How can you manage conflicting visual design feedback from stakeholders?

1 Clarify the goals and criteria

Before you start soliciting or receiving visual design feedback, make sure you have a clear understanding of the goals and criteria of the project. What is the purpose, audience, message, and tone of the content? What are the specific requirements and constraints of the format, platform, and brand? How will the success of the content be measured? Having a clear brief and a shared vision can help you align your design choices with the project objectives and avoid irrelevant or subjective feedback.

2 Gather feedback from the right sources

Not all feedback is equally valuable or relevant. Some stakeholders may have more authority, expertise, or insight than others. Some may have conflicting agendas or preferences. Some may not even be directly involved in the project. To manage conflicting visual design feedback, you need to identify and prioritize the feedback sources that matter most. Who are the key decision-makers, influencers, and users of the content? Who are the subject matter experts, designers, and editors who can provide constructive and professional feedback? Who are the peripheral or external stakeholders who may have some input but not much influence? By gathering feedback from the right sources, you can avoid wasting time and energy on feedback that is not helpful or necessary.

4 Respond to the feedback

Once you have organized and categorized the feedback, it's time to respond. Utilize a template or a tool like Google Slides or Figma to present your design revisions and explain how you incorporated or declined the feedback. Additionally, utilize visual aids such as screenshots, mockups, or prototypes to show the impact of the feedback on the design. For each piece of feedback, use this format to respond: Acknowledge by thanking the stakeholder for their feedback and demonstrate that you understood their point. Explain why you agreed or disagreed with their feedback and how it relates to the project's goals and criteria. Demonstrate how you implemented or ignored their feedback and how it improved or affected the design. Ask for confirmation, clarification, or additional feedback on your response. By responding in this manner, you can display respect, transparency, and professionalism while also building trust and rapport with stakeholders.

5 Resolve the conflicts

Sometimes, despite your best efforts, you may still face conflicting visual design feedback from stakeholders that cannot be easily resolved. For example, two or more stakeholders may have opposite or incompatible opinions on a design element like color scheme, font size, or image style. To resolve the conflicts and reach a consensus, you can refer to the goals and criteria of the project and ask stakeholders to justify their feedback based on the purpose, audience, message, tone, requirements, constraints, and success metrics of the content. Additionally, you can seek a third-party opinion from a neutral and credible source to provide input and help find a compromise or solution. You can also test the design with the users and use their feedback to validate or invalidate the conflicting feedback. If none of these strategies work, you may need to escalate the issue to a higher authority and explain the implications of the feedback. By using these strategies, you can resolve conflicts and move forward with the design and project.

6 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?