How to give feedback on a design
The quality of a finished site depends a good deal on the comments made along the way. Knowing how to give design feedback is a skill, and it is one a client can pick up in a few minutes.
What am I being asked to judge?
Whether the design does its job, not whether you would hang it on your wall. Before you react, recall who the site is for and what they should do on it. Then look at the page through the eyes of that person. A design can be to your taste and still hide the price list, or be plainer than you expected and work very well for your customers.
How do I phrase a comment?
Describe the problem, not the cure. "Make the logo bigger" is a cure; "I am worried people will not notice whose site this is" is the problem. The second gives the designer room to solve it properly, perhaps in a way neither of you had thought of. When you do have a specific fix in mind, say it, but add the reason, so the reason is what gets solved.
How specific should I be?
As specific as you can. "It does not feel right" cannot be acted on. "The top section feels crowded" can. Point to the exact place, say what you expected to see and what you saw instead. If you have seen something elsewhere that does it the way you imagine, send a link and say which part of it you mean, since a whole site is rarely the point.
Who else should have a say?
Decide this before the design arrives. Opinions from several relatives and colleagues, each sent separately, will contradict one another and leave the designer guessing whom to follow. Gather the views yourself, settle the disagreements on your side, and send one list in one message. The people whose opinion counts most are the ones the site is meant for, so ask a real customer if you can.
What about the things I like?
Say them. Positive comments are not politeness; they are instructions. Telling the designer which parts are right protects those parts while other things change, and shows the direction to follow elsewhere. A list made only of faults often leads to a revision that fixes them and accidentally loses what was working.
When is it time to approve?
When the pages say what they should, in the right order, to the right person, and nothing important still bothers you. Not when every possible alternative has been tried. Small preferences can go on for ever, and each round delays the launch. Read everything once more on a phone, check names, numbers and contact details, and then approve clearly, in writing, so the build can start.
How I handle it
I send the design as a Figma link, and you send your comments by email or WhatsApp, page by page. I reply within 24 hours. I will ask for the reason behind a request when it is not obvious, because I would rather solve the cause than move things around. The build starts only after you approve. Tell me about your project, and you will see how the first round goes.
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