Thursday, April 22, 2021

Why would I tell you what you are doing well? (survey respondent)

Why indeed? If I point out something that you’re doing well, what are you going to do about it? Pat yourself on the back?

How about, though, if I tell you what you’re doing poorly? Now, there’s something that you can actually do something about.
 
And that’s what that respondent proceeded to do. And I say “thank you” to them for it.
 
I mean, it’s always nice to know when you’re doing well, right? At the same time, though, this really isn’t middle school any more, is it?
 
The end goal here is to give the user the best experience possible. So, while kudos can help you know what’s working right (as well as give you the warm fuzzies), they’re never enough. What I’m really interested in is finding out the things that aren’t working, that are still getting in the way of that perfect experience, the things we can fix up.
 
If you’re a designer, that’s what you should be most interested in as well. I do find, though, there is often some resistance to the negative, as well as a distinct clamoring for the positive.
 
Now, as a usability engineer / user researcher, I do try to soften the blow. Especially with more junior designers, I’ll bend over backwards to make sure I’m giving plenty of positive feedback, as well as pitching the negative in as acceptable way as possible. Honestly, I just want to make sure the issues get addressed.
 
With more senior designers, however, I do like to cut more to the chase. In fact, I find they appreciate that approach as well. Heck, we both know they do good work, right? We’re also both really committed to delivering the best user experience we can, aren't we? Finally, we’re both also experienced and mature enough that our skin is probably a little bit thicker as well.
 
And, if you are a more junior designer, that’s exactly what you should be shooting for – focusing on the user, looking forward to their feedback, and rolling up those sleeves and getting to work.



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