The Toughest Part of Design? It’s Not Creating, It’s Taking Critique
Picture this: You’ve been working hard on a beautiful, user-friendly interface. Every button is perfect, every color feels just right, and you’re ready to show it off to your team. You hit “present,” expecting high-fives. But instead, the feedback rolls in.
“Something’s off here.”
“I’m not sure what to click first.”
“Make it pop more.”
Ouch. Your first urge is to jump in and explain why you made those choices. You worked hard, every decision had a reason! But hold up: defending your work is the quickest way to get stuck.
Even Bill Gates once said, “We all need people who give us feedback. That’s how we improve.” If someone that successful sees feedback as a gift, why do so many designers, including me, at times feel like it’s a punch to the gut? Because, honestly, criticism can hurt. But learning to handle it well? That’s what turns a good designer into a great one.
Feedback is like the sandpaper that smooths out a rough sketch into something amazing. It’s not always fun, but it’s how we make things better. I’ve been in those tough critique sessions, and I’ve learned that feedback isn’t just noise; it’s the secret to creating designs users love.
Why Feedback Feels Like a Personal Attack (And Why It’s Not)
When someone critiques your design, it’s like a little alarm goes off in your brain. You might want to argue or just shut down. That’s totally normal, it’s how we’re wired. Your brain sees criticism as a threat, and it pushes you into one of two modes:
- Fight: You start explaining, debating, or brushing off the feedback.
- Run: You take it to heart, feel discouraged, or avoid sharing your work altogether.
Neither one gets you anywhere. Here’s the truth: feedback isn’t about you. It’s about making the work stronger. The best designers don’t just deal with feedback, they go looking for it because they know it’s how they get better.
The trick is to see feedback as information, like data from a user test. It’s not personal, it’s just part of the process.
How to Handle Feedback Like a Pro
1. Ask Smart Questions
Sometimes feedback comes in fuzzy, like “I don’t like this” or “It feels off.” Instead of getting frustrated, hit pause and ask questions to clear things up:
- “Can you tell me what part feels off to you?”
- “What’s the main thing we’re trying to fix here?”
- “Is there an example of what you’re thinking?”
These questions turn vague comments into something useful. They move the conversation from “This isn’t right” to “Here’s how we can make it awesome.”
For example, I once had a client say a homepage “felt too crowded.” Instead of guessing what they meant, I asked, “What’s the first thing you want a user to notice?” That one question helped us figure out the real issue, a buried call-to-action — and we fixed it fast. Asking questions shows you’re listening and keeps things focused on the goal.
2. Turn Feedback into Teamwork
Feedback doesn’t have to feel like a battle. Instead of seeing it as “you vs. them,” treat it like you’re all on the same team, working toward a better design. Swap this:
- 🚫 “I don’t think that’s true. My design works fine.”
For this:
- ✅ “Got it. Let’s try a couple of ideas and see what sticks.”
This changes the vibe from arguing to collaborating. Try using “we” instead of “I” like, “How can we make this clearer?” It’s a small shift that makes a big difference.
Think about how apps like Instagram roll out changes. They don’t drop a whole new design at once; they test small updates, get feedback, and keep tweaking. I’ve used that approach too. Once, a teammate didn’t like where I placed a search icon. Instead of digging in, I said, “Let’s mock up a few spots and test them.” The final version wasn’t my original idea — it was better.
3. Don’t Take It Personally
Your design isn’t you. It’s easy to feel like criticism is an attack, especially when you’ve poured so much into your work. But here’s a truth bomb: your first try is almost never your best one. Even huge hits like Spotify or Airbnb went through tons of changes before they got it right.
Think of your design like a rough draft of a story. Feedback helps you rewrite it into something amazing. I once spent days on a checkout flow, only to hear in testing that it confused people. My gut wanted to say, “But it’s so clear!” Instead, I took a breath and treated it like a puzzle to solve. The redesigned flow was smoother, and customers breezed through it. Letting go of that personal attachment made the work stronger.
4. Sort Out the Good Feedback from the Noise
Not every comment is helpful. Some feedback is just someone’s opinion, like “I don’t like green”, while other feedback points to real issues, like “Users keep missing this button.” Your job is to figure out what’s worth acting on.
Here’s a simple way to do it: ask yourself three things:
- Does this help the user?
- Does it fit our goals?
- Can we actually do it?
If the answer’s yes, run with it. If not, smile and move on. Once, a stakeholder wanted a flashy animation, but user tests showed it slowed people down. I focused on the data, kept it simple, and the design won everyone over. Sorting feedback isn’t about ignoring people; it’s about staying focused on what matters.
How to Make Feedback Part of Your Everyday Process
The best designers don’t wait for feedback to come to them, they build it into how they work. Here’s how to make it feel natural:
- 📌 Test Early, Test Often: Don’t spend weeks perfecting something before showing it. Share rough sketches or quick prototypes to catch problems early. It saves time and headaches.
- 📌 Set Up Regular Check-Ins: Grab coffee with your team or show your work-in-progress to a colleague before it’s “done.” It’s easier to tweak a half-baked idea than to overhaul a finished one.
- 📌 Roll Out Changes in Small Steps: Instead of a big, risky redesign, launch little updates and see how users react. It’s like dipping your toe in the water before diving in.
- 📌 Keep a Feedback Notebook: Jot down the best advice you get and how it helped. Over time, you’ll spot patterns that make you a sharper designer.
Wrapping Up: Great Designers Never Stop Growing
Nobody creates a perfect design all by themselves. The best work comes from tweaking, teamwork, and listening to feedback. So, next time someone critiques your design, don’t rush to defend it. Take a second and ask yourself: Is this helping me get better? How can it make the user’s life easier? What can I learn?
Here’s a challenge: In your next project, ask for feedback from three people: a teammate, a user, and someone outside your bubble. Write down one thing you learned from each. You’ll be amazed at how much it levels up your work.
The best designers aren’t the ones who fight feedback, they’re the ones who use it to shine
Want Better Designs? Master Feedback With These Simple Tricks was originally published in UX Planet on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.