Why do Designers in the "Wild" Wait to Seek Feedback until Later in their Design Process?

Abstract

Receiving feedback on open-ended creative work is quintessential for success. Receiving early-stage feedback often leads to higher quality results by increasing iteration. However, when designers in the "wild" seek feedback, the majority do so towards a later stage in their design process. Moreover, online communities geared towards sharing in-progress work often fail. This paper explores why designers wait to ask for feedback until later in their design process. We guided 21 designers through two peer feedback exchanges (early- and late-stage) and used pre- and post-surveys to capture expectations and reflections, respectively. Participants viewed both stages being similarly valuable, but opt for late-stage feedback because the design space is larger and less defined, which makes the "script" for early-stage feedback less clear in practice, leading participants to avoid it. Furthermore, participants had misunderstandings regarding idea selection and the prototype fidelity necessary to elicit effective feedback. We conclude with design implications for feedback system builders.