Good quality feedback is a key ingredient in any successful project, but it's surprising how many people fall in to bad habits. Here are a few of the fiendish traits of poor feedback that could be hindering, rather than helping your project.
Telepathy is not our strong point. Try evaluating the design against your brief and identify some specific points for improvement.
Don’t try and please lots of different points of view. Feedback should be consolidated and always focus on the needs of your customers and end users.
We get it, you like the creative stuff. But trust us; you hired us for a reason.
Make sure everyone is on the same page before presenting feedback. If things are left open to interpretation, you can easily go down the wrong route.
Take your ego out of the equation and feed back according to the criteria of the project brief and the needs of your customers.
Feedback should be clear and implementable. If you’re struggling to articulate your vision then try putting mood boards together.
Let’s not turn this design in to Frankenstein’s Monster! Too many different styles can result in the end product becoming muddled and the brand message diluted by confusion. Work with your designers to identify a clear creative direction.
If you can’t provide some rationale for your feedback, then try taking a step back and re-evaluating. It will save time and avoid unnecessary conflict.
Vagueness is the enemy of progress. Get things clear in your own minds before briefing the design team. This will save a lot of time and expense spent on concepts and amendments.
So don’t be a feedback fiend. Keep it clear, concise and consolidated and you’ll find you achieve your objectives much quicker, as well as improving the quality of the end result. Healthy relationships rely on good communication and you’ll get much more out of your creative team if you can give them clear, rational feedback that stays true to the original brief.
