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Monday, April 1, 13

Everyone Sucks At Feedback

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Great presentation by Zurb's co-founder on how to take and give great feedback. See also http://lanyrd.com/2013/cascadesf/coverage/

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Page 1: Everyone Sucks At Feedback

Monday, April 1, 13

Page 2: Everyone Sucks At Feedback

“I just don’t really like this color.”

“I wish all of you were dead.”

“The page feels...weird.”

Monday, April 1, 13

Page 3: Everyone Sucks At Feedback

Everyone Sucks at Feedback

Monday, April 1, 13

Page 4: Everyone Sucks At Feedback

Including you.

Monday, April 1, 13

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Including you.(Sorry)

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Feedback makes us uncomfortable.

Monday, April 1, 13

Let’s not kid ourselves, feedback is a bit of a boring topic that makes people a little (or a lot) uncomfortable.

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We feel like ***holes when we give it.

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“oh god I have to tell them this sucks.”

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Some people enjoy it a little too much.

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“I told him it was terrible

and to do the whole

thing over again!”

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We all take it a little too...personally.

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“Maybe we could move this over here?”

“Maybe you could jump

up your own ass and die?”

Monday, April 1, 13

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Okay, so feedback is tricky.

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But we all know we need it.

We just don’t want it, or know how to ask for it, or know how to give it.

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Giving good feedback is the most underrated professional

skill in the world right now.

Monday, April 1, 13

Especially in American schools, we’ve encouraged a ‘teacher-directed’ approach to feedback which discourages kids from giving feedback to each other. This has created a deficit in our ability to give and receive feedback.

Page 16: Everyone Sucks At Feedback

Instead we learned clichés.

Monday, April 1, 13

Say two positive things before something critical, and end on something positive.

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“You have a very nice shirt on today.

Your teeth are astonishingly white.

This work is terrible and you should be ashamed.

But your pants are not on backwards.”

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These have nothing to do with good feedback.

Monday, April 1, 13

They waste time and make us come off like insincere tools.

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These are just tactics to appease the individual.

Monday, April 1, 13

Not make a product better. But a good product...THAT is what builds morale. A good product will make up for a thousand critical points of feedback. Maybe not about their mother or something.

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Let’s talk about three things.

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Three Things

Solicit Good Feedback

Take Feedback Well

Give Great Feedback

Monday, April 1, 13

Page 22: Everyone Sucks At Feedback

Soliciting Good Feedback

Monday, April 1, 13

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“So what do you think?”

“I think it’s dumb.”

Monday, April 1, 13If you don’t know how to ask for good feedback, you won’t get good feedback. You’ll get crap, like this.

Page 24: Everyone Sucks At Feedback

Ask for exactly what you want.

Monday, April 1, 13If you're meeting in person, give your teammate or client a written outline of the feedback you're looking for before showing a concept. Explain the benefit of each section every step of the way, and how it fits into the larger design concept. If you're discussing the concept over email, make sure the questions are contextual.

Page 25: Everyone Sucks At Feedback

N

notableapp.com(shameless plug)

Monday, April 1, 13Our app Notable is great for making sure you and your audience are on the same page.

Page 26: Everyone Sucks At Feedback

Choose specific people to give you feedback.

Monday, April 1, 13While the marketing team might have some useful feedback, you probably don't need to know what the client's dog thinks. [con’t]

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“Your visual hierarchy seems off, right here.”

Monday, April 1, 13While the marketing team might have some useful feedback, you probably don't need to know what the client's dog thinks. Or what Dog thinks. Be directive -- and proactive -- by calling out specific people for different types of feedback.

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Make sure feedback moves the project along.

Monday, April 1, 13All the feedback in the world is for naught if whatever you’re working on never sees the light of day. [con’t]

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“I’m not sure why, but I’d love

if we could redo this a few dozen more times.”

0.1134 [flip]

Monday, April 1, 13All the feedback in the world is for naught if whatever you’re working on never sees the light of day. Feedback should be in the service of moving things forward, not about getting stuck, and don’t be afraid to call that out. Specify a time limit for when you get the feedback, too. Time waits for no man.

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Use directives to guide the feedback.

Monday, April 1, 13Do you feel this desaturated, rounded form fits with our older demographic? – A specific question makes it easier to take away feedback that can be acted upon.

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“Can I get some feedback

on the copy in the header?”

“Stop it I will cut you.”

“Sure! First let’s talk about –”

Monday, April 1, 13All the feedback in the world is for naught if whatever you’re working on never sees the light of day. Feedback should be in the service of moving things forward, not about getting stuck, and don’t be afraid to call that out. Specify a time limit for when you get the feedback, too. Time waits for no man.

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Solicit Good Feedback

Ask for what you want.

Choose the right people.

Keep the project moving.

Use directives liberally.

Monday, April 1, 13

Page 33: Everyone Sucks At Feedback

Taking Feedback Well

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Don’t take it personally.

Monday, April 1, 13You've spent a lot of time on your design, put a lot of effort into it. [con’t]

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“He said it was a

hard to discover interaction.”

Monday, April 1, 13You've spent a lot of time on your design, put a lot of effort into it. You've fully invested yourself in your work. So it's understandable that your first instinctual reaction is to take it personally. After all, it's your baby. But feedback is about the work, not you.

Page 36: Everyone Sucks At Feedback

Be willing to admit you’re wrong.

