“I don’t like anything about these designs, are you sure you are a professional?” “Your design skills are not good enough” “I will know what I want when I see it” “Is this what I paid you for?” “I paid too much to receive such mediocre designs” “You are the reason this project did not launch!”

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These are some of the feedback I and some of my friends who are also designers have gotten at one point in our respective design careers.

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Honestly, receiving negative feedback, especially during my early days of being a designer, felt like an arrow had been shot straight to my heart. The pain felt physical and would oftentimes make me feel ill and hopeless, a thick blanket of tiredness would also cover me.

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What hurt me the most was the tone and manner with which the feedback was given especially after I had spent sleepless nights working on a project. Dramatic right? You can’t blame me, I was inexperienced.

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The good news is that I have grown and can handle feedback better (positive or negative), and today with the help of 3 industry professionals, I will be walking us through giving and receiving feedback, the difference between negative and bad feedback, how to handle it, better feedback methods you can use and how negative feedback can be beneficial.

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So, sit back, relax and enjoy. Receiving negative feedback after spending hours or days designing screens can be soul-crushing, however, I am here to tell you to Toughen up, because feedback is a very natural and crucial part of your creative process especially if you want to be a “good”, no cancel that, “GREAT” designer.

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Like Bill Gates rightly said “We all need people who will give us feedback. That’s how we improve.”

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Difference between bad and negative feedback:

There is a slight difference between negative and bad feedback. Confusion between the two could cause designers and clients to lose out on potentially useful information. Bad feedback criticizes without suggesting any solutions or practical next measures. It is usually non-constructive and vague e.g “I don’t like anything about this design” while Negative feedback is critical, but it also explains why they feel that way clearly, e.g “The checkout structure of this design is confusing, I don’t like it.”

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We all know negative feedback sucks, but here are steps to help you turn it into a pot of gold.

1. Control your emotion

That anger. That doubt. That sadness. That urge you get to immediately run to Twitter and rant about how clients are from hell should be controlled. Is it normal to feel sad or hurt? Yes, but controlling your emotion is one step to understanding what needs fixing in the design.

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According to Fast company, feedbacks typically affect us due to two factors and they are the external factor and internal factor.

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External factor have to do with where the feedback was given to you:

- Was it in person, on a zoom call with people available?

- Who is giving you the feedback?

- Is it a fellow designer, a project manager or a client who has little to no experience with design principles or how designs work?

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The internal factor has to do with you as the designer, how you receive the feedback and how valuable you regard the person giving you the feedback.

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You might not be able to control your external factors but you have full control over your internal factors and how you react to feedback such as “This design is boring, make it pop!” You can either decide to roll your eyes or do what I do, take a deep breath and count to 5.

You should be in control of your emotions, so it doesn’t ruin you and your career.

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For this article, I had a chat with a designer friend, Davio White who said earlier in his career, receiving negative feedback would make him flare up, but would later realize that the clients were somewhat right. Nowadays, he applies the principle of emotional intelligence and calmly understands why the client does not like the design and this has really helped improve his relationship with clients.

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2. Ask questions for clarification

When a client says things like “Make the design pop” or “I hate the design”, after pausing to take a deep breath and counting to 5, I proceed to ask questions such as:

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- Why do you not like the design?

- How do you feel about the colour?

- Are your expectations met? If not, why not?

- Is there anything that the design is missing?

- What do you not like about the layout structure?

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There is power in asking questions with the intent of getting clarification because it allows the client to express themselves and this will help you understand what they like or do not like about your design. Now after getting clarification from the clients, don’t be too quick to start implementing the corrections you were given.

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You are the designer and you can explain to the client why you used a particular colour and typography, why you made certain design decisions and how it can profit their business.

If the client is open-minded, they will see things from your point of view, but if they are close-minded, try implementing what was requested as a different version and do a comparison test to see which actually meets the user needs and doesn’t break usability.

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Pro tip: Don’t delete your original design, most clients end up coming back to the original design. It’s frustrating and I know that.

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3. Skip the jargon and design terminologies when communicating

My mum would always say “Communication is the manure that nourishes every relationship” and like my designer friend Elvis Obi, said “Proper communication changes things”

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This is true because it ensures that you and your client are on the same page. From the first day you start designing a project, till the final handover, try to constantly communicate with the client in a language that you both can understand, it helps you get little to no negative feedback.

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Recounting one of the negative feedback he has gotten in this career, Elvis said “Poor communication once made me lose a project, however, that experience pushed me to learn better communication skills”

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4. Bring the client onboard the “solution” train

Work with the client to determine their concerns about the design. Encourage them to take part in developing fresh approaches to the issue(s) they raised. Help them become your ally to combat negativity and criticism. You should review the design brief to make sure that everyone is on the same page.

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Positive feedback methods you can start using them.

I believe you don’t purposely want to hurt people with your words and I am certain that you are thinking of better ways to pass feedback that are not negative but still effective.

I recommend using the ever-easy “sandwich feedback” method.

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It is a method in which negative feedback is coated in praise. This indicates that the feedback conversation begins with complimentary remarks, is followed by criticism, and then ends with complimentary remarks.

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I want you to imagine making a sandwich and the first thing you have in your bread, followed by your toppings and lastly another slice of bread. That is how the sandwich method works too.

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1. First, you, express your broad appreciation for a project’s or a design’s features. You can benefit from this as well because it must be accurate. Never lie.

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2. Next thing is, You make a comment that you believe could be better. It’s not what you hate, and that is crucial. It’s what they can get better at. . This must be specific and implementable. No way could it be personal.

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3. Lastly, Finish with something more all-encompassing that you value, supporting the idea that, in your perspective, if the middle action item were completed, you may actually be making progress.

For Instance “I really appreciate the amount of work you’ve put into this project, however, I think the layout structure is confusing and I also do not like the colour palette used in the design. I appreciate your innovative ideas."

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How negative feedback can be beneficial to you as a designer.

1. It allows you to identify areas where you can improve: When someone criticizes you, prompts you to immediately take action and strive to improve. It’s a little more difficult to accept feedback from a client when they criticize your designs, but the underlying idea is still the same. Decide whether you think the criticism is accurate before concentrating on bringing about change.

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2. It might result in a better design: Your first design is not always your best idea. Finding out what customers want from your designs or services will help you quickly make important improvements and better connect yourself with your customers.

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3. It enhances client relationships. Product designer, Ridwan Awujoola says that designer-client relationships can benefit from proactive communication since it gives clients a sense of value and makes them feel heard.

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Consider the criticism seriously, look into the likely source of the problem, and then decide whether or not to take action. Listening to clients and empathizing with them can go a long way in ensuring that you still maintain a good relationship with them.

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Pew! That ladies and gentlemen bring us to the end of today’s topic. Once again, I want to remind you that you are not alone when it comes to getting negative feedback, Toughen up. I will leave you with this quote from — Frank A. Clark which says:

“Criticism, like rain, should be gentle enough to nourish a man’s growth without destroying his roots.”

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Special thanks to the designers who allowed me to pick their brains on this subject.

Elvis Obi

Davio White

Ridwan Awujoola

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