Design feedback: How to give and receive productive feedback

The amusing thing about design school is that it teaches you about Figma, prototyping, color theory, typography, and user-centered design. However, it often overlooks one of the most crucial skills needed in a UX career: communication. Communication includes how to provide and receive feedback on design work. In school, there may be peer reviews and design critique sessions, but let’s be honest, it’s not the same as the dynamics of a fast-paced product development team in the real world. In design school, we tend to be kind and phrase our feedback constructively. However, in the tech industry, our product and engineering partners may not know how to give feedback, and school doesn’t teach us how to deal with feedback like “I don’t like it!”, “Why can’t you just use this icon?”, “How about you copy the Uber design?”, “How does this design align with our business goal?”, “Where’s the data backing up your design choice?”, “Why did you only test the design with 3 people?” and so on. As long as there’s creativity in our work, we need to face critique. Only those who don’t do anything don’t get negative feedback. However, not all critiques are equal, and we need to know which feedback to incorporate into our design and which to simply thank others for and move on. In this post, I’ll guide you on how to differentiate between the two. Let me share a personal story: When I started my design journey, I was afraid of critique sessions and judgments. I would get a knot in my stomach and treated critique sessions as battles I wanted to win, or at least wanted to avoid getting too many scars by the end. I had trouble separating my design work from my sense of self. I was also afraid that people would find out I was an impostor and didn’t know what I was doing. Aren’t we all afraid of this as junior designers? Sometimes, negative feedback would deeply affect me. However, since then, I’ve learned how to give and receive effective feedback. Now, I see design critique sessions as an opportunity to improve my design and bring people together to enhance the product. Design critiques and judgments are a natural part of our workflow; we can’t create exceptional design without our work being judged. Giving and receiving feedback can make or break design iterations and impact project outcomes. Feedback is like a signpost for designers, guiding us through design iterations and leading us to successful features and product outcomes. Here’s an example from my past career: I was deeply involved in designing a mobile app interface to simplify grocery shopping. I poured all my creativity into crafting a minimalist and elegant interface. I approached the task with some fear, but I couldn’t wait to show it off to my team of engineers, fully expecting them to be as excited as I was. However, reality set in. With their technical know-how, the engineers pointed out a problem: the stunning animations I was proud of could slow down the app’s performance. I was disappointed to realize that my artistic flair unintentionally compromised the app’s functionality. However, I didn’t let this setback discourage me. I took that feedback to heart, recognizing it as an opportunity to elevate my design. So, I went back to my design tool, ready to work magic again. This time, I simplified the animations, making them just as delightful but far less resource-intensive. And there it was: a well-designed app, balancing aesthetics with peak performance and an intact user experience. The key message of this story? Feedback is our ally. It pushes us to fine-tune our design until it’s visually appealing while also demonstrating efficiency and usability. I like to think of user needs as one island and business goals as another. When a product manager says, “The interface needs to focus more on user engagement,” they are helping me align my design vision with the company’s goals. Similarly, when users provide feedback like, “This navigation structure is confusing because [reason],” they give us valuable insights into their thinking and needs. By incorporating this feedback, we solve real-world problems by creating a design that resonates with people and contributes to business success. Our job is to build the bridge between these islands. Feedback is your compass that helps you find the right path. Always listen and iterate. Open communication fosters collaboration and creativity. Open dialogue with your teammates is the key to excellent product development. It’s the secret ingredient that turns a group of individuals into collaborative colleagues. We need to foster a culture where everyone, from engineers to product managers, feels empowered to share their ideas and thoughts. It’s not always easy to keep an open mind and have open and respectful communication during design review sessions, but we must try our best to encourage team members to contribute their perspectives to the discussion. What if someone doesn’t speak up during the review session? Reach out to them privately and ask for their feedback. They might be nervous about speaking up in a group setting, have social anxiety, or prefer one-on-one conversations. What constitutes constructive feedback in the context of design? During design reviews, it’s important to understand that meaningful feedback goes beyond a simple “I like it.” Constructive feedback is a carefully considered critique aimed at elevating our design work. This kind of feedback provides insights into what’s working, what’s not, and most importantly, the reasons behind the critique. The goal is to strengthen and refine our design. I hope you can see the difference between “This shopping cart design isn’t appealing” and “The color scheme of the shopping cart page could be tweaked to better align with our brand identity.” The first leaves you with nothing, unsure of what to do next. However, the second provides a clear direction for improvement. Vague feedback does nothing for our design. Constructive feedback includes specificity, clarity, and actionable suggestions. When you say, “The user flow is a bit confusing; simplifying the steps can improve user experience,” you are being specific (user flow), clear (it’s confusing), and offering an actionable suggestion (simplifying the steps). This kind of feedback is like a map, guiding the designer on what to focus on and how to improve. It eliminates guesswork and sets the stage for effective design iterations. The more specific, the better. Instead of saying, “This color doesn’t work,” say, “The red color on the CTA button might be too aggressive; a softer shade would be more inviting.” Constructive feedback provides specific, clear, and actionable insights that help move our design projects in the right direction. Empathetic and respectful communication enhances feedback effectiveness. Have empathy and respect, and never be rude when giving feedback. How we deliver feedback is just as important as what we say. An empathetic and respectful tone significantly affects how our feedback is received. Imagine telling your designer colleague, “I see where you’re coming from with this solution, but have you considered the accessibility aspect? Adding alt text could make the design more inclusive.” With this approach, you acknowledge their effort, pose a question, and offer a solution while being respectful. It’s far more effective than simply saying, “This design isn’t accessible!” If you don’t want your feedback to lead to conflict, deliver your message with empathy and respect. Understanding the design context is crucial before offering feedback. Take a moment to understand the design’s goals and constraints. Consider questions like: Are we aiming for user engagement, brand awareness, or conversion? What are the technical limitations? Knowing the context helps you provide relevant and useful feedback. Be specific and objective in your feedback.



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