As an experienced B2B web design agency, we know what it takes to design and build quality websites that convert. We also know that not everyone is comfortable in the design space or knows where to start when giving feedback on a website design.
In an effort to streamline the feedback process for you and your internal stakeholders, we’ve put together our tried and true tips and advice for getting constructive, actionable B2B web design feedback from your team.
Keep Your Eye on the Big Picture
One tip we always share with our clients is to keep in mind the “big picture.” A new website design often has so many elements that it doesn’t take long to get lost in the weeds.
It’s important to note and share with your team that content and images can often be swapped out or changed at any time. Rather than spend too much time critiquing a particular image or visual, step back and look at the overall layout and functionality of the web page or digital asset. While your feedback on images is often very helpful, it doesn’t need to be highly detailed, especially when it’s a first draft of a design. What is important though is to ensure all the sections of a page or website are present and are in a layout you think works well for end users.
Also, it’s important to make sure the main elements on a page or website function as you expect or desire them to function. It can take longer to change the functionality of a particular element on a page – like a pop-up or button or scrolling feature- than it will be to find and drop in a new visual.
Read more: Planning tips for a B2B web design project.
Check the Overall Flow
Often, web designers craft a page or website with a particular flow in mind. The flow is a larger contributor to the overall user experience (UX) than how a sentence is worded or the color of a button. It’s crucial to consider the overall flow since that has more impact than whether a button is light green or dark green.
We advise our web design clients to look at the overall flow of the page. Think about things like:
- Do the order of the sections make sense to a website visitor?
- Is the visitor moved through the page seamlessly or is something stopping them?
- Is there anything that is highly distracting that takes away from the UX?
Often, if you tell your internal team to evaluate the overall flow of a webpage, they will keep their feedback strategic and high level.
Read more: Is your web design effective?
Keep Feedback Constructive
At our B2B web design agency, we prefer the term “feedback” rather than “criticism.” While it may seem like semantics, feedback engenders the idea that we are working in tandem to build a successful website design. On the other hand, criticism has a negative connotation and makes the entire process sound less collaborative and more order-taking.
When providing feedback, we advise clients to be specific. If you don’t like something, give details as to why it doesn’t work and provide a suggestion on how to make it more to your liking. For example, “I hate this” doesn’t tell a designer that the visual looks too cartoony or enigmatic. But if you say, “We prefer illustrations rather than stock photography in offices” and provide a link to a few examples – the B2B web designer knows how to update the design to ensure the next version is more in line with your vision.
Read more: How to prep for a web design project.
Fonts and Copy Make a Difference
There is a reason that brand guidelines often have entire sections dedicated to fonts – including their weight, color, usage, applications, etc. Experienced designers (this does not include your nephew learning Adobe in 6th grade), know how to leverage and apply fonts and design treatments so the end result is seamless and cohesive with the brand and layout.
We do advise our clients to keep the fonts in mind as changing a font can change the layout of the whole page. For many website visitors, the font family used in a website design is not something they notice right away. However, if you see a website page with 4 dissimilar fonts being used, you WILL definitely notice and it’s not because you like it.
The same applies to copy. Often, in our website design projects, we tackle design/layout separately from copywriting. It can be helpful to see the two in one piece, but for many, it’s too distracting to focus on one or the other. Also, the design is often impacted by the tone of the copy and vice versa. Scrapping a bunch of copy or scrapping a bunch of the design will impact the other.
Work with B2B Web Design Experts
Professional web design experts don’t take feedback personally, especially when it’s provided in constructive, specific terms. If you or your team is new to B2B web design or looking to streamline the website design process – we suggest working with a team of experts. The experts will have a ton of experience working on projects just like you and will be able to help you through the process.
