🙊 3 Tips To Teach Your Client to Give Feedback · The Bunker #03

Let’s get started!

As a designer, you have surely found yourself in situations where you have received feedback that has not been of much use. Well, it is quite normal to find yourself in this type of situation, because there is a secret that not many people talk about:

And it is, you have to learn how to ask for feedback and you have to know how to give it correctly. And indeed this is something that takes practice.

Have your colleagues ever said to you: "Be careful of what you say, you might hurt people's sensibilities"? Or, "Learn to synthesize when you ask/mention something?

Well, If you have found yourself in these situations, it means that the other person is trying to teach you how to ask the right questions to get the answer you expect. (Chill, isn’t still easy, takes time…).

As designers, many times we do a project and when we ask for feedback, really the only response we expect is "I understand your typographic treatment here, but it doesn't really make sense because we are working in this specific style and I feel that this other style has been conveyed", when the reality sometimes is “better use this font, I don’t know, you are the designer, just make it look cool. That’s what I’m paying you for” (Toxic-client alert tho ;).

When asking for feedback, there are several things to consider:

• Ask about the negative things or things they did not like so much.
• Also ask about the positive things they did like. It is important not to focus only on the negative and ask about the things they really liked, so that you don't lose sight of the fact that everything can be improved, but the work you have done is good so far (you are better than what you really think you are).

When I ask for feedback on my work methodology, I usually ask:

• Tell me one thing (or several) that I should stop doing.
• Tell me one thing (or several) that I should start doing and that I should keep doing.

When I ask for feedback on my project:

• Tell me one thing (or several) that you didn't like or that you think I could have done better. Would you have done something different?
• Tell me one thing (or several) that you really liked about the project.

But for that you have to know how to ask correctly. You have to learn how to ask.

There are several ways to get the answer you expect:

✱ · 01: Understand that they are pointing at something because the other things are great. Think that the person giving you feedback is focusing on something very little that they saw that could be so much better because everything else is good!

Understand that they are pointing at something because the other things are great.

✱ · 02: Ask specific questions. This is probably one of the biggest mistakes we make when asking for feedback. You need to be specific, otherwise, they’ll go too open sometimes.

• Do you like my design? What you don’t quite specifically like about that design?
• What do you think? Is the spacing correct? Should I increase it slightly bit?

✱ · 03: Limit the options. Psychologically there is an issue: the more options you have, the harder it is to decide and the less concrete you are. Logical, isn't it? That's why I recommend my clients to limit the options. When I a logo proposal, I make 2 or 3, instead of 5 or 6.

When they ask you “what is your favorite car” is way harder than if they ask you “do you prefer an Audi A3 or A4?". Right?

Do you like it? What do you think about this style, or better this one?

Do you like the colors? How do you like it the most, red or blue?

✱ · 04: Don’t take it personally! The first thing you should start applying now is that you are not your work. It is the result of your creative process, which is constantly improving and evolving.

Think also that they are taking their time for your benefit, so there is no point in being offended if they mention something negative.

Their time for your benefit, so there is no point in being offended if they mention something negative.

✱ · 05: Ask them what they actually don’t like. At the end of the day, we want our projects to be as good as possible. Don't blame others if they give you negative feedback.

You shouldn't be interested in bragging to others, you should be interested in making your project the best it can be.

Asking questions is the only way to grow. Be open to hear what you don't like to hear. Filter it, make it your own and see the positive in it.

Well, that’s it for today. I hope you find today’s post insightful.

Cheers, Jordi Espinosa.