Introduction
Providing useful and constructive design feedback is fundamental to any creative project and will undoubtedly have a strong impact on your final design outcome. The more consideration goes into giving feedback, the easier it will be to implement. Neither designers, project managers nor clients enjoy the back and forth of emails so it is important that we all facilitate a smooth feedback process.
In this blog post, we have collated an extensive guide on how to provide effective and frustration-free feedback for your next project.
1. A collaborative approach.
Collaboration is crucial to improving the feedback process and it should always be an open discussion. Instead of just telling a designer that you don’t like something, tell them exactly why and explain what’s not working – it should be a partnership of ideas that ultimately elevates the final outcome. Consider asking questions rather than writing a list of specific changes, questions will often open up discussions that help a designer understand your needs.
2. Don’t be vague!
Vague feedback often makes it hard for designers to know what a client wants. It is important to structure your feedback and explain exactly what you are talking about, whether that be fonts, sizing, layout and so on – be specific! Statements like “It’s not quite there” and “It doesn’t feel right” aren’t going to point designers in the right direction. Those providing the feedback must make sure they are offering an insightful critique and if you are struggling to write down your thoughts then a video call could be beneficial.
Here at Saif Dexign, we often use Adobe XD to present our designs. This software allows clients to directly comment and pinpoint clients’ feedback on specific design elements and has proved to be a useful tool in our process.
3. Consolidate your feedback.
As with most design projects, there are usually many stakeholders involved in the feedback process and the format in which feedback is received varies from person to person. Make sure to take the time to internally review and consolidate the strongest and most effective feedback. This will make it easier for a designer to digest your comments and make the process time-efficient.
4. Keep it simple and concise.
The clearer the feedback the better! Although detailed feedback is good, you should avoid writing paragraphs upon paragraphs of text as they are hard to digest. Instead, try a more structured approach such as using bullets as these are easy for a designer or project manager to tick off and give a better understanding of the scale of amends.
5. Tell us what works and doesn’t.
Not only is the feedback process used to critique areas of design that need improvement, but it also offers an opportunity for clients to tell us what works well. This helps a designer to further explore concepts and ideas that a client loves, instead of solely addressing the areas that need to change.
Conclusion.
The most important thing to remember is that feedback is a crucial part of any creative project. By following the tips mentioned above, you’ll be able to provide effective feedback for your next project which will surely reflect in the final outcome!
