7 tips to write more efficient edits to designers
One Thursday, a coworker of mine and I completed a very simple project: design a one-page document to help the sales team. After two quick rounds of feedback, it was shipped. The collaboration could have ended there, but my coworker DM’d me "For our next project together, how can I write better edits for you?” Music to my ears!
These suggestions do not cover “what is feedback and how to give it”. Nor will it explain how feedback is a gift and we should be receive it with positive intent and gratitude. There are plenty articles about that. This article will show how composition, syntax, and word choice can affect how quickly a designer can scan, understand, and prioritize edits. In general, the examples here are simple, straight-forward edits—not the kind of edits that require a brainstorm or deep breathing exercises.
The suggestions I make here will not work for everyone. The most important thing you can take away from this is to ask the designer what my coworker asked me and discuss what works best for your relationship.
Concise is nice… and efficient
Let’s say the designer needs to change the word “result” to “results” in some paragraph. Here are efficient and inefficient ways to request that:
Efficient: Change “result” to “results”
Well duh, right? However many edit givers might frame it as a question in the hopes to sound more polite.
Inefficient: Should we change result to results?
Or write it as a personal opinion, even though “results” is the accurate word.
Inefficient: I’m thinking we should change result to results.
Or give the designer context, without any sort of direction, in the hopes they’ll come to the same conclusion.
Inefficient: Our report will deliver more than one result.
Start edits with verbs like "Change" "Delete" "Replace" "Add".
Efficient: Delete the image of the weasel in pajamas
…is better than burying the verb in 2nd half of the sentence with a long-winded way to say the verb.
Inefficient: The weasel in pajamas doesn’t have to be there
Use format: Replace [X] with [Y]
Try using this formula for edits that require replacing this with that.
Efficient: Replace “Bruce Lee was a dancer.” with “Did you know Bruce Lee was also a cha cha dancer?”
Inefficient: We need to include “Did you know Bruce Lee was also a cha cha dancer?”. Get rid of the first sentence.
Avoid passive voice.
Efficient: Replace the heart icon with a star icon
Less efficient: The heart icon can be replaced by a star icon.
Be specific with things like punctuation and grammar. Designers aren’t trained copywriters.
Efficient: Replace the hyphen with an en-dash
Inefficient: There should be an en-dash.
If you must describe the location of an edit, try navigating with largest piece of information before getting detailed.
Imagine you need to make an edit to a detailed illustration of a cross-section of a boat.
Efficient: On the second level, in the laboratory on the right, replace the illustration of Jeff Goldblum with Angelica Houston.
…is easier to find than…
Inefficient: Angelica Houston should be in the laboratory on the second level. You can remove Jeff Goldblum.
Please, one “please” and “thank you”. Thank you.
There is a time and place for niceties. Please write them before or after the list of tactical edits, not peppered throughout.
Efficient:
Delete the cow
Replace the pig with a hen
Color the barn the client’s brand color pink, instead of red
Thank you so much! Let me know if you have any questions
Inefficient:
If it’s not too much trouble, could you please remove the cow?
Please replace the pig with a hen. Thanks.
I think the client might have asked for the barn to be their color pink. Thank you!
I recognize this might be controversial. People want to err on politeness (especially with remote working) and some designers might not like terse language. Cultural courtesies aside, can we all agree how the varied syntax makes it harder to quickly scan and understand the request?
Organize edits with some logic
Ordering edits from top to bottom might work best on a blog post or vertical infographic.
Header: Replace current title with “How Tarot Can Change Your Perspective (And Make You Insufferable to Your Friends and Family Along the Way)”
1st illustration: Rearrange the order of the cards to be (from left to right) The Fool, The Magician, The High Priestess
Footer: Add URL to sources: “Labyrinthos.co”
Organizing edits by priority could be a helpful option when the deadline is fast approaching.
Complete mobile design for landing page
Update the copy on the About Page
Change hex color of CTA button from #EBF5F1 to #C1E1D3
Don’t assume you know what is best. Ask them what is most helpful!
write for a batch, instead of re-writing for every instance
Efficient: For every pull quote the speaker information should be: Firstname Lastname, Job Title
Inefficient:
On the 2nd pull quote, switch the name with the job title
I think you forgot to put the speaker name first on the 6th pull quote
The most important takeaway
Ask the designer you work with: What is your communication style and what is the best way for me to provide feedback to you?
My communication style is direct. Some might say I have “resting Slack voice”. What I see as straight-forward, another designer might interpret as rude. I feel comfortable asking my coworker to write edits in this way because we have a relationship grounded on mutual respect and trust. That is the foundation for clear communication. Lucky me, huh?
Regardless of what your role is, my hope is that this post can help start a conversation for more efficient collaboration.
RG+B