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