Remote & The Importance of Quality Feedback
In many projects as a Product Designer, my team and I have been working remotely from the very beginning. We are a geographically dispersed group, with different time zones, but we still maintain work efficiency thanks to our systematic communication and feedback.
Over time, we realized that appropriate feedback not only enhances product quality but also helps each member develop personal skills. However, if managed poorly, a design review can become a nightmare, demotivating the team and even causing conflict - “the work is not tiring, but the psychological pressure when working together is what’s tiring…”
According to research from Harvard Business Review:
Negative feedback often backfires, making employees feel insecure and avoid the person giving the critique.
Employees tend to seek positive feedback from others to balance their emotions and feel better about themselves.
"Negative feedback triggers a 'fight or flight' response in the brain, reducing creativity and problem-solving ability by 27%."
I have always believed that a design review and feedback session should be an inspiring place, not a place of fear. If your team doesn’t feel excited to receive feedback, it’s time for a change!
5 Strategies for Effective Feedback in UX/UI Design
1. Focus on One Point at a Time
Previously: "This button is wrong, the spacing is not right, the color doesn’t match the brand, the user flow is broken, don’t you understand the business and stakeholder requirements? ..."
More effective: "Let’s focus on the purpose of creating the product/feature first, then move on to the user flow. I see there are a few things in the confirmation flow that could be optimized. Can we discuss this issue first?"
The human brain can only process one issue effectively at a time. Focusing on one aspect helps designers avoid overwhelm and can improve each point thoroughly.
Imagine in weekly meetings, the atmosphere is filled only with criticism and unconstructive remarks from stakeholders and managers. Not only do you feel hurt, but you may also fail to remember many valuable feedback points. For these reasons, instead of listing a multitude of problems, focus solely on one aspect and discuss it thoroughly. This allows you or the designer to explain the design fully and gives everyone a chance to listen, reflect, and provide more valuable feedback.
2. Target the Design, Not the Designer
When giving feedback to a designer, talk about their work, not their personality. Otherwise, they may feel you are attacking them personally. For instance:
❌ "You don’t know how to arrange spacing or what?!"
✅ "I think this spacing could be improved to increase readability and information hierarchy. What do you think?" This not only avoids a defensive reaction but can also prevent irreparable damage to your social relationship. Feedback should be focused on the product, not the individual.
Separating the product from the person who created it helps make discussions more objective, avoiding defensiveness and keeping the focus on solutions.
3. Provide Concrete Examples
According to Lexi Croswell, she emphasizes the importance of providing specific feedback to your teammates. This feedback can be praise or guidance, helping teammates learn and improve. When you accompany feedback with specific solutions, you not only point out problems but also create a pathway towards improvement. To do this, you need to ask yourself the following questions:
What behaviors do I appreciate?
This helps you identify positive behaviors that your teammates are exhibiting and need to be praised.
What behaviors do I want to see more of?
Identifying the behaviors you want your teammates to perform more frequently to improve performance.
Why?
Understanding the reasons why you want to see more of those behaviors. This helps you provide meaningful feedback relevant to the organization’s goals.
4. Choose the Right Moment
According to HR expert Susan M. Heathfield, feedback should be given immediately after the event so employees can easily relate to their actions. Whether it is praise or criticism, you should provide feedback as soon as possible after the incident. This way, employees will easily understand what they did right/what needs improvement and why.
5. Maintain Regular Feedback
Keeping team members engaged and connected should start from sincere feedback. Instead of only providing remarks when there’s an issue, make giving feedback a regular habit (weekly or every sprint). According to Google's Project Aristotle, "psychological safety" is the most critical factor for team performance. You can discuss how to work during periodic meetings while also providing specific comments on designs during the working process. Multidirectional feedback creates a culture of openness and continuous learning.
This approach helps the team continually improve quality, while each member feels their value is recognized. A clearly oriented team will bond and grow with the company for the long term.
A Feedback Technique to Avoid
"Sandwich Feedback" – Praise-Critique-Praise
This method was once popular but is now outdated. Employees often overlook praise and focus solely on the negative part.
Claire Lew (CEO of Know Your Team) shares:
"Many people use 'praise' as a sugary coating over criticism to feel more comfortable. But this makes feedback lose its sincerity."
Instead, be honest but respectful.
Effective Communication When Working Remotely
1. Avoid Boring Text
Text only conveys 7% of information through words, while the remaining 93% is through non-verbal elements such as gestures, body posture (55%), and tone of voice (38%). When working remotely, emojis, GIFs, and videos help convey emotions more effectively.
2. Direct but Tactful
Be straightforward about issues but offer solutions.
For example: "This color is hard to read on display. How about we try #4D4D4D?"
3. Clear & Full Context
Don’t assume everyone understands your point. Explain in detail to avoid misunderstanding.
4. Be Aware of Cultural Differences
A phrase can have different meanings depending on the culture. Read "The Culture Map" (Erin Meyer) to understand better.
Create a "Style Guide Feedback"
Develop a brief document on how your team gives feedback, including:
Preferred language to use
Tools for feedback
Process from receiving feedback to implementation
Conclusion
Feedback in UX/UI and Product Design not only helps improve the product but also builds a positive team culture. Apply the 5 strategies above to turn each review session into a learning opportunity, not a haunting.
"The harshest feedback can sometimes be the most valuable one."
— Shawn Lan, Design Lead at Zoom
Are you ready to change the way you give feedback?
Remote & The Importance of Quality Feedback
In many projects as a Product Designer, my team and I have been working remotely from the very beginning. We are a geographically dispersed group, with different time zones, but we still maintain work efficiency thanks to our systematic communication and feedback.
