2019
The Art of
Giving Feedback
Here are 5 commandments for someone who wants to give design feedback but does not know how to.
“Can you shift it slightly to the left?”
“The visual hierarchy is $*@t!”
“Mmmhh.. I’m not feeling it...”
“Mmmm… Hmmmm… it’s just not working!”
If there is anyone who thoroughly understands the law of equal and opposite reaction, it's a designer. Truly. Unfortunately, we experience it when we’re expecting it the least.
Feedback is probably the most valuable and vulnerable point of the design process. Feedback helps us navigate the ground, to recognize the shortcomings that could go amiss. It’s here to introduce us to the neighboring cornerstones: Humility and Empathy. How to accept feedback and criticism depends on the kind of person you are and the situation that you are in. But that’s a longer discussion we can save for another time. What is relevant to know is how to give feedback. Beware because it can be overwhelming at times.
Over cycles of learning and unlearning, “feedback” has developed a rather intimate relationship with a designer. We get introduced to it in our formative years and it goes on to become one of the most influential and crucial phases of any design process. And rightly so! The road to good design is a two-way street. For any design to function better, we need someone other than ourselves to test it.
“Learn to separate yourselves from your creations.”
To accept this fact is like walking upslope over tough terrain that is constantly changing and having no clue how to feel about it because we did not sign up for this in the first place. Well… we did sign up for it. We just didn’t know it would feel so crappy at the time.
Now, feedback comes dressed in many forms: critique, applause, assessment, professional opinion, sometimes even a nasty snub. It’s a huge task to process the given information, filter it, and finally channelize it into your work to materialize some visible difference. When in doubt, remember: feedback is nothing but a well-articulated reaction.
Well, most times.
Okay. Maybe sometimes… If you’re lucky.
Usually, we think our opinions and immediate responses should be considered feedback but let’s take a hard look at why that’s untrue. Whether you’re a designer, or aspiring to be a designer, client, or manager here are 5 commandments of giving design feedback.
1. Observation is key
When any subject matter is presented, it is best to keep your eyes and ears open. Try to listen carefully to the presenter. Observe with keen interest, with almost a child-like curiosity. This is not only important to help you understand the work presented but also to fill any knowledge gaps that you might have. It’s a prerequisite if you’re going to request changes. It would be funny if the project brief was about fixing the climate crisis and your feedback is “That’s all fine but will it sell better if we decorate it with purple beads?” As a client, your feedback should harmonize with the purpose you approached your designer in the first place. It’s natural for any creative individual to get carried away with the process. Feedback is here to keep the client AND designer in check. It shouldn’t throw them off like those purple beads. Your observation will only help you discern if the initial goal is met or has completely disappeared. If you’re always in a hurry to get in your word, remember that you must listen first with the intent to understand rather than the sake of responding.
2. Questions are your friends too
Imagine yourself in a scenario where you have no clue how the work is related to a particular need or brief. You will find yourself thinking “If I say something, is that offensive?” or “My opinion is unwelcome anyway!” The usual reaction is to go with the flow. Except you have spent a significant amount of your time being puzzled and now, your colleague thinks that purple beads are going to have a breakthrough!
Questions contribute to strengthening the probe. They are a way of identifying if there are any gaps in the probe itself. Your observations will help you frame genuine questions. They are an excellent tool to educate yourself too! As a designer, asking the right questions will help you gain insights into your client’s thoughts and vice versa. However, questions need not turn into interrogations. To play the Devil’s advocate is one way of addressing shortcomings and providing multiple viewpoints. But there is a thin line between that role and constantly finding faults. Ask relevant questions instead of raising hypothetical unrelated concerns. Remember that feedback is not about winning an argument.
3. Lethargy and Bias create bullies
This brings us to the next point. Your feedback is as good as you are. Giving feedback does not mean demoralizing someone if you are a designer or a client. It is easy but lazy to dismiss something with a simple “NO” or a “REDO” without saying anything further. If you are a potential client/manager reading this article, and ever thought:
“If Miranda Priestly can do it, so can I”
STOP RIGHT THERE! Miranda Priestly created a toxic work environment that caused mental trauma for her subordinates and you shouldn’t aspire for that! EVER! Explaining why something does not appeal to you in an appropriate way is hard work. If you articulate your feedback well, a designer gets an accurate direction, reduces their frivolous iterations, and in turn reduces your costly designer hours! Effective feedback ensures a smooth design process. It also draws attention to your own aesthetic and artistic inclination, as a client in need, or a professional.
