not just making vague statements.

Because saying “we have better UX” means nothing without proof. 🤷

4️⃣ The Most Overlooked Step – Establishing a Design Atmosphere

Before we even think about wireframes, we need to align with the client on the overall look and feel. Without that, we’re just making blind guesses.

Two solid ways to do this:

  • Style Tiles: Show colors, typography, and UI elements upfront.
  • Element Collages: Combine different design elements to create a visual direction.

If we do this before the first client call, we avoid confusion and set the stage for better decisions. Makes sense, right? 😎

Final Thoughts: It’s All About Preparation! 🎯

We don’t just want to throw out random UX tweaks—we want to deliver data-driven, well-thought-out optimizations. This structured approach ensures that our recommendations are not only professional but also bring measurable results. 💪

Next step? Make this part of our workflow and stick with it! 🚀