How to ask for better feedback
Do you like it is the worst question you can ask. Here is what to ask instead, and when to ask it.
Mara Ellison
Editor
Vague questions get vague answers, and then you are stuck arguing about taste.
The fix is to tell people what stage the work is at, and what decision you actually need help with. Early on, ask whether the structure makes sense and explicitly say the visuals are unfinished. Later, ask whether the emphasis lands, whether the first thing they noticed was the thing you wanted them to notice.
Ask what is confusing rather than what is wrong. Confusion is something people can report accurately. Wrongness invites them to redesign it for you.
And when the feedback comes, resist explaining. Every explanation you give in the room is one the real audience will never hear.
