Giving great design feedback
Design sparring, where designers present and discuss their work with various members of their product team for feedback, is an integral part of design at Atlassian. Giving design feedback in a way that is supportive and constructive, however, is no easy task. Most people, including designers, aren’t very good at it; at least not at first. Fortunately, with the right techniques and enough practice, giving great design feedback is a skill that anyone can develop.
Before looking at any specific strategies or techniques for giving better design feedback, let’s first remind ourselves that the point of giving feedback in the first place is, of course, to progress and improve the design. A good sparring session is not a bloodbath, but at the same time it’s not a group hug. It’s a chance to give the designer on your team more information and to ask them questions so they can make better choices after the critique.
When giving design feedback, it’s also super important to have a little empathy. Significant time and effort has been spent on the design or idea that the group is sparring on. Don’t be fooled into believing that, after 5–10 minutes of considering a problem, you have a better solution than someone who has been considering the same problem for days or even weeks.
With that out of the way, let’s look at 5 strategies and techniques for giving the best possible design feedback:
1. Understand the goals of the design
Before giving feedback or discussing a potential solution, ensure you understand the goals of what is being presented, as well as the specific problems that the designer intended to solve. An experienced designer will make this clear from the get go; otherwise, it should be the very first question you ask. Make sure the design goals are clear, understood and visible. Writing the 4 or 5 things that a designer has set out to accomplish up on a whiteboard or wall for a sparring session can do wonders to keep the conversation on track.
2. Be sure you know what’s in play
At Atlassian, it’s the designer’s responsibility to prepare the team for an upcoming sparring session by providing a run sheet that sets the context in advance. This includes the specific screens that we’ll be sparring, alongside any information that will help set the context for the group — who are we designing for, what stage of design are we at and what specifically we want feedback on.
Before sparring over a design or flow, put yourself in the best position to provide value by understanding what’s in play. Are we talking about aesthetics? Visual design? A specific behaviour or interaction? Very often a designer will tell the group that they’re still exploring different directions and not looking for any feedback on the UI yet. It’s up to you as a sparring partner to respect that. Believe me, it’s not easy!
3. Dig deeper with clarifying questions
When being presented a new design or solution, the tendency is quickly form and express an opinion. Jumping to conclusions without first gathering all the facts and information is dangerous business though. Perfect the art of the “clarifying question” which actually tackles several problems at once. It’s simple: Instead of saying “I don’t like that green button”, ask the designer “Why did you choose to make that button green?”.
The beauty of this feedback style is that it is non-directive and won’t cause a designer to go on the defensive. Instead, you’ve prompted them to tell you more. You’ll accomplish your goals of starting a conversation about the colour of the button, while at the same time gaining more context and information about the design at large.
4. Say more with less
One of the greatest qualities of an experienced sparring partner is their ability to listen. This is especially true if you happen to be one of the more senior team members in the room whose opinions have the potential to influence others. Giving less senior team members the opportunity to provide feedback first allows them to express their opinions without worrying about disagreeing with something that’s already been said.
Choose your spots. Allow the obvious feedback to surface naturally and save your breath for the most important points. Giving other people the floor is also a great way to expand your understanding of the design giving more context and depth to your feedback.
5. Don’t make it personal
When designing products or experiences we spend a good deal of time developing a sense of who we’re designing for. More often than not, the target audience is not the designer, and it’s not you. It’s important to separate our own preferences, likes and dislikes from what is actually good or bad.
You might hate raisins (I hate raisins), but that doesn’t make oatmeal raisin cookies bad. Or maybe you can’t stand country music. While you’re entitled to your own taste in music, millions of country albums are sold every year — you’re simply not the target audience.
The same is true for design. Your preferences for colour, style, interaction patterns or behaviours might be very different from the audience that the design is trying to reach. Acknowledge that you and your preferences don’t represent the end-user for this product, get to know the end-user by asking the designer to introduce you to the personas for the design and remove subjectivity from your toolbox by replacing “I like” or “I don’t like” with more meaningful clarifying questions.
Wrapping it up
Giving great design feedback is an art, but with enough practice and experience, it’s something that anyone can learn to do well. Let’s review the five techniques outlined in this post:
- Understand the goals of the design
- Be sure to know what’s in play
- Dig deeper with clarifying questions
- Say more with less
- Don’t make it personal
If you’re a designer reading this post, remember that it’s up to you to own the critique and to prepare your team in advance of sparring. Take responsibility for the type of feedback you want to receive by equipping your team with the techniques and strategies outlined above.
Further reading
- Sparring at Atlassian
- How to give feedback on design
- Giving better design feedback
- How to give constructive design feedback over email
- Feedback without frustration (video)
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