When providing feedback to our team, it is essential to be thoughtful and constructive. In order to ensure that the feedback is both helpful and respectful, it is important to consider a few key guidelines.
Trust our experienced designers
It can be tough to put into words how you'd like things changed when viewing an initial design, but it can be even more difficult to not micromanage it. So, instead of instructing us what to do, tell us what the problem is. Have faith in our team to come up with a unique, creative solution that meets the objectives of the task. It’s our responsibility to find the most suitable solution. That's why you hired us!
Bad feedback: “Can you add a border to that box and make the text fill the whole screen”
Good feedback: “Right now we are having a hard time focusing on this one section, I think it needs more emphasis”
Think of the why and be specific
As we reveal each design iteration, it can be hard to hide your initial reaction. If you don't love the design or the direction we’re headed, tell us. But before you say "I don't like it!", think about why you feel that way. Try to figure out the underlying reason.
Does the layout not work? Are the colours not in line with your brand? Is the font too small and difficult to read? Is the navigation not where it should be? The more specific feedback you can give our team, the closer we'll get to the mark in the next iteration.
Bad feedback: “This is not what we wanted, I think we’re headed in the wrong direction”.
Good feedback: “I’m not sure a bar chart is going to work. We need to show users a trend over time. Maybe a line graph is more suitable?”.
Put your users first
With every design conversation, it's important to keep your users front of mind. It's easy to get caught up in nit-picking based on your own preferences, but we have to remember this product is for your customers. When viewing the design, try to put yourself in their shoes. The more you think like them, the better your feedback will be for our team.
Bad feedback: “Blue is my least favourite colour, let’s use it as little as possible”
Good feedback: “Our company is in the fintech space and whilst blue isn’t my favourite colour, I think it will help our users feel familiar and safe”
Provide relevant examples to explain your point
We don't expect you to be familiar with the terms 'accordion' or 'segmented button', so if you want to make sure we understand the components you would prefer to use (or don't use) in the design, it's best to show us. Send us an example that reflects your intention. This applies in both directions - as we go through the process, we'll always try to explain our designs and share examples of best practices. So if you're ever uncertain, just give us an example of what you had in mind.
Bad feedback: “Do you think it would work better if we used an icon?”
Good feedback: “I’m attaching screenshot of a product that we can take inspiration from. They use icons and buttons in an effective way”
Consolidate your design feedback
We understand that stakeholders may have various opinions on the design when first viewing it. To save time, we recommend taking a few days to review and consolidate the strongest, most effective feedback internally. Having one voice and one point of contact to streamline the process can help us avoid things getting lost in translation. As long as we have a clear and consolidated direction and you've shared your feedback in Many Requests, then we have everything we need to keep things moving.
Bad feedback: “John really likes the dashboard with the recent activity feed but Katie doesn’t and Mark would like to see another way of presenting this information”.
Good feedback: “We’ve reviewed the dashboard again and agree that we need to find a new way of presenting the information found in the activity feed”.
Last but not least, be honest and polite
Whether you have positive or negative feedback, be mindful of how you express it. Our team is much more motivated to deliver our best work when clients provide feedback in a professional, friendly, and productive way (which is almost always the case). Don't worry about hurting our feelings; our goal is to create an end result that meets the task's objectives.
Bad feedback: “This design is awful and not what we had in mind”.
Good feedback: “Thanks for sharing the first iteration of the design. We're not sure about the direction things are headed and would like to see you take different approach”.
Our team loves actionable feedback. It helps our ideas grow and take shape into something we hadn't imagined before. At SavvyDesign, actionable client feedback is an essential part of the process. Keep these tips in mind the next time you talk to us and we'll build the foundations for a strong working relationship.
