Handling conflicting user feedback as a UX designer involves first gathering insights from various sources. Then, identify common areas and prioritize based on their impact on the user experience and project goals. Evaluate each feedback fairly, considering factors like frequency and severity. Test step-by-step solutions based on this feedback, using both qualitative and quantitative data to shape decisions. Evolve designs continuously, involving stakeholders in the process to ensure alignment with user needs and project objectives.
Conflicting user feedback is very common in UX, especially at my company. We are an eCommerce platform who services a wide range of users with different personas, goals, behaviors, motivations and context. Making one product to please every user persona is impossible. Sometimes conflicting user feedback is because the problem and the user it will effect is not clearly defined. I rely on data to find which user is most likely to use and benefit from a feature - this user becomes my primary focus, whose needs I prioritize. This does not mean to ignore your other users, it just means there might need to be compromises in their needs for this specific task. If conflicting user feedback persists once the problem and user is explicitly defined, I will build a hypothesis off of patterns in my user research and use other research methods like surveys, competitive analysis, A/B testing, etc to further understand a solution.
When there is conflicting user feedback, it’s best to take the 80% response into consideration. As designers, it is second nature to connect human actions to human experience, behaviour and biases. This is useful in calling out why certain users might go against the grain from others. For example, we were testing our design for an app meant for nurses in India. Our target audience had a basic proficiency in English and used smartphones for simple tasks like social media and entertainment, but not banking or insurance - relatively complex processes. Knowing this, we had limited the use of icon buttons (only to edit, delete and search) and instead used text buttons wherever necessary. This tested well except for 1/4 nurses who could not identify how to edit something using the pencil icon. In this case we went ahead without changing the pencil to text saying ‘edit’ because 1. The majority were able to complete the task, 2. We know for a fact that these icons are mostly universally identified but there may be a learning curve for some users, and 3. While it is important to design for the lowest common denominator, designers must find the right balance so as to not frustrate the majority. If users are completely divided in their feedback, it’s best to test more until you can identify a pattern. In the unlikely event that you never arrive at a majority, chances are that the design is outlandish and needs going back to the drawing board. The key here is to stay humble, detach, and be open to starting over.
This is a common challenge we encounter daily. When a client first approaches us, we inquire about their requirements and design preferences. Often, they express a desire for a design based on our expertise. However, upon receiving the initial draft, they may realize it's not what they envisioned, leading to a barrage of critiques and requests for changes. Some clients diverge from their business objectives, bringing forth design preferences that may not align with their niche. Thus, our challenge lies in striking a perfect balance between accommodating the client's feedback while adhering to user needs, business objectives, and design principles. Ultimately, our aim is to meet both the business objectives and the requirements of the target audience.
As a CEO of Startup House, I always encourage our UX designers to approach conflicting user feedback with an open mind and a willingness to dig deeper. One way to handle this is by conducting user testing sessions to gather more insights and validate design decisions. For example, we once received conflicting feedback on a new feature for a mobile app - some users loved it, while others found it confusing. By organizing additional user testing sessions, we were able to identify the root cause of the confusion and make necessary adjustments to improve the overall user experience. Remember, conflicting feedback is an opportunity for growth and learning in the design process!
I usually collect feedback from users individually. I ask open ended questions and post answers in a spread sheet. I follow the patterns I hear and summarize at the end of a row. I always make sure I understand the “why” behind their answers if they’re vague, I gently ask for more explanation by saying “let’s unpack that a bit. Explain that more.” I am trying to get them to answer objectively and not subjectively.