Approach people with empathy
Feedback is a gift. The way we overcome blindness is by being willing to accept feedback from others. — Simon Sinek
Have you ever stumbled upon the name Simon Sinek?
After watching lots of his videos, I think this guy is a genius and a powerhouse of inspiration.
I’ve been in the tech industry for over a decade, wearing all sorts of hats — developer, UX designer, and most recently, researcher.
So, I know feedback can make or break our projects. While Simon doesn’t specifically target UX design because he focuses on leadership and organizational culture, I want to show you how one of his most famous concepts, the Golden Circle, can also be applied to design feedback.
Golden Circle is a method which focuses on the ‘Why,’ ‘How,’ and ‘What’ of doing anything.
As Simon puts it, ‘Golden Circle helps us understand why we do what we do.’
Let’s dive into an example!
Imagine a product manager reviewing a new onboarding flow designed by a UX designer. Instead of jumping right into the specifics, the product manager starts with the ‘Why’:
‘Hey, great work on the onboarding flow. I see that it’s visually engaging. However, our primary goal this quarter is to reduce user churn rates. I’m concerned that the current design, although visually appealing, might be a bit complex for new users and could contribute to higher churn.’
After establishing the ‘Why,’ the product manager can move on to the ‘How’:
‘To align with our goal, how about we simplify the steps and make the call-to-actions more prominent? This could make the onboarding process more user-friendly and potentially reduce churn.’
Finally, the product manager can conclude with the ‘What’:
‘Could we try reducing the number of steps from five to three and make the ‘Next’ button more noticeable?’
Firstly, the designer should appreciate the context provided by the ‘Why.’
Understanding that the feedback aims to reduce user churn rates can help the designer see the bigger picture and how their work fits into it.
Next, the designer should focus on the ‘How.’
The product manager suggested simplifying the steps and making the CTAs more prominent. The designer can think about implementing these changes effectively, perhaps even coming up with a few options to discuss further.
Finally, the designer can move on to the ‘What,’ which is the actionable part of the feedback.
This could involve sketching a new design with fewer steps and a more noticeable ‘Next’ button, ready to be reviewed in the next feedback session.
By structuring the feedback and its reception in this way, the product manager and the designer are more likely to have a constructive and effective conversation.
The designer understands the context of the importance of the feedback, and the product manager’s suggestions are more likely to be implemented in a way that aligns with the project’s goals.
So there you have it!
A Simon Sinek-inspired approach to giving and receiving design feedback that’s effective and rooted in understanding the bigger picture. Because when designers understand the ‘Why,’ they are more likely to be motivated to act on the ‘How’ and ‘What,’ too.
+1 TIP: Empathy is crucial when giving feedback. Being empathetic allows you to frame your feedback in a constructive rather than destructive way, encouraging improvement rather than causing defensiveness & conflict.