PLEASE, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, STOP CROWDSOURCING YOUR DESIGN.If you’re not familiar,
crowdsourcing is the process of obtaining services, ideas or feedback by soliciting large groups of people, particularly online communities. And before you think I've gone off on some crazy-person rant, I'm not here to say that all crowdsourcing is bad. However, in order for it to be done well and provide you with valuable feedback you can actually use, it needs to be done right. More importantly, it needs to be specific. You've probably seen it before, perhaps you've even done it yourself. You're in a Facebook group and someone posts 3 options of their new logo with a short caption that says, "Just got the logo concepts back from my designer, which one do you like better, Option 1 or 2?"
Or someone posts a couple concepts for their new ebook cover asking which title you prefer. Or someone posts variations of their sales page and wants to know which color looks better. Or, or, or. How about no. Just no. Crowdsourcing in this way is akin to saying you're hiring but you have no job description and you're not really sure what you want your employee to do. You are not being specific, and without specificity, you could end up with a complete wack-a-doodle who is not a good fit for the job or your team. The same goes
for your business. Asking which logo concept, which book title or which layout background color, without any additional information on what your business is, does, or who it's for and how it helps them, is ineffective.
This scenario typically plays out with anywhere from 10-30 people responding with answers like, "#1", or
"I like them all but I really love the pink one". Again, no. What you've essentially done here is asked a bunch of strangers for their personal preferences and tastes. So what if Mary Marketer loves the pink option of your logo. Is Mary your ideal customer or even part of your target audience? Does Mary know anything about your audience or what you provide for them? Without some specificity, the fact that Mary Marketer loves pink doesn’t
mean shit for your business unless Mary Marketer is buying what you’re selling. If you want valuable insight from crowdsourcing, you need to be specific in what you're asking for. Give people some background information and some details on exactly what you need. Rather than say,
"Which option do you like?", instead try something like,
"I'm a personal financial coach for young adults and newly married couples—people making their first large purchases, like a house or car. Which option do you think conveys the ideas of trust, stability and wealth more clearly? I want something that is energetic, approachable and youthful but represents the trust and confidence my clients need to have in me when making such an important decision. I'm leaning toward option 1 with the green accents as green is the color of money, but I may be too close to it and would love the opinion of anyone who may be in this customer group." See the difference? Specific. Even if
you’re product is a new brand of diaper (that is obviously for people with diaper-wearing-age kids), you still need some context. Who purchases the diapers—moms or dads? What’s the price point of the diapers—what income bracket of parents are you marketing to? How do these people exercise their purchasing power—is it based on price, quality, material, time saving promises or something else? These are all important factors that need to be considered when designing for your brand. They should also be considered when evaluating the design. I'm not a fan of throwing people under the bus or putting them on display for public ridicule so visual examples have been omitted. But I will give you an example to illustrate. Carrie and Susan both make diapers. Carrie’s diapers are made of washable, eco-friendly cotton. The cotton and all packaging materials are American-made and each diaper features a hand-stitched emblem. Since Carrie’s diapers are washable, they require extra time and energy to use. They also carry a rather hefty price tag (not to mention a high tolerance for poop). Susan’s diapers on the other hand, are made of a mixture of synthetic materials, sourced from factories overseas, which are staffed by low-wage workers. They are disposable, but not compostable or biodegradable and thus, not eco-friendly like Carrie’s. Because Susan’s diapers are
single use throwaway style, the time involved to use them is lower than Carrie’s diapers. As is the price tag. This example does not say that Carrie’s diapers are better than Susan’s, or vice versa. It simply illustrates that even if think your broad customer base is the same (parents of diaper-wearing-age kids), they are not.
Each of Carrie and Susan's respective customers has unique qualities and decision-making values that need to be considered. Do you think Carrie and Susan share the same ideal customer or target market? How do they differ and what sort of qualities do each of them have that Carrie and Susan should consider? Do you think Carrie and Susan, with their vastly different products, could successfully have the same brand identity? Envision how their logos might differ from one another and what they might look like. The same principle applies if you are on the other end of things. If you are in a group and you witness
someone soliciting feedback this way, unless you know you are their target market, it doesn’t help to simply provide your personal tastes. The same goes when it happens on a smaller scale. When someone asks you your opinion about their design, ask them who their people are and what they value. Ask for some insight on how they came to this point and what specifically, they’re looking for feedback on. Get specific. Then, and only then, should you weigh in.
|
