There is every reason for you not to seek design feedback, as inevitably faults will be picked in your design and you may end up in tears. Even if you are you one of those designers who thinks you’re rock and roll and you’ve got an ego at point size 600…well you need to stop believing this and take a hard look in the mirror. To become a better designer there needs to be the realisation that you are never the finished article…only after this step can we begin to make strides. Now bin those shades and tuck into a portion of the humble pie.

I guess the big questions you want to know are:

• Who should you seek feedback from?
• How do you go about seeking feedback?
• When should you seek design feedback?

Well let me try and answer these.

Who should you seek feedback from?
The most obvious people you should seek feedback from your design peers and friends…essentially people whose design knowledge and input you respect. Having a network of design friends and colleagues who you can quickly receive feedback from is vital, as often you will need an opinion there and then rather than having to wait for days. Building a tight circle like this is vital as it allows you to seek an opinion from outside your walls. Unconsciously your company will have a certain way of thinking which will impact upon all of you and may blinker your thinking…so it is good practice to seek a critique from outside your establishment.

An ancient proverb from anon states the only way to get stronger is to fight a stronger opponent; the same principle can be applied to design. By engaging with designers who you rate highly or designers with more experience than yourself you can learn and improve your skills.

Seek brutal feedback
When you seek feedback from these people I would advise you to seek brutal feedback, which means looking for faults and ways too improve before commenting upon what works well. I’m not saying you have to go mental at the person you are critiquing, I’m just suggesting you need to be as critical and articulate as possible…delivering your feedback in a harsh tone probably won’t help! I can understand why Tin-Tin is shouting in the feature image; simply the professor can’t hear him. However there is no need for you to take a similar approach (unless the individual you are critiquing is hard of hearing!).

Swallow your medicine
Critiquing is such a vital part of becoming a better designer as design is as much about convincing and justifying your designs as slapping on the paint and pushing the pixel. It’s tantamount to swigging a huge bottle of purple, frothy medicine. Initially the taste is rank and it may even hurt but the bottom line is this medicine will make you stronger in the long run…swallow that pride!

Even with the things that work well, try and look at alternatives…challenge how you would do things differently next time or how elements could be improved.

As well as approaching those you trust don’t be opposed to approaching those that you don’t know as well through networks such as twitter and other design communities on the web.

Grammatical Checks - involve your team
Another good reason to seek feedback is to get a fresh pair of eyes to search for spelling mistakes and other minor errors. You can get people in your company to do this for you. I know it’s a boring job but some people actually enjoy doing this! Find out who these people are and let them get there boots dirty, some bodies got to do it.

Client Feedbackshould be fun
Now your earlobes have been giving a royal grilling its time for the fun bit (I hope!); the glowing praises of your client once your website has been completed. A couple of points you need to cover with the client are listed below:

Send a short questionnaire to your client asking them how smoothly the process went and what improvements you could’ve made (again ask them to be honest).

This is the ideal opportunity to ask for a testimonial. You can use these testimonials on your own site to give your company more credibility and also add to your personal rep.

When should you seek design feedback?
The other big question I promised to answer was “When do we to seek feedback.” Obviously you need to be well into the design process before seeking feedback, but no time is a bad time to listen to an authorative voice. In fact often even before you have begun your design it may be worth having a quick chat with a few of your entourage to help set you on the right path.

The final word
So for my final word …foster a brutal critique of your site from those you respect most. Also if you are giving feedback don’t mimic Tin-Tins approach; there are better methods of delivery

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