Master the Art of Feedback
Feedback is an art and a science. Everyone approaches it a little differently but I do feel that there are some guiding principles that can make it a more effective and collaborative experience. So in this blog I will talk about my approach to both providing and asking for feedback so that we can all grow together.
PROVIDING FEEDBACK
This section is to help ensure that your feedback is not only heard but also welcomed and effective. Feedback is more than an exchange of opinions; it's about building a supportive environment where ideas and improvements are made collaboratively.
Solicited
I rarely give unsolicited feedback and if I do it’s normally something fairly objective (e.g., something’s not working). This has been a recurring hot topic in the community but I am not in the camp that just because someone shares something publicly it’s fair game to comment on it. If I went to Target in an ugly outfit, I wouldn’t expect someone to come up and tell me that just because I’m outside. Yes, feedback is an integral part of how we grow and why the community is so special but I have this saying of “it’s only helpful if it’s helping”. Everyone who provides feedback has good intentions but you wanting to be helpful is not the only thing that matters in that situation. The person on the receiving end needs to be open to accepting it. Which can be more difficult if they’re on the defense because someone without prompting decided to tell them what isn’t good (about something they probably just worked really hard on). That person also needs to be able to implement the feedback. Part of the benefit of solicited feedback is being able to engage with that person and understand more about how the viz came to be and where they are in their viz journey. And solicited feedback doesn’t always look like someone messaging you directly. It’s not uncommon for people to tack onto the post when sharing that they’re open to it. If they haven’t solicited it but you feel like it could be productive, a simple “Would it be okay if I gave some feedback on your viz?” is a good starting point.
Private
Usually when solicited but absolutely when unsolicited I prefer to provide feedback privately through a direct message. Especially if your usual medium for engaging with the community is Twitter, the character limit is so, well, limiting to giving feedback that is thorough and nuanced. It also makes it, in my opinion, less conversational which is something I’ll talk more about in the next section. I understand that there is a bit of an opportunity lost to potentially have other people learn or benefit from that advice but there is so much more that can be gained in the dynamic that is built by being able to go back and forth. If you’re feeling extra generous, offering to hop on a call can be nice as well though if you use this approach I still recommend following up the call with the feedback in writing.
Collaborative
If it’s not provided, ask what they’re struggling with. Ask if they have any specific questions. Ask them about the viz. Ask them about things they’re really proud of; this is especially helpful to avoid providing negative feedback on the things they love the most (I cannot be the only person who’s gotten feedback on non-negotiables in their viz). The exchange around feedback is in part why I feel so strongly about it being solicited and private because a collaborative approach is how you get the most out of the interaction and it’s hard to have that collaboration without the first two sections. Engaging them will help you direct your feedback to what’s going to be most impactful for them.
Tiered
Not all feedback is created equally and because of this I like to tier my feedback when I provide it. This also helps because getting feedback, especially from several people, can be overwhelming and providing it in a structured format can help the person on the receiving end navigate through it. The method I like to use is to provide it in ‘priority’ order in 3 sections: objective observations, suggestions, and extras.
Objective Observations: These are things that are functionally wrong with the viz. Some examples are, it says when I click on this button something will change and nothing changes or the math on something doesn’t work out. I would also put items such as font size and contrast in this section. These are the highest priority pieces as they either negatively affect the user’s ability to engage with the viz or impact the viz’s or the developer’s credibility.
Suggestions: This section should be the changes that you feel could improve the overall quality of the viz but are less cut and dry than what was listed in the prior section. You may feel strongly that it should be a bar chart instead of a map but if you ask 10 people and can get some variety of response, it has some level of subjectivity even if it aligns with best practices. So these, in my opinion, are secondary pieces of feedback to the above.
Extras: You’re probably wondering what’s the difference between suggestions and this section. From my perspective, suggestions identify potential gaps in existing pieces of the viz while this section is what could kick it up a notch. Example, “it could be helpful if you put a definition for X on your viz for users who are unfamiliar with the topic” is different from “it would be cool if when I clicked a song it took me to the song on Spotify”. The reason I separate this out is because I understand that by the time I’m seeing a viz a lot of effort has already gone into it so creating more might not be something they have the capacity to do and is lower priority than just enhancing what they already have.
