Let clients annotate a page that’s still in development

Agree on the page and review task

For a pricing-page review, agree to check plan copy, price presentation, and the purchase entry point. Verify the page, prepare a demo account, and send a concrete task with the link: “Open pricing, find Pro, and check whether the purchase button is clear.”

Test the connection before collecting feedback. If the client cannot open the page, follow the localhost sharing guide first.

Submit an actionable comment

1. The developer selects a running local port in Previa, starts sharing, and sends the generated link.
2. The client opens it in Chrome or Safari and navigates to the agreed page. Guests do not install the app or create an account.
3. The client uses annotation to drag a region, writes a note, and sends it. Keep each comment focused on one issue.
4. The developer checks the screenshot and text in the desktop app. Clarify an ambiguous region before changing it.

“This looks wrong” gives little direction. Try: “Pricing page, Pro card: the purchase button is too close to the description. Add space so it does not look like body text.” Select the button and nearby text: the screenshot supplies location, and the note supplies the expected result.

Revise, verify, and export

1. Turn feedback into specific changes and agree which belong in this review.
2. Make the change locally and check for server errors. Tell the client what changed and ask them to reload the same page.
3. Compare the result with the original screenshot and note. A completed edit still needs verification.
4. For handoff, select “Export” in the desktop app. The exported HTML document includes screenshots, opens offline in a browser, and can be printed to PDF through the browser.

Common issues and review limits

• The client sees the old version: check that your local page updated, then ask them to reload. Local hot reload is not a guarantee that the remote browser refreshed.
• A screenshot or note does not arrive: confirm the share is active and the desktop app is online. Retry with a smaller selection and check any interface messages.
• The session is too short: Free sessions last up to 30 minutes and Pro sessions up to 8 hours. Agree on the review scope before starting.
• The client needs access tomorrow: sharing depends on the host computer and local service. Use a staging environment or deployment for persistent access.

Annotations help locate issues. Keep ownership, acceptance decisions, and the final sign-off in your team’s own review process.

When the client is on another network

The client does not need to join your office network or install the desktop app. Previa first tries a peer-to-peer path. If the networks cannot connect directly, page data uses an encrypted relay. In either case they see the page running on your computer, not a project copy uploaded to a hosting server.

Your computer must stay online. For a review across cities, test the connection with a lightweight page before opening a route with many images or API requests.