Over time, we realized that appropriate feedback not only enhances product quality but also helps each member develop personal skills. However, if managed poorly, a design review can become a nightmare, demotivating the team and even causing conflict - “the work is not tiring, but the psychological pressure when working together is what’s tiring…”
According to research from Harvard Business Review:
Negative feedback often backfires, making employees feel insecure and avoid the person giving the critique.
Employees tend to seek positive feedback from others to balance their emotions and feel better about themselves.
"Negative feedback triggers a 'fight or flight' response in the brain, reducing creativity and problem-solving ability by 27%."
I have always believed that a design review and feedback session should be an inspiring place, not a place of fear. If your team doesn’t feel excited to receive feedback, it’s time for a change!
5 Strategies for Effective Feedback in UX/UI Design
1. Focus on One Point at a Time
Previously: "This button is wrong, the spacing is not right, the color doesn’t match the brand, the user flow is broken, don’t you understand the business and stakeholder requirements? ..."
More effective: "Let’s focus on the purpose of creating the product/feature first, then move on to the user flow. I see there are a few things in the confirmation flow that could be optimized. Can we discuss this issue first?"
The human brain can only process one issue effectively at a time. Focusing on one aspect helps designers avoid overwhelm and can improve each point thoroughly.
Imagine in weekly meetings, the atmosphere is filled only with criticism and unconstructive remarks from stakeholders and managers. Not only do you feel hurt, but you may also fail to remember many valuable feedback points. For these reasons, instead of listing a multitude of problems, focus solely on one aspect and discuss it thoroughly. This allows you or the designer to explain the design fully and gives everyone a chance to listen, reflect, and provide more valuable feedback.
2. Target the Design, Not the Designer
When giving feedback to a designer, talk about their work, not their personality. Otherwise, they may feel you are attacking them personally. For instance:
❌ "You don’t know how to arrange spacing or what?!"
✅ "I think this spacing could be improved to increase readability and information hierarchy. What do you think?" This not only avoids a defensive reaction but can also prevent irreparable damage to your social relationship. Feedback should be focused on the product, not the individual.
Separating the product from the person who created it helps make discussions more objective, avoiding defensiveness and keeping the focus on solutions.
3. Provide Concrete Examples
According to Lexi Croswell, she emphasizes the importance of providing specific feedback to your teammates. This feedback can be praise or guidance, helping teammates learn and improve. When you accompany feedback with specific solutions, you not only point out problems but also create a pathway towards improvement. To do this, you need to ask yourself the following questions:
What behaviors do I appreciate?
This helps you identify positive behaviors that your teammates are exhibiting and need to be praised.
What behaviors do I want to see more of?
Identifying the behaviors you want your teammates to perform more frequently to improve performance.
Why?
Understanding the reasons why you want to see more of those behaviors. This helps you provide meaningful feedback relevant to the organization’s goals.
4. Choose the Right Moment
According to HR expert Susan M. Heathfield, feedback should be given immediately after the event so employees can easily relate to their actions. Whether it is praise or criticism, you should provide feedback as soon as possible after the incident. This way, employees will easily understand what they did right/what needs improvement and why.
5. Maintain Regular Feedback
Keeping team members engaged and connected should start from sincere feedback. Instead of only providing remarks when there’s an issue, make giving feedback a regular habit (weekly or every sprint). According to Google's Project Aristotle, "psychological safety" is the most critical factor for team performance. You can discuss how to work during periodic meetings while also providing specific comments on designs during the working process. Multidirectional feedback creates a culture of openness and continuous learning.
This approach helps the team continually improve quality, while each member feels their value is recognized. A clearly oriented team will bond and grow with the company for the long term.
A Feedback Technique to Avoid
"Sandwich Feedback" – Praise-Critique-Praise
This method was once popular but is now outdated. Employees often overlook praise and focus solely on the negative part.
Claire Lew (CEO of Know Your Team) shares:
"Many people use 'praise' as a sugary coating over criticism to feel more comfortable. But this makes feedback lose its sincerity."
Instead, be honest but respectful.
Effective Communication When Working Remotely
1. Avoid Boring Text
Text only conveys 7% of information through words, while the remaining 93% is through non-verbal elements such as gestures, body posture (55%), and tone of voice (38%). When working remotely, emojis, GIFs, and videos help convey emotions more effectively.
2. Direct but Tactful
Be straightforward about issues but offer solutions.
For example: "This color is hard to read on display. How about we try #4D4D4D?"
3. Clear & Full Context
Don’t assume everyone understands your point. Explain in detail to avoid misunderstanding.
4. Be Aware of Cultural Differences
A phrase can have different meanings depending on the culture. Read "The Culture Map" (Erin Meyer) to understand better.
Create a "Style Guide Feedback"
Develop a brief document on how your team gives feedback, including:
Preferred language to use
Tools for feedback
Process from receiving feedback to implementation
Conclusion
Feedback in UX/UI and Product Design not only helps improve the product but also builds a positive team culture. Apply the 5 strategies above to turn each review session into a learning opportunity, not a haunting.
"The harshest feedback can sometimes be the most valuable one."
— Shawn Lan, Design Lead at Zoom
Are you ready to change the way you give feedback?
Hello 👋 With a passion for digital product design, focusing on user research, optimizing experiences, and building effective interfaces. Here, I share knowledge from real projects, my ideas, and stories in the field of UX/UI - Product Design 📚 I hope these articles will provide practical insights and support you in your work and product development journey ✨✨✨
Toan Nguyen
Product Designer
Product Designer
