There’s no denying it. In most cases critiques only make the end product better because, if nothing else, the contributor making the suggestions leaves feeling as as if his/her thoughts are integral into the development and therefore they will be more likely to give a higher approval to the result.
Rather than just rehashing the comments from past threads, I was hoping to encourage a little constructive brainstorming. Communication is our field, and sometimes it is our colleagues — the very people we work with regularly such as writers, pr folks, and so-on — that do not properly express themselves when giving feedback.
While in school, critiques were brutal but always started off in the 2-for-1 format (two compliments for every critique), but even that isn’t always effective and can feel forced. So what does work? What should be avoided? I’ve found a few good ideas but very little inspiration online. So I ask you, what’s your take?
At a loss for an answer, I realized that I needed to re-evaluate the problem before I could attempt to give suggestions. It struck me on my way to work today that there are really two types of critiques: subjective and objective.
Like many other designers, I’m sensitive about my work. But when I considered past critiques more closely, I realized that in most cases I have been more sensitive to subjective comments than I am to objective critiques.
By that I mean the following:
When I receive objective critiques that include comments like, “Hey, that quote mark isn’t ‘curly’ and totally looks wrong. Fix it!” or “Dudette, you made a big mistake and left a rule around that box. It looks awful. Dump it and match the others.”
Even with the words “awful” and “mistake” thrown in there, I don’t sweat it because they’re facts. These comments may be presented in a frank manner, but there’s no denying stuff like that so it’s easier to take, no matter how it’s brought up.
On the other hand, when I hear subjective comments like, “That picture looks awful because it doesn’t have a drop shadow. Fix it!” or “Chica, you made a big mistake and used Aries Display in that head. It looks awful. Dump it and make it Comic Sans.” I usually get a little pissed at first.
If any negative tone is given with a subjective comment — even if it may improve my piece — I am immediately less likely to consider these sorts of comments objectively as a better design solutions. I’m not sure if this makes me a complete loony tune or what, but it’s a fact.
Identifying this difference made me realize that it may come down to people being nice. The whole, you get more with honey than vinegar thing.
Could it be that simple?
Not intentionally meaning to continue this post in a very Carrie-Bradshaw-has-a-series-of-rhetorical-questions-sort-of-way, but does the critique process actually work better if you simply follow the advice of your kindergarten teacher and “play nice”? Is this (gasp!) just a case where a little sensitivity could make all the difference in the world?
How do you teach someone to be more kind?
Critiques are touchy situations. You make a good point Joy, that there are objective and subjective critiques with the objective ones being more easy to swallow. There is no denying when one messes up and it's nice to have somebody to catch it.
When it comes to critiquing look and feel, that's when it can get hairy. People tend to get very defensive (myself included) and not open to changes. I have always tried to take in the most comments and then see if I want to apply them. I always try everything that is proposed to me as a better solution before dismissing it. It usually makes my work better and on the same amount I end up doing what I had in the first place.
I've known people who don't sugar-coat their critiques and they can still be effective, while other who do it oh so sweetly are, in my view, less serious. If you don't like something, go ahead and say it, I may not like it but I'm going to listen.
And then mug you in the street.
On Jun.17.2003 at 09:39 AM