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There’s a moment almost every founder hits at some point in the design process. You’re looking at a screen, something feels off, and the only words that come out are the classic: “Can we make it pop?”
Totally normal. You’re not a designer. You’re building a product in an industry where trust carries extra weight. You’re thinking about privacy, sensitive data, user activation, funding conversations, your roadmap, and probably your next grocery order. Design feedback isn’t always the first language founders learn.
But here’s the tricky part. When feedback is vague or only based on instinct, it slows the entire process down. It leads to unnecessary revisions, fuzzy timelines, and screens that don’t actually solve the problems your users are facing. And when you’re building something for women’s health, family well-being, or wellness, clarity isn’t optional. It directly impacts whether people feel safe, supported, and confident using your product.
The good news is that helpful design feedback isn’t about being artistic or knowing the “right” words. It’s about giving your designer the context they need to make strong decisions. Once you know how to communicate that way, everything becomes smoother. Your designer can do their best work. You get faster, clearer iterations. And your product moves forward instead of sideways.
If you’re a founder stepping into product design for the first time, this is your guide to giving feedback that actually gets you the outcome you want.
A lot of founders think of design as the final layer. The polish. The part that makes everything look finished. But UX/UI isn’t decoration. It’s problem-solving that just happens to take a visual form.
When feedback focuses only on how something looks, the strategy behind the screen gets lost. A comment like “Make the button bigger” sounds simple, but it hides the real issue. Is the button too small, or are users unsure what the next step is? Are they hesitating because of privacy concerns? Is the hierarchy unclear? Are they distracted because the screen is too busy?
Good design decisions always start with the real problem. Bigger doesn’t help if the issue is trust, clarity, or flow. The moment you shift your feedback from “what it looks like” to “what it’s trying to solve,” your product immediately becomes stronger.
When feedback doesn’t connect to a specific problem, everything slows down.
Designers end up guessing what you meant. You get revisions that don’t quite hit the mark. The team goes in circles trying things that were never the real issue to begin with. And before you know it, features slip, deadlines wobble, and what should’ve been one clean revision becomes a long thread of tiny tweaks that drain time and energy.
This isn’t just a creative problem. It becomes a business problem. Extra rounds increase costs. Launch dates shift. Confidence dips on both sides of the partnership. And somewhere in the middle, the user gets forgotten because everyone is busy reacting instead of solving.
Clear feedback keeps momentum. Vague feedback quietly takes it away.
Most founders assume designers need direction. In reality, what we need is context.
We, designers, take care of the UX decisions, the strategy, and the problem-solving. That is our lane. But strong design decisions depend on understanding the world your product lives in. We need to know the business problem a screen is meant to address. We need insight into your users and the patterns you are seeing. We need to understand where people get stuck, what they worry about, and what motivates them to take action.
You know your customers and your business better than anyone. We know how to transform that information into an experience that feels clear, intuitive, and supportive. When both sides bring what they know best, the design process becomes smoother and more effective.
What helps us most is clarity on what success looks like. Is this screen meant to increase signups? Build trust? Reduce friction after onboarding? Shift behavior? Once we understand the goal, we can suggest solutions that do more than look good. We can propose the ones that genuinely move your users forward.
And the best work happens when you give us space to do what we do best. When you focus on sharing context instead of prescribing visual changes, you open the door to stronger ideas and more thoughtful solutions. That is the real value of working with a UX/UI designer who is thinking beyond the pixels. That is when design becomes a collaboration instead of a back-and-forth of tiny tweaks.
Giving good design feedback is not about learning design terms or guessing what your users might want. It is about pausing before reacting and getting clear on the problem the design is meant to solve. This is one reason I like to record a walkthrough video for my clients before we meet. It gives you a chance to hear my thinking, understand the decisions behind each screen, and sit with the information before sharing your thoughts.
When founders approach feedback this way, the entire process becomes easier for everyone. You get stronger screens, fewer revisions, and a product that is shaped with intention instead of instinct.
Here is a simple way to approach feedback that supports your designer without losing your voice in the process.
Before dropping comments into Figma or sending a long Slack message, pause and run through these questions. They keep the conversation focused on the real goal instead of surface-level reactions.
Founders often discover that once they answer these questions, the feedback becomes far more focused. Instead of reacting to a color or a layout choice, you start thinking about what your users actually need in that moment.
This is my favourite approach because it works for any founder, any screen, and any stage of the design. It also keeps both sides in their lane. You bring the context. We bring the UX thinking.
Step 1: Describe What You Are Seeing
Start by pointing out the exact element or moment that caught your attention. This helps us understand what you are reacting to and where your eye went first. It turns a general feeling into something specific we can work with.
Example:
"I am having trouble spotting the privacy policy link at the bottom of the screen."
Not: "Something feels off here."
In other words, give us the anchor. Tell us what you are looking at. Even simple, natural language is incredibly helpful when it points to a specific element instead of a broad feeling.
