What does good design feedback look like?

Oh that’s easy!

It looks like when the designer isn’t getting it and you ask them to hand over their mouse so you show them the exact changes you want made, right?

That wouldn’t be funny if it wasn’t true.

In episode 72 of #BraveUX, I spoke with Katie Swindler, Innovation Design Strategist and Senior Manager at Allstate.

She’s also a former actor turned theatre director 🎭.

I asked Katie what she felt good design feedback looked like and she told me:

💬 “In theatre they have a saying, ‘Don’t give line readings’.”

Not a thespian myself, this was new to me, so Katie kindly explained:

💬 “Through training as a director you get told, ‘Never give a line reading’, and what that means… if you’re giving an actor a note, let’s say they’re saying a line in a way that’s not getting the point across, you don’t ever give them the line reading… where you actually say the line they’re supposed to say. You don’t do that, right!? You direct them through words to say, ‘What you’re trying to convey here is…”. So that they come to their own conclusion.”

This is such a great heuristic.

✅ Describe the outcome that you want.
❌ Don’t tell people how to get there.

And Katie shares a very good reason for not giving line readings:

💬 “If you’re giving line readings to your team, they stop thinking for themselves.”

[Insert 15 second pause for reflection]

It’s very expensive to have designers, or anyone for that matter, in your organisation who have given up on thinking for themselves.

Katie also touched on the reality that there are lots of ways a problem can be solved and that as a manager (or a peer), we don’t necessarily have the “right” solution.

To me, it sounds like not giving line readings is both an exercise in leadership and in humility, and that while it might be quicker to bully our way to a solution, it comes with a hefty hidden price tag.

So, I’m curious…

🔵 How do you get the best out of your designers?
🔵 What’s your approach to giving them feedback?
🔵 And what have you learned from your mistakes?

Watch the video for Katie’s full take and share your thoughts in the comments below 👇.

#DesignLeadership #UXDesign #ProductDesign #UX #DesignFeedback #DesignCritique

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Watch the full interview:
👉    • Brave UX: Katie Swindler - The High S...  

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Who is Katie Swindler?

Katie is an Innovation Design Strategist and Senior Manager at Allstate, the insurance company that has protected American’s from life’s uncertainties, for more than 85 years ✅.

At Allstate, Katie is responsible for the design strategy of the Innovation Department, including the hiring, development and design of the consumer research practice 🌱. She is also the bridge between her department and Allstate’s internal design, creative and consumer research teams 🔗.

Prior to joining Allstate, Katie was a User Experience Director at FCB in Chicago, where she was the UX lead for the redesign of the global Jack Daniels website 🥃, amongst many other projects.

In late 2021, Katie’s first book - Life and Death Design ❤️‍🩹 - was published by Rosenfeld Media. In the book, Katie takes a deep dive into the human stress response and how everyday designers can learn to help their users think clearly and act safely 💡.

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Find Katie here:

LinkedIn:   / katieswindler  
Twitter:   / katieswindlerux  
Website: http://www.katieswindler.com/

Books & Speaking:

📘 Life & Death Design:
https://www.lifeanddeathdesign.com/

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Hosted by Brendan Jarvis:

LinkedIn:   / brendanjarvis  
Website: https://thespaceinbetween.co.nz/
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