It’s been an exciting year here at AWD, and we feel like it’s time we give back. We’re treating this blog post as a type of community service for all of our fellow designers, and clients, alike!
The feedback phase of a project, in our eyes, should be the most enjoyable part. It’s when we get to share our work with our client and receive their notes on how we can make the project the best it can be. If you’re reading that last part and think we are deluded, read on! Once you have a process in place that works, the feedback phase will be the part of your process you relish, rather than resent.
First - Set Your Feedback Phase up for Success
- Process – the process needs to be clear from the outset. How many rounds of revision are involved?
- Revision Milestones – set dates for feedback and revisions
- Who – what people are involved in giving feedback?
- Brief and examples – setting a clear brief and examples of aesthetic we are aiming for is vital
- Consolidate – if there are multiple parties involved in providing feedback, consolidate feedback before sending through to a designer
- Using the right tools – whether you are a designer, or a client of one, using tools such as Figma or Pastel ensures you can leave all feedback in the one place
How to Deliver Good Feedback
1. Focus on the Design, Not the Designer
You can be honest! As long as you deliver your feedback in a way that addresses the design, not aimed at the designer, you are allowed to voice it. Instead of addressing feedback like,
“I’m not sure why you would use this colour here, it’s not on-brand and doesn’t make sense.”
try –
“In this section, could we try using one of our brand colours to keep things consistent?”
This approach ensures you keep good morale, while also getting things done more efficiently as it is less problem-focused, more solution-focused.
2. Be Specific
We can’t stress this enough. If you know what you want, say it. Feedback like,
“Can we try a few different colours, I’ll know what I like when I see it.”
– is not helpful! It slows down the whole process and is far too abstract. To build on the above example, you could add,
“In this section, could we try using one of our brand colours, specifically the dark blue, to keep things consistent?”
This is much more helpful for the designer, and the project at large.
3. Elaborate on the problem, don't just offer solutions
The designer is the expert here and they can most likely solve any design problems that arise.
Instead of asking them to “try a different colour”, actually think about why you want them to do this. In the above example, it was due to keeping brand consistency, but let’s imagine it is because you feel like the text is hard to read against its background. Instead of saying,
“Can we try different font colours and background colours here? It doesn’t look right,”
– you can say,
“I’m finding the text a little hard to read against the yellow background, can we try a darker colour, like the dark blue colour in our brand kit perhaps?”
It may have been an oversight by the designer and by pointing out the problem, they will immediately be so much closer to solving the issue.
These are just a few examples of how feedback, when delivered correctly, can be an efficient and streamlined process that enhances the project’s outcome. When the process is set up correctly and carried out in a solution-focused way, both designer and client should enjoy the process – we promise!
Ready to work with a web design and development company that has a streamlined process? From our first consultation call, to development, handover and the aftercare we provide to our clients, our processes are designed to ensure you enjoy your website journey with us, while feeling supported every step of the way.
Reach out through filling in our contact form, or email hello@anitawebdesigner.com. We would love to chat through your website dreams and ambitions on a free 30-minute consultation call!
