{"id":18489,"date":"2019-11-26T04:25:42","date_gmt":"2019-11-26T12:25:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uxpin.com\/studio\/?p=18489"},"modified":"2020-04-27T03:14:19","modified_gmt":"2020-04-27T10:14:19","slug":"a-short-story-of-design-feedback-from-douche-clients","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uxpin.com\/studio\/blog\/a-short-story-of-design-feedback-from-douche-clients\/","title":{"rendered":"A short story of design feedback from \u201cdouche\u201d clients"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

The thing about humans is that on the one hand, we\u2019ve mastered the most developed communication system that involves a lot of different verbal and visual factors, but on the other hand, there are so many of them that sometimes understanding each other seems harder than understanding cats. Nature is hilarious!<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\"A
I came here to chew bubblegum and give shitty feedback. And I\u2019m all out of gum.<\/strong>
Image source: https:\/\/flypaper.soundfly.com<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Who\u2019s responsible for this? Our conscious brain, of course. It allows us to analyze, calculate, plan, imagine and, unfortunately, overthink. And that leads to a lot of misunderstandings, especially in a workplace, and especially when it comes to giving feedback to another person. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

How to give design feedback that is actually worth something for us – designers?<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Giving design feedback (or any creative-related feedback) is extremely hard since the giver should be able to switch off your private aesthetics and stick to brand guidelines, design systems and basic design rules. Unfortunately, in most cases I worked on, it was all about looking for the balance between things that the client thinks are SEXY (worst word for describing any creative project  – feel the cringe yet?) and things that will actually serve the overall purpose.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

I wish every client knew that good design feedback should be a combination of being a stone-cold calculator and trusting your gut. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n


\u201cCriticism, like rain, should be gentle enough to nourish a man\u2019s growth without destroying his roots.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>Frank A. Clark<\/cite><\/blockquote>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Yep, I know life is harsh and clients can be too. That\u2019s why today I\u2019ll guide you through the maze of good and bad design feedback to cheer you up (we all work with douchebags from time to time), and to arm you with some rules, you could easily use when discussing any design changes with the feedback giving site.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\ud83d\ude4fGOAL is GOD<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

When trying to collect thoughts on the project to shape them into constructive feedback, it would be great if clients always kept one thing in mind, no matter what: everything you do here is to improve the final result, that will serve the business goals. The world would be much more beautiful if everyone knew that!<\/b><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\"Client<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

That\u2019s why before agreeing on any changes, make sure your client addresses how these will improve the product and get it closer to the final goal.<\/p>\r\n

If they\u2019re not able to answer if the change is really necessary, it means that you should forget about any new design moves now – otherwise you would waste a lot of everyone\u2019s time and productivity loads. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\u270aPERSON \u2260 PROJECT<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Direct all of your feedback to the design, not the person who created it. Sounds obvious, but my experience in working with non-creative clients proves different, and remember we\u2019re artists, so naturally going through an emo phase from time to time!<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\"Client<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Example:<\/p>\r\n

\u201cI\u2019m not an expert, but I feel like this design could use more bright colors. What do you think?\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/p>\r\n

versus<\/p>\r\n

\u201cEeeew, you\u2019ve made the design look so dark and muddy – there\u2019s no way we\u2019re leaving it this way\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/p>\r\n

The first feedback example is the best route to improving the design without starting to hate each other, and the other is more like a personal attack, which would probably end with an overwhelming load of negative energy between you and the designer. And who needs that, especially when you\u2019re forced to spend a lot of time together on the project, whether you like it or not?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\ud83d\udca1PROVIDE ANGLE OR GO HOME<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Don\u2019t you even dare to think about giving feedback without even a scratch of an idea for the new direction. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Some of the people working directly with designers have this strange conviction (or even projection) that it\u2019s the designer that should know everything and be perfectly able to read your thoughts. Designers are not mediums, dude!<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\"Client<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The worst thing you could do to ruin your relations with a designer is to give them feedback like \u201cI don\u2019t like it, I don\u2019t know why, but it seems not right. Can you fix it ASAP\u201d? <\/i>This kind of approach leads not only to the rise of frustration on both sides, but it could also be dangerous for the project\u2019s timeline – when something is constantly wrong and no one knows what it is, they can easily trap themselves in a never-ending wheel of redesigning. <\/p>\r\n

When there\u2019s no strong reason and a clear purpose for changing the design, there\u2019s no place for any changes. Period.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Here\u2019s the list of things every good design brief should have (feel free to use it with the clients you already know they know nothing like Jon Snow):<\/i><\/b><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n