Monday, April 1, 13It's hard to separate yourself from your work. You're too close, biased. And design is in large part about ego and that’s okay – but if you can admit you’re wrong you’ll end up working with someone else to find the right answers, rather than just getting stuck in a bad place. [con’t]

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“My god you were right –

I never should have made

the call to action invisible.”

Monday, April 1, 13It's hard to separate yourself from your work. You're too close, biased. And design is in large part about ego and that’s okay – but if you can admit you’re wrong you’ll end up working with someone else to find the right answers, rather than just getting stuck in a bad place. However, if you’re just not wrong...

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Be willing to fight for your ideas.

Monday, April 1, 13Admitting you're wrong doesn't mean you have to put away the boxing gloves. If it's something you firmly believe in, something you're passionate about, be prepared to back up your choices with concrete numbers or competitive examples that have either worked or failed. However, you won't win your fight if you constantly highlight that the other person is wrong and argue for the sake of arguing.

Page 39: Everyone Sucks At Feedback

Be willing to fight for your ideas.(and your right to party)

Monday, April 1, 13Admitting you're wrong doesn't mean you have to put away the boxing gloves. If it's something you firmly believe in, something you're passionate about, be prepared to back up your choices with concrete numbers or competitive examples that have either worked or failed. However, you won't win your fight if you constantly highlight that the other person is wrong and argue for the sake of arguing. And finally, the last part of TAKING feedback well...

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Follow through.

Monday, April 1, 13It's not enough to receive feedback. We have to prioritize the feedback we receive. Think of it as design triage. We have to take action, implementing that feedback and iterating on our designs.

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“We made the product better!

Let’s celebrate by all shaking hands

at the same time.”

Monday, April 1, 13It's not enough to receive feedback. We have to prioritize the feedback we receive. Think of it as design triage. We have to take action, implementing that feedback and iterating on our designs.

Page 42: Everyone Sucks At Feedback

Take Feedback Well

Don’t take it personally.

Admit when you’re wrong.

Fight for your ideas.

Follow through.

Monday, April 1, 13

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The Art of Giving Good Feedback

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“Wow! Look at all this helpful, constructive feedback!” *

* said almost no one ever

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Is this good for the user?

Monday, April 1, 13Sometimes we get so caught up in fleshing out corporate goals that we momentarily forget about the user. While it's important to focus on your company's overall goals, don't get focused on them to the point that it interferes with decision making. To avoid this collision of ideas, stay focused on improvements that will benefit users most.

Page 46: Everyone Sucks At Feedback

“I have no idea what this is doing

but it is getting me all the chicks.”

Monday, April 1, 13Sometimes we get so caught up in fleshing out corporate goals that we momentarily forget about the user. While it's important to focus on your company's overall goals, don't get focused on them to the point that it interferes with decision making. To avoid this collision of ideas, stay focused on improvements that will benefit users most.

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Is this good for the business?

Monday, April 1, 13Okay, now that I said that – most products need to support business goals as well. Balance your feedback to cover both angles.

Page 48: Everyone Sucks At Feedback

“Where the hell

is all our money going?”

Monday, April 1, 13Okay, now that I said that – most products need to support business goals as well. Balance your feedback to cover both angles.

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Does the work justify the win?

Monday, April 1, 13Will your feedback create enough value to justify the investment in it? To put it in corporate shill speak, what’s the ROI on your feedback? Small wins are okay if they support a larger goal, but the best feedback sets moderate goals that are achievable and have a high return. Trying measuring your feedback in money, time and excitement.

Page 50: Everyone Sucks At Feedback

“So I think we can increase revenue by $380 annually

with just 3 months and $280,000 of work.”

lol wtf

Monday, April 1, 13Will your feedback create enough value to justify the investment in it? To put it in corporate shill speak, what’s the ROI on your feedback? Small wins are okay if they support a larger goal, but the best feedback sets moderate goals that are achievable and have a high return. Trying measuring your feedback in money, time and excitement.

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Can the team execute on it?

Monday, April 1, 13Make sure the team has adequate time and the right skill set to work on the feedback suggestions. If any part of the project needs special attention or the assistance of a specialist, make those arrangements right away.

Page 52: Everyone Sucks At Feedback

“Let’s rebuild the app from the ground up

haha no

wut

how do I I don’t even

on a carrier pigeon infrastructure.”

Monday, April 1, 13Will your feedback create enough value to justify the investment in it? To put it in corporate shill speak, what’s the ROI on your feedback? Small wins are okay if they support a larger goal, but the best feedback sets moderate goals that are achievable and have a high return. Trying measuring your feedback in money, time and excitement.

Page 53: Everyone Sucks At Feedback

Give Good Feedback

Make sure it’s good for the users, and business.

Make sure there’s value to the work.

Make sure it can be done.

Monday, April 1, 13Why is all this important?

Page 54: Everyone Sucks At Feedback

Why does this matter, again?

Monday, April 1, 13Why is all this important?

Page 55: Everyone Sucks At Feedback

Everyone Sucks at Feedback

Monday, April 1, 13

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Except you.

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Except you.(Yay)

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Three Things

Solicit Good Feedback

Take Feedback Well

Give Great Feedback

Monday, April 1, 13

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“Yeah, feedback!”

Monday, April 1, 13

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Thanks!

Monday, April 1, 13

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zurb.com@zurb

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@smiley(if you want to get personal)

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Are you awesome? Work at ZURB.

zurb.com/jobs

Monday, April 1, 13