The web design process has gone completely digital. Spurred by the pandemic and building on a long-term trend, remote clients, stakeholders, and team members now rely on the Internet to perform design revisions. Bridging this communication gulf is a web design feedback tool. Built to gather feedback, reach all parties, and speed up the revision stage, they’re a critical tool in the web design team’s arsenal.

But how do they work? Why should web design companies turn to feedback tools? And what features can you expect?

What is a Web Design Feedback Tool?

Let’s be clear: a web design feedback tool is a specialized software or platform developed to facilitate communication and feedback between all relevant stakeholders. Because by 2025, an estimated 32.6 million Americans will work remotely, design firms face a significant challenge. 

As a visual industry, they’ve historically relied wholly on in-person meetings. Design teams would collaborate on projects, pointing out errors and suggesting alterations. Meanwhile, clients and third-party stakeholders either had to attend first-person meetings or else receive the design via post.

New web-based feedback tools eliminate these problems. Yet they also get around several novel problems that emerged immediately following the jump to remote work. Namely, unorganized design processes, lackluster communication, confusing email chains, and inability to annotate work properly. 

Key Features of a Web Design Feedback Tool

Not all web design feedback tools are the same. Nonetheless, most attempt to solve some key problems, such as communication, annotation and commenting, real-time collaboration, streamlining the design process, and version control.

Some common features include:

1. Enhanced Communication: These tools include features like messaging and commenting systems to make communication between team members, clients, and stakeholders more straightforward and effective.
2. Annotation and Commenting: Users can directly mark and comment on specific parts of the design, making pinpointing and understanding particular feedback or suggested changes easier.
3. Real-Time Collaboration: The ability to collaborate in real-time is a common feature, allowing team members to work together seamlessly, even from different locations.
4. Streamlined Design Process: These tools aim to simplify the design process, making it more efficient from the initial concept to the final design.
5. Version Control: This important feature allows tracking of all changes made to the design, offering the ability to compare different versions and revert changes if necessary.
6. Task Management: Many of these tools also include task management features, helping to assign tasks, set deadlines, and track the progress of the design project.

Benefits of Using a Web Design Feedback Tool

Web design feedback tools aren’t just optional; they’re compulsory. At least if you value streamlined processes and excellent client-vendor communication. Relying on long email chains, PDF attachments, and other fudges simply won’t cut it anymore.

Here are some primary benefits you can expect:

Efficient Communication

According to Forbes’s The State of Workplace Communication in 2023, nearly half of workers report their productivity is affected by ineffective communication. Sound eerily familiar? Another 42% get stressed trying to form responses that convey the right tone of voice.

That’s the fundamental problem with email.

Digital design feedback tools don’t have this problem. Using annotations and comments, clients, designers, and other stakeholders can provide clear, concise, and relevant feedback right on the web design in question. No spending hours filtering email chains. No deliberating over what to put. Just straight-to-the-point digital communication. 

Maintain Design Consistency 

One of the critical advantages of using a web design feedback tool is the ability to maintain consistency across the design. With all feedback, suggestions, and revisions centralized in one place, ensuring that the design remains coherent and aligns with the initial vision and client requirements becomes easier.

There’s also no confusion regarding version control. Too often, designers receive feedback on one version sent via email only to start revisions on another version. Soon enough, the revision stage becomes a confusing mess. Relying on a centralized platform maintains brand and design consistency, ensuring a final cohesive web presence. 

Meet Project Deadlines

The speed of the review process is only as quick as the slowest person to provide feedback. They’re your limiting factor. Web design feedback tools allow teams to set up automated reminders and allocate tasks within the system.

That’s not just helpful internally. Some clients are notorious for their sloppy and glacial approach to feedback. Weeks (even months) go by without seeing any significant progress. With a centralized platform, they can see if they’re holding up the process, what they need to do, and how the project is progressing. 

Enhance Client Satisfaction

Build on the last point: integrating the client into the design and revision process helps ensure greater satisfaction come the final delivery. Previously, limitations in communication – reliant on either email or post – meant that client participation was minimal at best. When they received the final design, sometimes it was a bit of a shock.

Online feedback tools guarantee the client is happy on delivery day. They can suggest edits, discuss the design internally, and thoroughly review it prior to signing off. 

Trust Ashore as Your Premier Web Design Feedback Tool

In a world where nearly a third of the U.S. workforce will soon be working remotely, the digital transformation of the web design process isn’t just a trend—it’s an imperative. Web design feedback tools have emerged as the linchpin for success in this new landscape, addressing challenges from communication breakdowns to inefficient revision processes.

With Ashore, you’re not just adopting another tool; you’re embracing a solution that is at the forefront of this digital revolution. Designed by professionals who understand the nuances of web design, Ashore offers an array of features – from real-time collaboration to streamlined task management – all geared towards enhancing the efficiency and consistency of your design process.

Embrace the future of web design. Say goodbye to the days of endless email chains, version confusion, and client dissatisfaction. With Ashore, step into a world of clear, concise communication, efficient workflows, and enhanced client satisfaction. Ready to see the difference? Sign up for a free Ashore account today, and experience firsthand how the right tool can transform your design process and client relationships for the better.