Using the “I Like, I Wish, What If” Framework to Improve Websites and Digital Platforms

Gathering meaningful feedback about a website or digital platform can be harder than it sounds.

Surveys can be too rigid. Meetings often drift into unstructured complaints. And technical reviews alone don’t always capture how people actually experience a digital platform.

One simple framework that consistently produces useful insights is “I Like, I Wish, What If.”

Originally popularised in design thinking workshops, this method provides a structured but open way to collect feedback about products, services, and digital systems. When applied to a website review or evaluation, the framework helps teams surface strengths, problems, and opportunities.

For organisations responsible for managing a website over time, it can be an effective way to guide continuous improvement and digital governance.

What Is the “I Like, I Wish, What If” Feedback Framework?

The “I Like, I Wish, What If” framework is a simple feedback technique used to gather structured input about a product, service, or website. Participants share what works well, what could be improved, and ideas for future improvements. The format helps teams quickly identify strengths, problems, and opportunities when reviewing a website or digital platform.

Participants respond to three simple prompts:

I Like…
What works well? What aspects of the experience are effective, intuitive, or valuable?

I Wish…
What could be improved? What causes friction, frustration, or inefficiency?

What If…
What new ideas or possibilities could make the experience better?

The structure encourages balanced feedback. It highlights positive elements, identifies problems, and opens the door to new ideas, all without forcing participants into rigid survey questions.

Because the format is simple and conversational, it works well in workshops, stakeholder meetings, surveys, and internal reviews.

Using the Framework to Review a Website

The framework becomes particularly useful when reviewing an organisation’s website or digital platform.

Instead of asking broad questions like “What do you think of the website?” the prompts guide people toward specific, constructive insights.

For example, a website review session might ask participants to reflect on their experience as a visitor, editor, or administrator.

I Like

Participants might highlight strengths such as:

• clear navigation
• fast performance
• helpful content
• strong design or branding
• effective search functionality

These responses identify elements that should be preserved as the website evolves.

I Wish

This prompt often reveals operational or usability challenges, such as:

• difficulty updating content
• confusing page structures
• accessibility barriers
• slow page load times
• limitations in the CMS
• confusing navigation structure
• outdated or duplicated content

These issues frequently point to underlying technical or structural improvements that could be made.

What If

The final prompt encourages bigger thinking about the platform’s future. Ideas might include:

• better search and filtering
• improved content workflows
• new integrations with other systems
• more accessible design
• new features that better support users

While not every suggestion will be practical, this step often surfaces ideas that lead to meaningful improvements.

Why Structured Feedback Matters for Websites

Many organisations only review their website when something breaks or when it’s time for a full redesign. In reality, websites perform best when they are continuously monitored and improved over time.

Structured feedback methods like “I Like, I Wish, What If” help teams uncover issues that might otherwise go unnoticed.

Common insights include:

• usability barriers for visitors
• frustrations for staff managing content
• accessibility issues affecting users
• opportunities to improve performance
• missing functionality or integrations

These insights often become the starting point for deeper technical reviews or improvement plans. In many cases they reveal underlying issues in how a website is maintained or managed over time.

For organisations managing complex websites, regular feedback sessions can help ensure the platform continues to support both users and internal teams effectively.

Turning Feedback into Website Improvements

Collecting feedback is only the first step. The real value comes from turning insights into practical website improvements.

Depending on what emerges during the review process, organisations may choose to prioritise:

• performance optimisation
• accessibility improvements
• navigation and UX enhancements
• CMS workflow improvements
• new integrations or features
• ongoing technical maintenance

In many cases, feedback sessions highlight the need for ongoing maintenance rather than one-off fixes. In some cases the insights lead to technical fixes or usability improvements that require ongoing website support to implement. Larger improvements, such as new functionality or integrations, may require targeted web development work.

Final Thoughts

The “I Like, I Wish, What If” framework stands out because of its simplicity.

It encourages honest reflection, constructive criticism, and creative thinking, all within a format that people find easy to participate in.

For organisations managing websites and digital platforms, it can be a powerful way to gather insights from stakeholders, identify hidden issues, and guide meaningful improvements over time.

And while the method itself is simple, the insights it produces often highlight opportunities that can significantly improve how a website performs, both technically and for the people who rely on it.

If you’re reviewing your organisation’s website, the following prompts can help structure a quick feedback session.

User Experience

• Is it easy for visitors to find important information?
• Are navigation and menus intuitive?
• Are key pages easy to scan and understand?

Performance

• Do pages load quickly across devices?
• Are there broken links or errors?
• Is the site reliable and stable?

Content Management

• Is the CMS easy for staff to use?
• Are publishing workflows efficient?
• Is content easy to update and maintain?

Accessibility

• Can the site be used with a keyboard?
• Is content readable for assistive technologies?
• Are images and media properly labelled?

Future Opportunities

• What new features could improve the site?
• What integrations could add value?
• What changes would make the site easier to manage?

These questions can be used alongside the “I Like, I Wish, What If” prompts to guide a structured website review session.

Need help reviewing your website?

If your team is identifying issues or opportunities but isn’t sure how to prioritise improvements, our team can review your website and recommend practical improvements.

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