How do you manage negative feedback from users during user research?

I often say "I didn't design these screens" to break down their bias of them not wanting to hurt my feelings. It's also critical to remember that what users say and do are very different. So take attitudinal research with a "pinch of salt" and always balance with behavioural insight.

Regardless of feedback received, I always express gratitude and thank them for sharing their experience. If the issue is something I know can be solved, I set a realistic expectation that they can be assured our team will work on improvements.

During such moments I iterate that I’m only a mediator and would love to convey all the user feedback to the respective teams. What worked well is when I actively empathized with them and showed more curiosity to dive into the root cause of the issue. This helps the user focus on the problem objectively.

I always tell participants that our time together is a “no judgement zone” and that honest product feedback won’t hurt my feelings.

Sometimes you just have to go with the process and deal with the situation. Every user is different and has a different point of view toward the product you are building. Few have positive feedback and few negative. To deal with negative feedback you can- 1. Stick to improvement attitude. There is a window open for improvements. 2. Ready to take things in criticing way. Build things and stay positive around it. 3. Never get upset with negative feedback, try to work on that and make better results. 4. Stay consistent and don't stop. Sometimes let go things

If you are recording your research session, it’s often great to share a clip of the feedback with your stakeholders, so that they can hear it straight from the user.

Negative feedback is a gift! If you plan to get only positive feedback, you are probably not innovating enough, not taking risks, and probably not managing your company's real new product risk. There is so much generic junk ux out there. Original genuine innovation delights, surprises...and sometime...fails. So plan enough research early, so you havd time to get negative feedback and improve.

Prioritize and try to quantify the negative feedback. Not all negative feedback carries the same weight. Prioritize issues based on their impact on the overall user experience and business goals. Address critical issues first, then move on to others.

Take it seriously Bring that back to key stakeholders Arrange a brainstorming session N lead it back to convert back to positive

When dealing with negative feedback, remember that action and communication are key. Here's some advice: 1. Embrace Feedback: Use negative feedback as a tool for improvement rather than seeing it as a setback (this is not about you, it is about their pain points) 2. Implement Changes: Act on the feedback to make necessary adjustments in your design or approach. 3. Explain Your Decisions: Communicate the changes made and the reasoning behind them to build transparency and trust. 4. Encourage Further Input: Invite users to reevaluate the updated design and provide additional feedback for continuous improvement. 5. Demonstrate Responsiveness: Illustrate your commitment to addressing concerns and valuing user input.

??? Embrace Feedback: View negative feedback as a valuable resource, not a setback. It's an opportunity to refine your skills and cultivate a culture of improvement and curiosity. ?? Collaborate for Growth: Seek diverse perspectives from colleagues, mentors, and users. Inclusivity enriches your work and builds a supportive community. ?? Make Insights Actionable: Turn criticism into actionable points, guiding your improvements. Share your journey transparently to inspire fellow UX professionals. Remember, growth is a journey, and embracing feedback is a powerful step toward professional excellence. ??

A. Negative Feedback is not something to be "managed" or "coped with". It should be "always welcome" because they pave the road to growth & innovation. Users should always be encouraged to come up with open & honest feedback, even if it's negative and difficult to do face-to-face (nobody wants to come across as "that person"). B. Tell users that you are taking down their concerns and will share it with the wider team so that they know their attempts to redress their pain points is not in vain. C. Share negative user feedback with the wider team and determine how much of those are non-negotiable needs that are not being met, how much could be fixed now, and what is part of long term goals. That's how your roadmaps will meet OKRs

I always go into research sessions hoping to find what's wrong. Framing it in that way helps me take the insight in a positive light. I'm doing exactly what is needed for the research to work, and I'm finding out new stuff to help my product get even better. If you work in a team, it's even better - you're there together sharing the burden of that new information and can immediately start working toward an improvement.

Concerns or criticisms about the product or the design is one of the main things you do want to discover! If you plan to get only positive feedback, you might want to reconsider because you're only looking for validation.

With 25 years of experience in the field, I can say that negative feedback is what you actually want. 3 people saying the same thing means there is a theme. Pivot and grow through the changes needed.

What type of negative feedback is the concern here? Negative feedback about the company? About the product? About the design? Or something directed at you personally, the user researcher? Concerns or criticisms about the product or the design is gold! That's what you are there to gather. Negativity directed at you personally is potentially a safety issue. Make sure people dealing with participants know that it's okay (and under what circumstances) to end a session.

Get details on when, how, where and what triggers pain points. Understand how they’re experienced. Frame these as design challenges to make them actionable.

One thing I always find helpful is to bring back the negative feedback to the team, product management as well as the engineers to help them learn the user perspective and to discuss sine issues together. It also makes it less lonely for you as a designer to sit with the negative feedback on your own and instead brainstorm with the whole team what can be done about it!

Although negative feedback is always something that's difficult to deliver to stakeholders, ultimately it still signposts where problems might lie. Your users can always simply stop using the product altogether, so having negative feedback, for me, is a key to success. It is easier to make strategic decisions before users churn knowing what needs to be adapted, instead of waiting until when your users could potentially turn into detractors.

Definitely never take negative feedback personally. Make sure you encourage the user to elaborate on the details of the negative experience. Also make sure you collect and understand all relevant details attached to the experience. Communicate that this is the right place to give feedback, because the goal of user research is to inform the business about user needs and goals. Feel free to educate users, but never overwhelm them. Avoid making major changes to the user research plan to avoid inconsistent data, however it is always recommended to slightly adjust your communication based on the learning of each session.