How to present design work by video and get useful feedback
By SoloWOS teamPublished
IN SHORT
Present design work by video in this order: restate the goal, show your recommended option, show the alternatives and why you ranked them lower, then name the exact decision you need and by when. Collect feedback through three or four specific questions on a form instead of an open "thoughts?", which invites taste opinions instead of decisions.
Prices and limits as of .
Key takeaways
- Lead with the goal from the brief, not the design. Feedback measured against a goal is useful; feedback measured against personal taste is not.
- Show your recommendation first and say it's your recommendation. Clients pick the first option they see more often when you don't explain the ranking.
- End the video with one decision and a date: "Pick A or B by Friday" gets an answer, "let me know what you think" gets a meeting request.
- Collect feedback with specific questions, one per screen or element, and a required choice between options.
Live design presentations are hard to schedule and easy to derail: one stakeholder arrives late, another fixates on a color. A recorded walkthrough lets you present the work in the order you planned, and everyone sees the same explanation. It belongs with the other sharing and presence guides; designers and developers will also find workflow notes on our pages for graphic designers and for web developers.
The walkthrough order
- The goal (15 seconds). Read back the one sentence from the brief the design has to achieve: "The homepage has to get first-time visitors to book a consultation."
- The recommended option (1 to 2 minutes). Show it full screen, then walk through how each part serves the goal. Say plainly that this is the one you recommend.
- The alternatives (1 minute each, at most two). Show what's different and the trade-off: "B is calmer but pushes the booking button below the fold on phones."
- What you are not asking about (15 seconds). "Copy is placeholder; photos are stock until the shoot." This stops a round of comments on things that will change anyway.
- The decision (20 seconds). Name it and give a date: "I need A or B by Friday, plus any must-change items, so I can start the inner pages Monday."
Script for a design walkthrough video
Hi [name], here are the [homepage / logo / packaging] options for [project]. THE GOAL From the brief: [one sentence]. Everything here is judged against that. MY RECOMMENDATION: OPTION [A] [Show it.] Here's why it fits the goal: - [element 1] does [job] - [element 2] does [job] - On a phone it looks like this: [show mobile view] ALTERNATIVE: OPTION [B] [Show it.] What's different: [difference]. The trade-off: [cost]. NOT UP FOR REVIEW YET [Placeholder copy / stock images / colors pending brand guide.] WHAT I NEED Please choose A or B and list anything that must change, using the short form linked under this video, by [day]. If both miss the goal, say which part misses it and I'll rework that part.
Use timestamps so feedback points somewhere
Feedback like "the middle bit feels off" costs a round trip to decode. Ask reviewers to tie comments to a moment: a comment at 1:42 is about whatever was on screen at 1:42. Mention the timestamps of each option in your written note ("Option A at 0:20, Option B at 2:05") so a busy client can jump straight to the comparison.
Feedback form questions that get decisions
An open text box asking "Thoughts?" collects preferences. A short form with a required choice collects a decision. Keep it to four questions so it gets finished on a phone. Make the first question required and the rest optional: a reviewer who only has a minute still gives you the one answer you can't move forward without, and the detail comes from those who have more to say.
1. Which option should we move forward with? (single choice, required) ( ) Option A ( ) Option B ( ) Neither, it misses the goal 2. [Shown only if "Neither"] Which part misses the goal from the brief? (single choice) ( ) Layout ( ) Message ( ) Visual style ( ) Something else 3. Is there anything that MUST change before launch? List each item on its own line. (long text, optional) 4. Who else needs to approve this, and by when? (short text, optional)
Question 3 says "must" on purpose: it separates blockers from nice-to-haves. Question 4 catches the hidden approver (a co-founder, a manager) before you start the next phase, which is when a late veto costs the most. For more intake-style questions, our client intake form template uses the same logic.
Worked example
WORKED EXAMPLE
A brand designer presenting two logo directions
Video length: 4 minutes 30 seconds. Goal from the brief (0:05): "Look established enough for corporate clients." Recommended direction A (0:20 to 2:05): wordmark, shown on a business card, the website header and a favicon at 16 pixels. Direction B (2:05 to 3:30): icon plus wordmark, with the trade-off that the icon blurs at favicon size. Not up for review: colors, pending the client's existing brand palette. The ask (4:10): "Pick A or B in the form by Thursday." The client picks A, lists one must-change ("the R looks like a K at small sizes"), and names the co-founder as a second approver due Friday. One revision round instead of an open-ended thread.
In SoloWOS
In SoloWOS you record your screen and share a link, then turn on comments so reviewers can leave a comment or reaction pinned to a moment in the video; you reply from your dashboard. Add a button under the video that opens your feedback form or any other link. Build the form itself with Forms: single and multiple choice, long text, and conditional logic so question 2 only appears after "Neither". Recordings run up to 5 minutes on Solo and 15 minutes on Team. For the weekly status version of this format, see the weekly client update video.
Questions
Should I present design options live or by video?
Use video for the first presentation, so every stakeholder hears the same reasoning, and a short call only if the feedback conflicts. Live first presentations work better when the client is new to working with designers and needs to ask many questions.
How many design options should I show?
Two or three. One gives the client nothing to compare; four or more turns the review into a vote on details. Show your recommendation first and explain why the others rank lower.
How do I stop clients from giving feedback on placeholder content?
Say what isn't up for review, in the video and in the written note: placeholder copy, stock images, colors pending a brand guide. Then ask specific questions about what is up for review, with a required choice between options.
What if the client still replies with "I don't love it"?
Ask which part misses the goal from the brief: layout, message or visual style. Tying the reaction to the goal turns it into something you can fix. A form with that question as a required choice does this before the reply is even sent.
Sources
Facts checked against these sources on October 18, 2026. Rules and amounts change, so confirm them at the source before you file or sign.
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SoloWOS tools mentioned here
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