Using Dribbble and Forrst for feedback on a client project
A couple of weeks ago I created a quickie logo for Andy Warburton’s mobile stock photography service Stockyoo. Andy was really keen on the idea of using Forrst and Dribbble for posting the progress of the project to get the opinions of potential users of a stock photography service and do some early promo for Stockyoo itself.
Dribbble and Forrst
Dribbble and Forrst are part of a new wave of sites aimed at (mostly web) designers and developers. Dribbble allows its users to post 300 x 400px teaser snapshots of their work. Forrst has wider options of posting any image, URL, piece of code or question. Both encourage feedback from other users in the form of comments. Dribbble also encourages ‘rebounds’ where users can rework an existing snapshot and repost it.
I’ve been a member on Dribbble since January and on Forrst since the beginning of August, and I was happy to post my work in progress. I’m not too much of an ego to have my work critiqued, and I thought it’d be a fun experiment.
The Process
I didn’t post every tiny iteration of the Stockyoo logo online as I thought it’d drive people mad. I had twelve images in total (all posted to Forrst) which covered four or five major iterations of the design. As soon as I felt ready to send something to Andy for feedback, that was when I felt ready to post the images online.
My first Stockyoo post on Dribbble
I posted as much identical information as I could to both Dribbble and Forrst. Generally, I could include a larger, more detailed image on Forrst as there’s no size limitation. I also posted more frequently to Forrst as it has no limit on posts, whereas Dribbble limits the amount of posts over a month (usually around twenty if you use them all.)
The Stats
Forrst
Posts –; 12
Views –; 80*
Likes –; 34
Comments –; 13
** I get the feeling this stat might be wrong, as on some posts I have more likes than views.*
Dribbble
Posts –; 7
Views –; 842
Likes –; 14
Comments –; 16
As you can see, the Dribbblers seemed more likely to give their opinion, but much less likely to ‘like’ the post!
How Dribbble and Forrst feedback helped
Overall, there was a lot of approval and a positive reaction to my design. This was great as it made me feel as though I was heading in the right direction, and let Andy know that potential users of the site were keen on the logo.
More positive feedback from Dribbble
Improving the lens
My first detailed lens design
One aspect I had trouble with initially was the design of the lens. I hadn’t done anything quite like it before so needed some help with getting it right. Luckily, the lovely people on Forrst and Dribbble were willing to give me a hand!
Lens design feedback from Dribbble
Lens design feedback from Forrst
Next draft of the lens design
lowercase, CamelCase or Other?
The original name for Stockyoo was ‘StockYoo’ with the uppercase S and Y. When I did my first draft of the logo design, I just went straight for all lowercase as I found it easier on the eye. Andy (quite rightly!) pointed out that it needed some uppercase for consistency when showing the name without the logo, but said he’d be ok with just the uppercase S, so we put it to the vote on Dribbble and Forrst and got 100% preference for the lowercase ‘y’.
The different logo text options
Feedback for the different logo text options on Forrst
Dropshadows
One area where the users of Forrst and Dribbble didn’t really help was on whether I used a strong drop-shadow behind the lens or not. A small detail, but opinion was divided so I really just had to weigh up the opinions and make the decision for myself. (Serves me right for being so lazy!)
A bit too much drop-shadow behind the lens?
Feedback from Dribbble on the shadow
Benefits of using Dribbble and Forrst for feedback
There are a lot of benefits for using Dribbble and Forrst for feedback if you’re not overly sensitive to criticism.
Affirmation for a client
If a client is unsure of their feelings, or needs an outside opinion, they can see the reactions of others and use those reactions to help affirm their own beliefs.
If other designers (especially if they’re part of the target audience) have positive feelings towards your work then it can help convince a client that you’re heading in the right direction, even if the client feels otherwise.
Thoughtful opinions and inspiration
If you’re struggling with some design (or code on Forrst) other users might have that valuable insight or piece of inspiration to help you on your way.
Early promotion
This is likely to be especially effective where the users of Dribbble or Forrst are your target audience. Getting an idea of how these users feel towards your brand is very valuable. You’ll make them feel more important for asking them how they think, and giving them a part to play in the creation of the brand is likely to create a feeling of ownership and loyalty.
The negative side
Time
It takes a reasonable amount of time to post to Dribbble and Forrst. Making sure the screenshot shows enough, uploading everything and adding tags can take half an hour or so, especially when you’re doing a few images at a time. This isn’t a reflection on either site’s experience, they’re both very easy to use, but if you’re trying to add a useful description to your post it can take a pretty long time which brings me to…
It’s hard to provide context
The users viewing, liking and commenting on your images haven’t seen the brief, the communication between you and the client or tried other ideas out already. A small description isn’t really enough to give much context so a lot of the opinions you’ll get on your work is little more than “that’s pretty” or “that’s ugly”.
Subjective and unhelpful opinions
Somebody saying “that’s great” is all very lovely and ego-soothing, but doesn’t have much depth. An overall positive response is definitely better than negative, but without reasons and justifications in comments, it’s not going to help you better your work.
The conclusion
I think the benefits and negatives above apply to the overall usage of Dribbble and Forrst. It’s great for popularity contests and making yourself feel big and clever, but helpful feedback is often rare (especially if you don’t ask for it!)
I’d like to try using Dribbble and Forrst for feedback on a longer-term project. I can imagine they’re potentially useful for the in-house designers of web apps, creating a buzz around teaser shots and getting feedback on visual elements, especially if they’re used regularly.
The final Stockyoo logo
By the way, if anybody could give me guidance on the proper pronunciation of ‘Forrst’, I’d really appreciate it. I can’t say it aloud without sounding ridiculous.
Awesome, I imagine Forrst is pronounced like Forrest Gump pronounces his name. So just say forrest with a deep south accent and you should be there ;-)
As the customer it was great seeing other peoples feedback (although only only on Dribbble as Forrst hides the comments for non-members). It was just a shame there was no way for me to actually get involved –; I just got to be a bystander while other people spoke about my brand.
That said, we had some great talks via email and were able to get some great feedback along the way, so it all worked out well in the end (I wonder if people would respond differently if the "client" was able to be involved in the communities?).
Anyway. I�m really happy with the final product and can�t wait to start putting it to use!
Very interesting and thorough look at both sites! You should also come over and try out [Concept Feedback](http://www.conceptfeedback.com" rel=“nofollow) too –; I think you may not get the quantity of comments, but you will definitely receive more detailed feedback. Let me know what you think!
Great post Laura very informative. I've not got a Dribbble account, but Forrst has been great for me in making the work I produce better, not only from receiving feedback and improving but looking at other peoples work and critiquing myself.
There was a discussion on Forrst a few months ago about the pronunciation. The consensus was that most people pronounce it “forced” but the official pronunciation is “forest”, cf. the little tree logo and the “Error Bear”.
As the customer it was great seeing other peoples feedback (although only only on Dribbble as Forrst hides the comments for non-members). It was just a shame there was no way for me to actually get involved –; I just got to be a bystander while other people spoke about my brand.
That said, we had some great talks via email and were able to get some great feedback along the way, so it all worked out well in the end (I wonder if people would respond differently if the "client" was able to be involved in the communities?).
Anyway. I�m really happy with the final product and can�t wait to start putting it to use!
Very interesting and thorough look at both sites! You should also come over and try out [Concept Feedback](http://www.conceptfeedback.com" rel=“nofollow) too –; I think you may not get the quantity of comments, but you will definitely receive more detailed feedback. Let me know what you think!
Andrew
Personally I find Dribbble more difficult to translate into speech. Is it “dribble,” “dribable” or “dri-bib-ble”?