When designers design, they sometimes become so immersed in their work that they forget to step back and make sure they’re on the right path. Often, a second pair of eyes are what’s needed to help designers stay on brief and create amazing designs; that creative direction usually comes from a Creative Director. But what do you do when they’re out to lunch or a meeting and you can’t find one?

Some designers might wait, a few might even press on in the hope they’re making the right design decisions. Others, however, might seek fortune tellers for validation about their most pressing questions. While this last method might be a bit risky for designers dealing with big clients, you can now find invaluable advice in the Tarot Cards of Tech.

Helping ask the tough questions

Seattle-based design agency Artefact Group has created a deck of free-to-use cards that aim to help you evade project screw-ups. Rather than offer advice that’s vague and easy to misinterpret, the Tarot Cards of Tech pose questions that people might forget to ask themselves during the design process. In spite of its name, the tarot cards can apply to any industry, any type of technology, and any product.

“It feels like something you can bring into a workshop,” says Sheryl Cababa, an executive creative director at Artefact. “The personification of these big issues allows it to surface in a way that feels like it’s not just us saying everything is going to go wrong for your product.”

To make things more relatable, each of the tarot cards has been assigned a persona. For example, the Backstabber makes you consider if there are reasons people might lose trust in your design; the Siren asks about possible downfalls that might result from an over-reliance of your product.

Artefact knows from experience that these are tough questions. Designers at the agency were having a difficult time posing them with their clients. That’s why something as lighthearted as a tarot card can make them easier to ask.

The cards are available for free to anyone; you can request a PDF through the studio’s website. If seeking advice through tarot cards isn’t your thing, perhaps it’s time to roll the dice with the Pocket Art Director.