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You'll encounter feedback in
a variety of mediums and styles.

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In this video, we'll discuss the different
formats you'll receive feedback in and

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the two types of feedback
you might receive.

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Constructive, and non-constructive.

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First, let's look at the three common
mediums used to deliver feedback.

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In person, video calls and
the written word.

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If possible,
you should request feedback in person.

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In person discussions provide a full
sense of tone and body language, and

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a more comprehensive understanding
of the person's opinion.

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Video calls are also a great way to
get feedback as you can communicate

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remotely while still being able to
see the person's facial reactions,

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hear their tone of voice and
ask follow up questions.

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Written feedback is very common.

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It's a quick and easy way to give
feedback but it can be tricky.

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Since it lacks auditory and

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body language cues, it can come
across as more harsh than intended.

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No matter the medium,
feedback falls into two main buckets,

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constructive and non-constructive.

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Constructive criticism is your friend.

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This type of feedback helps
you grow as a designer.

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Constructive criticism points out
where improvements can be made.

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It's clear and easy to take action
on without being prescriptive.

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It also focuses on the project's goals,
while paying attention to the context,

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state and constraints.

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The general tone is motivating and
helpful.

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For example, awesome job
incorporating the brand colors and

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the spot illustrations and buttons.

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I love how the colors reinforce
the differences in the product offerings.

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Another example is, if the goal of this
app is to make it quick and easy for

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people to view nearby apartment rentals,
the onboarding feels a bit time consuming.

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Can you think of a way to show
the apartments earlier in the experience?

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The other type of feedback is
non constructive criticism which

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does not help you improve the design and
to meet the goals of the project.

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Often, this type of feedback can
leave you confused, unsure and

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feeling as if your professional
skills are in question.

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I'm gonna walk you through a few examples
of non constructive feedback and

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why each example isn't helpful.

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In a later video,
I'll teach you strategies to help you

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head off non constructive
feedback before it's given and

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how to address it when you do receive it.

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Here's a mock up in inVision,

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an app that allows people to
leave feedback on a design.

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I've pre-loaded it with a barrage
of non-constructive criticism.

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Let's go through the comments.

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Make everything in the hero
center aligned and bright red.

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This is prescriptive feedback meaning
is telling the designer what to do.

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It doesn't clearly articulate why your
solution isn't achieving the project goal,

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thereby making it difficult
to learn from an act on.

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I prefer black and white photos.

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This is preferential or
subjective feedback,

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meaning it's just the opinion of
the person providing the feedback.

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The most important opinion is
that of the project's audience.

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Do they prefer black and white photos?

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This isn't doing it for me.

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I'll know what I want when I see it.

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This is non specific feedback,
because it leaves no clear paths forward,

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and leaves a designer to
play a guessing game.

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This feedback could lead a designer
to waste countless hours

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creating multiple designs
without any clear direction.

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Let's look at the comments
on another design.

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Why isn't this done yet?

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It should only take a week.

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This feedback lacks context.

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Often our work takes more effort
than initially meets the eye.

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If the critic doesn't have insight
into the depth of your work,

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walk them through it so
they can understand the complexity.

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I showed this to my girlfriend last night,
and she did not like it.

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Is his girlfriend the target audience?

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If the answer is no,
this is irrelevant feedback.

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This is a weak design.

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What we really need to add
is robust progress tracking,

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downloadable reports, and
weekly progress updates sent via email.

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This is untimely feedback
because it's given without

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consideration of the product timeline.

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This design may represent the extent
of what can be achieved during

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the product development cycle.

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My team's features
should be included here.

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While this may be a valid point,
beware of selfish feedback coming from

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colleagues twisting the design
solution to their advantage.

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For example, a product owner may
want their team's feature to be

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included only to propel the success
of that feature for their benefit.

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It's your responsibility to advocate for
the user.

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Does it truly benefit the user?

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Why are we spending time
developing this when we

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should be improving the onboarding for
customers?

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This is off topic feedback.

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Oftentimes, you'll be in charge of
pitching an idea for a new product or

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feature.

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You may find yourself bombarded
with questions beyond your control.

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These questions are better
answered by product owners and

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business leaders in your company.

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So kindly direct them to those folks.

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Another type is incomplete feedback
which lacks an explanation.

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For example, I love it or
looks good, without further comment.

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If this is the only feedback you get,
you should be concerned.

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What specifically do they like about it?

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Ask questions to ensure they've
thoughtfully considered your approach and

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are genuinely on board with it.

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Otherwise, you may be in for
a surprise later,

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when they more thoughtfully consider it.

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Hopefully the majority of the feedback
you receive in your career will be

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constructive.

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In the next few videos,
I'll teach you how to ask for

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constructive feedback and
address non constructive feedback.