Part 3: Feedback
The Crit Playbook
So far in our series we’ve focused on being prepared, individually, for Crit. Part 3 will dive into the conversations during the meeting and offer guidance on how to make sure we’re supporting each other while also being honest and direct with our feedback.
How To Approach Feedback
During design critique, all input should be taken with a grain of salt. Feedback in Crit should never be considered mandatory changes. As the designer, you’re the owner of the decisions you make. Critiques on the work aren’t a reflection on you or your abilities. It’s only about the current status of the design.
When You Are The One Receiving Feedback
Assume Good Intentions
Some people struggle to phrase feedback well while others can be great at it. Assume that your teammates are doing their best to be honest and helpful, regardless of how the wording comes out. If something doesn’t feel quite right, use your best judgement in the meeting and lean on your manager to help you and your teammates to make sure everyone feels respected.
Appreciate The Feedback
Non-verbal communication is the most effective way to let someone know you’re listening and encourage them to express their thoughts. When your teammates are talking, make eye contact! Show appreciation by saying things like, “I hadn’t thought of that thank you!” or “I hadn’t noticed until you said it, I’ll think about that.”
If you get feedback you don’t agree with, ask clarifying questions to make sure you understand the intent behind the feedback. Be careful not to debate their suggestions or their point of view. Take note of all the input and keep the conversation moving. What you do with their feedback after the meeting is up to you.
Make A Decision
Think about how you are going to use (or not use) the feedback to move your project forward. Making a decision can be the most difficult part of being a designer. No matter how experienced you are, you never know for sure how people will interact with a design until you get something out there. The key to getting better as a designer is seeing how people respond to a design and learning from your own mistakes. It’s better to be wrong and learn how to improve the design, than to be indecisive and delay progress.
I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.
- Michael Jordan
When You Are The One Giving Feedback
As much as we want to be direct and focus on the work, Critique is still a vulnerable place. Always focus feedback on the work, and not on the designer. Remember that people receive communication differently. A little warmth and patience goes a long way.
Positive Feedback
As designers, we have to be self-critical of our choices in order to create good work. Crit isn’t just about pointing out what needs improvement. It’s just as important to know what’s working. Even if the presenter doesn’t directly ask for it, calling out what is good or just cool about a design can go a long way toward helping each other create good work.
Show Confidence In Each Other
When suggesting a new idea or approach, you can show confidence in the presenter by starting with a phrase like, “You may have already thought of this…” This shows respect by acknowledging that an idea you just came up with may be something they already considered, since they’ve been thinking about the problem longer than you.
Don’t Ask Leading Questions
It’s natural to want to deliver critical feedback in a diplomatic way. It’s common to hear feedback in phrases like, “Do you think the design is a little noisy with that graphic?” or “Do you think it would be better if the text was bigger?” These are leading questions. A leading question is when you ask a question and secretly insert the answer you want. This phrasing reveals that the person asking the question holds an opinion, but maybe doesn’t want to come off too strong when expressing it. However, this puts the person receiving the feedback in a position of having to answer a leading question without knowing the motivation behind it. Even if the intentions are good, it can feel manipulative and inadvertently lead to arguments.
There are much better ways to express feedback directly without masking the opinion in a question. A few phrases you could use:
- I think that….
- In my opinion…
- If you ask me…
So instead of “Do you think it would be better if the text was bigger?” you could say “In my opinion, the text is a bit hard to read. Making the text bigger could improve the legibility.”
Be Specific
Always explain why you’re giving the feedback so that the presenter understands what they can improve in the design.
For example, simply asking:
Have you thought about moving that button to the bottom of the screen?
This is just a yes or no question (and a leading question). It doesn’t convey a point of view or an opportunity to improve the design. If you really just want to know if they’ve thought about moving the button, the answer is probably yes! So what?
Asking a general question:
What if you move the button to the bottom of the screen?
This is a suggestion for a different approach, however, you haven’t conveyed why this approach improves the design. Let’s say we move the button to the bottom of the screen. So what?
If you were to say:
I feel like the button on top throws off the visual hierarchy. As a user, it might make it hard to know what I should do. What if the button was at the bottom of the screen?
Aha! This is great! You’ve specified what might be causing the design to struggle. You’ve helped identify a possible solution. These are the types of things that sometimes take multiple points of view to uncover. This is why we have Crit!
Feedback That’s Out of Scope
If you want to give feedback outside of what the presenter asked for, ask yourself how your feedback might impact the process of their work.
Notice a few small things that might be worth flagging in this meeting? Write it down. Mention it at the end of the presenter’s time allotment or mention it to them separately after the meeting.
Have concerns at the strategy level and feel the work might need to course-correct? Wait until the presenter has specified what feedback they’re looking for (presenter: be concise!). Let the presenter know you have a question that is outside of the scope and need clarity before the conversation moves forward. From here, the group should be able to discern if it merits pivoting the conversation to a different scope or if it is best to set a follow-up meeting.
What If I Don’t Know How To Give Feedback?
If you’re just getting started in your design career or you’re not a designer, it can be hard to know what details to look for in order to offer critique. If you’re feeling a little lost or unsure of how to contribute in Crit, start by asking yourself:
- Is there anything about the work being presented that is confusing to me?
- Could the work being presented be simplified? Are there any elements or screens that could be removed or taken away?
- How does the work being presented impact the way the user experiences the product as a whole?
If these questions trigger thoughts or feedback in your mind, share that out loud with the group. There’s no right or wrong answer!
Coming Up Next
Part 4 of this will dive in to the actual conversations in design critique, how to give feedback and how to receive it.
Want to be part of our product design team? We’re hiring! Reach out to learn more. carolann.merchant@bleacherreport.com
