Workflow: Run a Collaborative Design Review

Goal

Take a design through a clean review cycle — gather feedback, make edits together, and lock in an approved version — using StretchDesign's comments, real-time collaboration, and version history.

Roles in a review

• Designer(s) — make the edits.
• Reviewer(s) — leave feedback via comments.
• Everyone works in the same organization, so all share the design, its comments, and its history.

Steps

1. Share the draft

1. Finish a first draft and set it aside as the review candidate.
2. Let reviewers know it's ready — they open the same design from the Designs list.

2. Collect feedback with comments

1. Reviewers open the Comments panel.
2. For element-specific notes, they select the element first, then comment — pinning the feedback exactly where it applies.
3. For general notes, they comment on the page.
4. Feedback accumulates as an organized, contextual list rather than scattered messages elsewhere.

3. Address feedback

1. The designer works through the open comments.
2. As each is handled, they resolve it, keeping the open list an accurate to-do.
3. Autosave records a version for each change, so every step is recoverable.

4. Work together live when needed

For faster turnarounds, the designer and a reviewer can edit at the same time:

1. Both open the design; StretchDesign connects them to a shared live session with presence.
2. Coordinate by page or element so no two people edit the same thing at once.
3. Talk through changes live while comments capture anything that must persist.

5. Confirm nothing was missed

1. In Comments, switch on include resolved to review the full thread.
2. Confirm every point was addressed; reopen any that need another pass.

6. Lock in the approved version

1. When reviewers sign off, open Version history.
2. Label the current version Client approved (or Final).
3. If later experiments go the wrong way, you can restore this labeled version at any time — non-destructively.

7. Ship it

Set the design's status to published and export in the needed formats.

Realistic example

A designer shares a draft banner. Two reviewers add five comments — three pinned to specific elements ("logo too small," "use brand navy here," "tighten this spacing") and two general ("add the date," "stronger CTA"). The designer fixes each, resolving comments as they go, and jumps into a quick live session with one reviewer to finalize the CTA wording together. They switch on include resolved to confirm all five were handled, label the current version Client approved in version history, publish, and export the final PNG. Weeks later a new experiment doesn't land, so they restore Client approved in one click.

Tips

• Pin comments to elements — it removes any doubt about what each note refers to.
• Resolve as you go so the open list always equals outstanding work.
• Label the approved version immediately; it becomes your safe restore point forever (within the last 50 versions).
• Use live editing for the last-mile back-and-forth, and comments for anything that must be remembered after the call.

Troubleshooting

Two people edited the same element and clobbered each other. Open version history and restore the snapshot from just before the collision, then split the work by page/element.

A reviewer says their comment vanished. It was likely resolved — switch on include resolved and reopen it if needed.

Live editing won't connect. Refresh the editor and check the connection; reopening the design re-establishes the shared session and syncs the latest state.

We can't find the approved version. Only the latest 50 versions are retained — always label approvals so they're easy to locate before older snapshots are pruned.