I have been diving into the UX & UI design industry for about six years, and for the last two years, I have been enjoying my role as a design lead. In general, my role is to ensure that our projects are worked on according to the plan and able to produce high-quality design deliverables. In addition, I also have to ensure that my team members can always learn and develop both technical skills and soft skills.
If the design lead succeeds in developing the design team, it will be easier to complete the project nicely. Every project always has different challenges and needs. With continuously developed design skills, the designer will get used to facing these challenges and be able to come up with a solution quickly and precisely. If designers don’t improve, they will constantly face difficulties without understanding how to solve them. It would make the progress of the project become obstructed.
Design feedback has two purposes;
As a direction/input so that the design result would have the best quality before we deliver it to the client/stakeholder.
Educate designers so they can develop.
Providing feedback to designers should not be arbitrary. Destructive feedback can make designers feel down, demotivated, and even frustrated. In addition, it will cause junior designers to make the same mistakes through and through. It will also make the leader give the same grind feedback repeatedly.
Example of poor feedback:
Please change the color to red
After you change the color, now it has too much red. Could you reduce it, please?
Could you add an icon/illustration here?
Example of good feedback:
Please change the color to red so that the UI design will be more suitable with the branding identity built by the company.
After you change the color, now it has too much red. It potentially causes the user to feel scared because red is identic with negative and warning vibes. Could you reduce the usage of red color a little bit, please?
I understand you want to create complete and comprehensive content on this page. But your design becomes too text-heavy. Could you add more icon/illustration components here so that it looks more appealing?
From this example, we can see that explaining the reason for the feedback will drive the designer to learn the basic UI design principles, such as; the importance of color consistency, color psychology, and how to create a balance layout design. This learning process will make them not repeat the same mistakes if they face the same challenges in other projects.
I know it takes effort to explain the feedback in that much detail. But this approach is worth it. Like an investment, we can only feel the benefits in the future. The effect of this feedback approach also will be seen when the design team has developed and is working on the future project. They will understand how to do without too much direction and feedback from the leader.
Directing a designer to do something is not as easy as doing the design directly with my hands. Sometimes it is challenging to describe the feedback to them. A designer’s incomprehension of my feedback will cause unnecessary design revisions. That’s why it is critical to ensure that the designers understand the feedback before they continue to work on the task.
If the feedback through descriptive chat/comment is not clear enough, then I will ask my design team to get a quick call with me. It has benefits such as:
Verbal feedback will trigger quicker and more detailed questions and answers,
Ensuring the designer’s understanding of the feedback provided,
Reducing pressure on the designer’s side.
The feedback in writing format sometimes creates pressure feeling on junior designers. Sometimes they think that I am enraged because my feedback is pretty long. Through calls, I can explain it in a more friendly tone so that designers know I’m not irate. I provide detailed feedback not because I am displeased but because I want the designer can create a high-quality design and learn to grow.
If I feel that my feedback is complicated, I will show a clear example on the top of my feedback. Psychologically, it is usually easier for a designer to understand when seeing an image rather than reading text or listening to explanations.
Another challenge that I usually face, sometimes a project is unique. I am having difficulties collecting examples from a competitor or similar product design. For a case like this, I will create my design samples and show them to the designer directly. Talk less, show more!
Don’t be too quick to judge our designer’s work. Before giving feedback, allow them to present their design ideas. I never give feedback before listening to their thoughts. I often find their critical and creative thinking very good, but they don’t have enough chances to express it.
After providing feedback, don’t forget to allow designers to respond. I give space to the team to keep thinking critically so that I can provide objective feedback to achieve good product design results. From feedback, it should be able to trigger discussion. Feedback is not an absolute one-way order from the leader to the designer.
Fun fact: feedback is one thing designers are afraid of. Giving feedback is like judgment day for them. Most designers are introverts who always work wholeheartedly to get the job done as best they can. Inappropriate and sensitive speech can make them down and unenthusiastic. For this reason, it is imperative to give appreciation and positive expression to whatever their work is. Basic rules like saying the words “thank you” and “please” are often forgotten and pushed aside during a busy work schedule.
Sometimes, I have done all the approaches but the designer is still stuck. In this case, I can conclude that the designer needs a lot to learn, practice, and gain more experience. However, if the skills are still lacking, we cannot force them.
A design lead must be able to save the project. If the timeline is getting tighter but the design hasn’t finished, it’s time to take over. I will take over and continue the design work directly while keep explaining to the designers what should be done. This approach can save the project to keep running according to the target while providing learning for junior designers.
The article above is my method of providing feedback to the design team. I’m sure there are many more suitable approaches that I can explore. Even now, I am still learning and practicing so I can become a better design lead.
Thanks for reading! Keep learning and keep going!
Interested in partnering with me? Reach out at mrizqihanafi@gmail.com
Design Lead
UX Design
UI Design
Design Process
Product Design
Directing the UX & UI Design Strategy.My end-to-end design process as the design lead in working on the project for our clients.
Mentoring the Design Team to Grow.Mentoring and evaluating my team members’ performances to help them grow to become better designers.
“Not only is he an excellent designer, but he is also a great friend and mentor. His leadership skills are unparalleled and he always goes above and beyond to support his team members.”
“Rizqi & team is a UI/UX design genius! Their work on our project was flawless, delivering a design that not only looked amazing but also functioned beautifully.”
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