How to deal with feedback from multiple stakeholders
As you start working with more and more stakeholders, there is a natural tendency to try to accommodate every bit of feedback received.
This is something we refer to as “Design by committee”.
It’s also a surefire way to build subpar experiences by combining multiple irrelevant ideas into a single solution, rather than thinking deeply about the problem being solved and what the right solution is.
Here is what the situation usually looks like:
– Stakeholder A: “This competitor app is doing it that way.”
– Stakeholder B: “I showed this to my partner, and they didn’t like it.”
– Stakeholder C: “Let’s rethink this as it won’t be clear to users.”
Some of the feedback above is valid, whereas other pieces are purely opinion-based, with no particular evidence or logical argument.
It’s your role as a designer to cut through the noise, eliminate pure opinion, debate where needed, and ultimately arrive at a solution that addresses the original problem, both for the business and the user.
I have a simple decision tree I’ve used throughout my career as a thought process when dealing with feedback from multiple stakeholders.
It boils down to four questions:
🟢 Is it clear and specific?
↳ If not, clarify it.
🟢 Is it supported by evidence or logic?
↳ If not, debate it.
🟢 Will it help us meet the objective?
↳ If not, kindly disregard.
🟢 Is it feasible?
↳ If not, save it as a fast-follow or future idea.
If all the checks above are met, it’s worth actioning the feedback. It still doesn’t mean you have to act on every single suggestion, but it does mean you can quickly narrow down to a much smaller pool of items to consider.
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If you found this useful, consider reposting ♻️
What else have you found helpful in dealing with feedback from multiple stakeholders? Let me know in the comments 👇
PS: I’m working on a larger content piece on managing and working with stakeholders, dropping in the next few weeks. Find the link to the newsletter in the first comment.
