Design Reviews and the Curious Case of Too Many Opinions

“Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective” game hands you a mystery and then steps away.
No hint system. No turn order. Just a London map, a pile of newspapers, and a thick case file.

You pick your path. Scan a classified ad in the newspaper. Visit a bar in Whitechapel. Knock on a door in Lambeth.
Every choice takes time. Some leads open the story, others send you down cobblestones for nothing.
Holmes always finishes in fewer moves, you are trying to beat his score by connecting clues, not chasing every shiny detail.

That is exactly how messy design reviews can feel.
Everyone brings a clue, a hunch, a priority. If you do not frame the case, you end up solving five different mysteries at once.

What the game teaches us:
🔎 Start from the case file, goal, users, constraints
🗺️ Choose the next stop with intent, not volume
🧾 Track where you have been, and why it matters
⏱️ Respect the clock, save side quests for later

How do we run a review so it actually helps:
🎯 Open with a one minute brief, goal, scope, key constraints
❓ Name the decision, what are we choosing today
🏷️ Tag feedback as Problem, Risk, Idea, Evidence, so signals do not blur
🧭 Timebox rabbit holes, park them in a follow up list
🧩 Capture the outcome, decision and why, owners and next steps

You rarely crack the full mystery in one sitting.
Success is shared focus on one case and a clear next move.