This insight navigates the evolving landscape of modelling, examining its roots in the sciences and its recent emergence in the digital humanities. I contend that despite the digital humanities' emphasis on the creative and subjective nature of data modelling, visual representations often succumb to adopting scientific graphical tools without due consideration of epistemological biases. Inspired by design practice, I propose a paradigm shift in critical modelling, spotlighting the pivotal role of visual representations as tools for reflective practice. Although design models can serve as communication devices, in this insight I put an emphasis on their role as enablers of iterative development through reflective conversations between designer and model. By elucidating the qualities supporting reflective practice, this insight forges connections between theoretical claims and actual visual representations in the digital humanities, challenging conventional notions of data visualisation.