Accepting Feedback

As a designer or developer, you cannot work in a bubble. Unless you're building stuff for yourself only, 0:00 other people are going to see, use, and give feedback on the work that you do. 0:06 If you cannot handle critiques every once in a while, working in the tech industry is going to be a tough challenge. 0:12 Then again, understanding the feedback you receive 0:19 and how we can inform improvements in your future work can be a very powerful thing. 0:21 The ability to see a different perspective is incredibly valuable. 0:29 Knowing what others are thinking, whether it's through Google analytics or surveys or usability testing, is incredibly valuable, 0:34 so don't short change the insight that your own team member or clients can give you too. 0:40 Getting feedback that can improve your work and being open to using it pays for itself every time. 0:46 If you let people know that you welcome feedback, sometimes you'll get helpful information, and other times you won't. 0:53 While the difference between positive and negative feedback is usually pretty easy to spot, 1:01 identifying constructive feedback versus criticism can be a little more difficult. 1:06 Reporting on a broken shopping cart or typo or link that goes nowhere is fairly cut and dry. 1:12 Other times, people will provide feedback that might seem more like opinion than anything helpful. 1:19 Either way, breaking their feedback down to its core components helps you understand the issues 1:25 and if what they've found is actually a problem or not. 1:31 What are the facts of their report? How does it affect the users or the project, if at all, 1:34 and if so, does a potential solution present itself? 1:40 Consider the feedback and evaluate its validity and then take action. 1:43 If things are unclear, circle back to them, ask for clarification. 1:49 The worst thing you can do is ignore a problem because of bad communication. 1:54 Make sure you understand the concern, because an unresolved problem can turn into many more problems down the road. 1:58 In the end, be honest and face the feedback that you receive. 2:06 Just because you designed or coded something doesn't mean that it's perfect. 2:11 Accept that you will make mistakes along the way, and learn to rely on others to help you improve the work you do. 2:16 We can't be perfect all the time. 2:23 Whatever the outcome of the feedback is, thank that person that reported it, and if necessary, 2:25 let them know how and when the problem will be resolved. 2:32 Being open to feedback means a willingness to be flexible, to change, to improve the projects that you work on. 2:36 It means you're open to communication and you want to make things better. 2:43 You cannot ask for a better teammate or colleague than someone that does this. 2:47 So, be that person, accept help from others, and they will listen to you when you want to share feedback as well. 2:53