Sidenote to designers+clients: If you come from a place of social and economical privilege, you must know that your worldview is shaped very differently from the majority of people. If the subject matter presented is new to you, you might have an inherent bias that you must try to dissociate with, to objectively understand. Be conscious of your privilege and adjust your perception accordingly while responding. You will be surprised at how many doors of “the unknown” you would open. Skip to Commandment 5, to explore this!
4. False applause creates bad designers
Although being kind and thoughtful is a step in the right direction, do not mistake it for false praise. If you have ever done that, you’re responsible for putting out bad design in the world.
Design is beyond ornamentation. For it to remain functional, we must hold design accountable. Don Norman’s book on “Design of Everyday Things” explains this very explicitly. Just flattery can be an obstacle on the path to good design. This is especially important to learn in the developmental years of design education. Bogus courtesy can create a rather unhealthy environment where peers feel pressured to say niceties to maintain the status quo. This can prove very problematic and create designers who are absorbed in their feedback loop of appreciation. Design is a dynamic field because designers are ready to break older casts and build new ones. Will that be possible if future designers are incapable to accommodate different viewpoints? Remember that it’s better, to be honest with kindness rather than filled with hollow politeness. Appreciate the positive points but also bring out the shortcomings.
5. Create Frameworks if words are not your friends
Design frameworks are like the sticky notes of your brain—tidy, colorful containers for the chaos of creativity. When ideas are swirling and feedback feels like a whirlwind of “I like it but something’s off,” a good framework steps in like a calm, organized friend who says, “Let’s sort this out.” With boxes, axes, or layers, it gives shape to intuition and turns scattered thoughts into smart decisions.
Need to separate what’s working from what’s wobbling? Boom—2x2 matrix. Trying to balance effort vs. impact? Hello, priority grid. Frameworks don’t replace creativity; they amplify it. They help you see the patterns, spot the gaps, and guide your team toward the why behind the wow.
One of the true powers of a design framework is that it brings objectivity into a world often ruled by subjectivity. It pulls feedback out of the realm of personal taste and anchors it in shared goals, user needs, and design principles. Suddenly, it’s not just about “what I like,” but about “what works.”
Even better? Frameworks create a shared playground where designers, developers, marketers, and even the most spreadsheet-loving stakeholders can participate in the creative conversation. They turn abstract design feedback into accessible, visual dialogue that anyone can contribute to—no design degree required.
So next time you're stuck in a loop of “I don't know how to explain it, but…”, draw a box, name the axes, and invite the whole team in.
Why Does any of this matter?
Yes. I do have a loftier goal here. I don’t just like to ramble about ways of giving feedback!
This type of approach is not inly applicable to digital or graphic design but also to any service we are responsible for creating. We’re currently living in times where we are borrowing resources from future generations. We have to be more conscious of what we’re putting out for the world. As a design community, we are now empowered more than ever. Geographical barriers are obstacles of the past. We have the tools, resources, and brains to affect change across the globe. We must recognize our role in the chain of supply and amend our ways.
“Did I question the need for elaborate packaging?”
“Did I blindly approve printing on that expensive ‘gorge’ paper just because I needed that color?”
“Did I really praise one more useless plastic lifestyle accessory?”
Whether you’re a design professional, student, or client– simply creating “stuff” is no more a decision that can be made mindlessly. Good design takes time and effort and most importantly feedback! Without it, we would soon be swimming in an ocean of “stuff” because someone didn’t ask the right questions… or changed a path-breaking idea for a flimsy trend! Giving feedback is as daunting a task as receiving it. But we rarely think so. As a pivotal part of the design process, it has the power of turning a prototype into a functional final product. Conversely, it can turn a functional masterpiece into a vain object. If we want to create impactful design, we need to preserve the ways to advocate for it and uphold them too.