Often design feedback has me feeling like Hiccup in How to Train Your Dragon.

Users take a look at a website and say, “I don’t like… (pointing their finger in circles around the design) thaaaat…”

The weakness of many user surveys is that they can reveal how people feel about a certain design, put they can’t unveil why. Often users themselves don’t know what exactly they don’t like, it just “doesn’t feel right”.

The kind of feedback I’ve most enjoyed recently has come from sitting with users, watching them engage with the design and listening to their questions and needs.

Part of the skill of a good designer is their ability to ask the right questions, observe users carefully, and intuit where a design is failing to connect with users. A good designer can act as part-psychologist, part-investigator and empathize with a user’s needs and desires.

Because a design won’t be adopted and enjoyed until it feels right.