Tips: crowdsourcing a design project
I am often asked for tips on how to run a design project on 99designs.com. While we do have a great article in our help section on how to run a successful project, I thought I would provide some insight straight from one of our clients – Stacey Tipton Reiman of InstaSpanish.com.
Design by amir u3
Stacey used 99designs to get an awesome design for the user interface of her Spanish Teaching software. Using these tips, she was able to attract over 150 submissions from 30 different designers to her design project.
Here are the top things she did to ensure great results:
- Give clear guidelines with examples
- Actively participate in the project forum
- Don’t just wait! Invite designers that catch your eye from other active projects
- Be specific in your feedback about what you do or don’t like about each design
- Use positive reinforcement to encourage designers to do better
On feedback Stacey said:
“In your feedback try to give them something positive. The way I see it every designer has the potential to win. I thought that every person who entered my project was worthy of my respect and my effort…and so I tried to give feedback to every entry…not just looking at…do I like this entry or will this entry work or not but… how can this entry work or how can this designer work for me.”
If this sounds easy…that’s because it is. It’s really about engaging the designer, giving them clear direction and then encouraging them along the way. The more specific you are about what you are looking for and what criteria you will be judging the designs by, the better results you will get.
Related articles:
Crowdsourcing a new site: conversation with Lystie.com
Infographic: the power of crowdsourcing
How to save time and provide better feedback running design projects at 99designs
