In Web site development, unless we’re interested in looking under the hood, we don’t see how it works. Either it works, or it doesn’t. We can ‘feel’ if an application is responsive and reliable, and to be sure, there is beauty, artistry and creativity in software development – this is not a post pitting development vs. creative direction.

What designers do is mysterious, ephemeral, and does have requirements for critique. To have equal opinion just by virtue of the fact that you can see what’s in front of you is akin to becoming a music critic on account of the two ears attached to your head. It involves gut instincts that can’t be taught, constant practice and introspection. By all means, engage, have an opinion and critique, but remember this one thing: good design is hard.