Likes / Wishes / Wonders
What is Likes, Wishes, Wonders?
Likes, Wishes, Wonders is a light feedback format, popular in design reviews, that helps a group respond to work or a sprint in a fast, constructive way. By splitting reactions into three friendly buckets, it keeps critique balanced and easy to give. The QRetro template offers three clear columns.
- Likes — what is working and worth keeping.
- Wishes — what could be better, phrased as a hope.
- Wonders — open questions and ideas to explore.
Likes
Likes capture what people genuinely appreciate — strong choices, helpful details and things the team should keep doing. Leading with positives makes the rest of the feedback land more easily.
Wishes
Wishes reframe criticism as constructive hopes: "I wish this were clearer" instead of "this is wrong." The phrasing keeps feedback forward-looking and gentle while still pointing at real improvements.
Wonders
Wonders are open questions and what-ifs — curiosities that may not have an answer yet. They spark exploration and often reveal opportunities the team had not considered.
Benefits of Likes, Wishes, Wonders
- Delivers balanced feedback quickly.
- Keeps critique constructive and low-pressure.
- Works for design reviews, demos and sprint check-ins.
- Encourages curiosity alongside evaluation.
- Easy for anyone to join, no prep required.
- Surfaces both strengths and opportunities at once.
How to run a Likes, Wishes, Wonders session
- Create a board in QRetro using the Likes, Wishes, Wonders template.
- Share the work or topic so everyone has the same context.
- Give participants quiet time to add cards to each column.
- Read through Likes first to set a positive tone.
- Discuss Wishes and Wonders, grouping similar themes.
- Agree on the changes to make and capture clear next steps.
