What do you do if your iterative design process isn't benefiting from feedback?

1 Identify the source of feedback

The first step to deal with feedback issues is to understand where they are coming from. Are you getting feedback from the right people, such as your target users, stakeholders, or experts? Are you asking the right questions, such as how they use your product, what problems they encounter, or what benefits they expect? Are you using the right methods, such as interviews, surveys, or usability tests? If you answer no to any of these questions, you may need to revisit your feedback strategy and align it with your design goals and criteria.

2 Analyze the feedback data

The second step to deal with feedback issues is to analyze the data you have collected and look for patterns, insights, and opportunities. Are you getting consistent or conflicting feedback from different sources? Are you getting feedback that is specific or vague, positive or negative, constructive or destructive? Are you getting feedback that is relevant or irrelevant, actionable or abstract, objective or subjective? To answer these questions, you may need to use tools such as affinity diagrams, feedback matrices, or feedback summaries to organize and synthesize your feedback data.

3 Evaluate the feedback value

The third step to deal with feedback issues is to evaluate the value of each feedback and decide how to act on it. Are you getting feedback that is valid or invalid, reliable or unreliable, useful or useless? Are you getting feedback that is aligned or misaligned with your design goals and criteria? Are you getting feedback that is feasible or infeasible, desirable or undesirable, viable or inviable? To answer these questions, you may need to use frameworks such as the Kano model, the RICE score, or the MoSCoW method to prioritize and categorize your feedback.

4 Communicate the feedback results

The fourth step to deal with feedback issues is to communicate the results of your feedback analysis and evaluation to your team, your stakeholders, and your users. Are you showing them how you have used their feedback to improve your design? Are you explaining them why you have accepted or rejected their feedback? Are you thanking them for their time and input? Are you inviting them to give more feedback in the next iteration? To answer these questions, you may need to use formats such as reports, presentations, or prototypes to share and showcase your feedback results.

5 Iterate the design process

The fifth step to deal with feedback issues is to iterate your design process and incorporate the feedback that you have valued and communicated. Are you making changes to your design based on the feedback that you have prioritized and categorized? Are you testing your design again with the same or different feedback sources? Are you measuring your design performance against the same or different feedback criteria? To answer these questions, you may need to use methods such as prototyping, testing, or measuring to refine and validate your design.

6 Learn from the feedback experience

The sixth and final step to deal with feedback issues is to learn from your feedback experience and improve your feedback skills and practices. Are you reflecting on what worked and what didn't work in your feedback process? Are you identifying what you have learned and what you still need to learn from your feedback? Are you applying what you have learned to your current or future design projects? To answer these questions, you may need to use techniques such as retrospectives, journals, or portfolios to document and demonstrate your feedback learning.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?