Useful design feedback identifies specific functional problems against your agreed brief rather than prescribing isolated aesthetic fixes. It must be consolidated into a single submission per review milestone and routed through Ask Xylo for the Creative department to process.
The feedback workflow
When a milestone draft or visual proof is issued, the review phase begins. The sequence runs as follows:
1. Review against the brief: Assess the deliverable directly against the parameters established during your scoping phase and confirmed in your project agreement. 2. Collate internal stakeholder notes: Gather feedback from every decision-maker in your organisation before responding. Conflicting notes submitted from different team members will pause the revision cycle until your team resolves them. 3. Submit a unified brief: Provide one comprehensive, ordered document or message via the Ask Xylo chat on this portal. 4. Studio triage: Operations & Client Services log the submission during working hours (Monday to Thursday, 09:00-17:00 GMT) and confirm receipt. 5. Creative implementation: The Creative department assesses the requests against the milestone scope, clarifies any ambiguities within our 24-hour first reply target, and applies the revisions.
Problem-focused versus prescriptive feedback
Effective feedback defines the underlying commercial or operational problem, its context, and the desired outcome. Prescriptive feedback—instructing our designers on which exact buttons to move or hex codes to change—often breaks typographic hierarchy, accessibility standards, or underlying system architecture maintained by our Technology department.
* Problem-focused (effective): "The primary call to action does not stand out enough against the background section on mobile displays, which makes the conversion path unclear." * Prescriptive (counterproductive): "Make the button red and increase the font size by 10 pixels." * Objective (effective): "Our audience is primarily senior legal professionals; the current tone of the icon set feels too informal for this market segment." * Subjective (counterproductive): "I personally do not like this style of illustration; please try three completely different options."
When you describe the practical issue rather than specifying the execution, the Creative department can test solutions that resolve the problem without compromising the wider visual identity.
Timings and production impact
Revision rounds are factored directly into project production schedules. Studio hours are Monday to Thursday, 09:00-17:00 GMT. Any notes submitted outside of these hours will be logged at 09:00 GMT on the next working day.
Timely feedback protects your delivery date. If a feedback round is delayed by more than five working days without prior written agreement, production halts and the project queue slot is released. Resuming work will depend on studio capacity at the time the notes are eventually supplied.
Deposits are non-refundable once your production slot is held. Before work begins, sums not yet earned are refunded pro rata; after work begins, completed work and booked time are charged. Defects are fixed free of charge within the acceptance window. The full terms are on the Refund Policy page of the main site. Delayed feedback, internal client disagreement, or abandoning a milestone do not qualify for refunds or project credits. Any exceptions remain entirely at the studio's sole discretion.
Failure cases to avoid
* Fragmented submissions: Sending feedback across multiple chat messages, comments, or days creates contradictory tasks and rapidly burns through your allocated revision rounds. * Unresolved internal debates: The studio executes decisions; we do not arbitrate internal client disagreements. If two partners want different creative directions, resolve the direction before handing over the feedback. * Scope creep disguised as revisions: Revisions refine work already agreed upon in the brief. Requesting new layouts, alternative colour systems after sign-off, or additional deliverables constitutes new work. New requirements require an amended brief and a bespoke quote, which is issued within 48 hours of receiving the specification.
Pre-submission checklist
Before submitting your notes through Ask Xylo, ensure you have completed the following:
* [ ] All internal stakeholders have reviewed the work and agreed on the submitted notes. * [ ] Feedback is consolidated into a single, structured list arranged by page, screen, or deliverable. [ ] Every comment explains why* something does not work, referencing user needs or the project brief. * [ ] No contradictory requests remain within the document. * [ ] Any new copy, photographic assets, or required references are attached in full.