The goal is to be specific, not perfect.
Step 2: Explain the Problem or Concern
Now connect what you noticed to the business or user problem it creates. This is the part designers cannot guess on their own. You know your users, your model, and your market better than anyone.
Example:
"Our target users are very privacy conscious and often hesitate during signup. I am worried this might affect their confidence."
Not: "I just do not like it there."
This gives us the information we need to make a thoughtful design decision that aligns with your goals.
Step 3: Ask Questions Instead of Dictating Solutions
This is where the collaboration really happens. Instead of telling your designer what to do, ask what is possible. You hired someone who thinks in patterns, flows, accessibility, and psychological triggers. Let them explore solutions with you.
Example:
"How might we make our privacy commitments easier to notice during signup?"
Not: "Move the privacy policy to the top in big bold letters."
When you focus on the problem and invite your designer into the solution, you get options that are smarter than any quick fix.
Examples always make this part easier to understand. Here are a few situations I see often when designing apps in health, family life, and wellness, along with the difference between feedback that leads to clarity and feedback that sends everyone in circles.
❌ Less helpful:
"This does not feel professional enough."
✅ More helpful:
"I am worried users might hesitate to share health information without visible trust signals. What options could we explore to make people feel more confident when they land here?"
❌ Less helpful:
"I do not like this blue. Make it more exciting."
✅ More helpful:
"Our audience tends to associate bright colors with kids apps. Could we look at tones that feel calm and trustworthy instead?"
❌ Less helpful:
"Add a dashboard with graphs."
✅ More helpful:
"I am seeing dropoff after onboarding. What information do users need first to understand the value of the product?"
❌ Less helpful:
"The menu is boring."
✅ More helpful:
"Many of our users multitask with kids around. Could we explore a navigation pattern that reduces the number of taps to reach the main features?"
There are moments in the design process where it can feel unclear whether you should lean back and trust the process or lean in and raise a concern. Here is how to tell the difference.
There will be times when a design choice feels unfamiliar but is still the right move for your users. This is where trusting your designer matters. We spend our days studying patterns, accessibility, behavioral triggers, and the small decisions that shape how someone feels inside an app. If we are walking you through the reasoning and it connects back to your users and your goals, you are in good hands.
Your perspective is just as important. You know your customers, your market, and your constraints. You should speak up when:
These are areas where your insight makes the product stronger.
Disagreements are normal. They often lead to better outcomes when the conversation stays grounded in the problem you are solving.
Try language like:
"Help me understand the thinking behind this choice."
or
"My hesitation is that our users might..."
or
"Would it make sense to test this with a few people before we commit?"
Staying curious instead of defensive keeps the collaboration strong and the product moving in the right direction.
Good design is never a solo effort. The best products come from a relationship where both sides bring their strengths to the table and trust each other’s lane. Here is how to set that up from the beginning.
Design moves faster when everyone starts with the same information. Share what you know about your users, your market, and your early data. Be upfront about timelines, budget, and anything that could affect the scope. And if you have a clear definition of what success looks like for this project, make sure your designer knows it too. That shared understanding becomes the foundation of every decision.
A predictable feedback rhythm keeps projects moving. What I usually do with clients is book a quick check-in at the start of each week. We review the latest designs, answer questions, and confirm priorities for the days ahead. After that call, I have a clear scope for the week, and you know exactly what I am focusing on. If small questions come up, I send a quick Slack message. And if something needs a deeper conversation, we book an extra call. The weekly meeting stays focused and efficient, and everything else is handled as needed.
Every designer has a different workflow. Some naturally set up weekly reviews, others work toward a delivery date. If your designer does not suggest a structure, you can propose one. A simple weekly check-in keeps timelines steady, avoids surprises, and gives both sides a clear sense of progress
You will know you have a strong design partnership when the conversations feel thoughtful and the problem solving feels shared. If your designer asks questions that make you think deeper, that is a good sign. If they push back with reasoning, that shows they are protecting the user experience. And if they offer solutions you never considered, that is the value of working with someone who thinks about UX every day.
A good partnership is not about avoiding friction. It is about using that friction to create a product that truly serves your users.
Good design is not just about colors, layouts, or screens. It is about solving real problems for real people, especially in products that touch someone’s health, routines, or emotional wellbeing. When you give feedback with context instead of impulse, you turn the process into a true partnership. Your designer can think strategically, you can make decisions with more confidence, and your users get an experience that feels clear and supportive.
The shift is simple. Move from reacting to what you see to sharing what you know. It creates faster iterations, fewer revisions, and a smoother relationship on both sides. Most importantly, it leads to a product that actually works for the people you want to serve.
Before your next design review, take a moment to name the problem the screen is trying to solve. Try the three step feedback formula once. And ask your designer if there is any extra context that would help them think more deeply about the work.
Design becomes a lot easier when both sides stay in their strengths. You bring the vision and the user insight. We bring the strategy and the craft. Together, you get a product your users can trust.
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