Tangible
If you’re not sure what could be changed to improve the viz, I would refrain from commenting at all. Feedback should come with recommendations. I’m sure most people have experienced this in the workplace as well, if you’re going to bring problems, bring solutions. Comments like “it’s confusing” or “I don’t like the colors” are not productive and overall can be more discouraging than describing specifically what isn’t working and why and what could be done. The previously cited examples are not feedback. Feedback is “Both Disney+ and Max were colored dark blue on the chart and it was hard to differentiate which mark went with which service. Changing the color for one of them would make it easier to follow who is performing better”. Be specific and make it actionable.
Detach
In the early days there was a bit of my ego wrapped in providing feedback and I felt some type of way when it wasn’t taken. Not all of your feedback is going to be good or applicable in someone else’s eyes. Also some of it may be incredibly timely or labor intensive to implement which might not be a luxury the developer has. I wanted to end on the note that providing feedback, even when solicited, doesn’t mean it’s going to be utilized and you have to be okay with that and it’s not always a reflection about how “good” your feedback was. Provide your feedback, hope for the best for them, and then move on.
ASKING FOR FEEDBACK
Remember, asking for feedback is an opportunity to engage in a meaningful conversation about your work. It’s not just about identifying areas for improvement, but also about celebrating what you’ve achieved and understanding how your work is perceived by others. Encourage your reviewers to be honest and specific in their feedback and be open to their comments. This collaborative approach to seeking feedback will not only elevate the quality of your visualization but also enhance your growth.
Intent
When soliciting feedback for your viz, it's important to begin by sharing the story behind it. Use this as an opportunity to discuss your initial ideas, your motivations, and the specific insights you were hoping to highlight. This context allows the person providing feedback to understand your viz-ion (wink) and tailor their suggestions accordingly. By knowing what drove you to create the viz, they’re more likely to provide guidance that aligns with your overall objectives. Are you trying to spotlight a particular trend or challenge a perception? The narrative is the foundation of your viz and one of the areas that are most vulnerable. Having this exchange enables the feedback giver to comment on whether or not your viz successfully communicates it or if it gets lost amidst the other elements. Feedback that is aware of your goals can more effectively help you refine and sharpen the core message of your viz.
Needs
There are many areas in a viz to give feedback on and you know which pieces are most important to you or might be areas that you are lacking. Providing a guideline for your reviewer can help them focus their time and energy into an area that is going to be most impactful to you. Maybe you feel uncertain that the calculations are efficient or possibly you feel like the layout is cluttered or you want to know if all of the information is clear. Providing some of your curiosity or insecurities ahead of time will help to ensure you get what you need out of the exchange and the feedback is not only constructive but relevant.
Non-Starters
This would be the reverse of the prior section. While I recommend going into this with an open mind, I don't think it's unreasonable to have aspects that have special value to you and you may not need or want feedback on.. And it doesn't need to be communicated as resistance to change; instead reframe it to invite the person into understanding your feelings around them through phrasing such as “I really like this part” or “I'm particularly proud of these elements”. The creative process is very personal and so much of providing feedback is subjective so this method can help redirect the reviewer away from providing negative or constructive commentary on those pieces.
Share
I mentioned in the Providing Feedback section that one of the lost opportunities of having a private exchange is that the feedback doesn't benefit the larger community. There is nothing wrong with seeking feedback or making improvements to your work, in fact it's the only way that we can grow. So I encourage that after the interaction that you share some of the pieces that were most impactful to you more publicly. Not only does this have the benefit of other people growing from the feedback as well but it can encourage them to actively seek out feedback for their own work. Publicly discussing how feedback helped refine and enhance your work fosters the culture of collaboration and continuous improvement that is the backbone of our community.
Feedback is part of how we grow so if you aren’t already actively seeking it out, I suggest you start. Majority of people in the community would love to provide it if you asked (I’m always open to!) but if you’re not sure where to start you should check out Viz Office Hours run by Michelle Frayman, Nicole Klassen, and Zak Geis. And if you do get someone sliding into your DMs asking you to take a peek at their viz, I hope this helped provide structure on how to make the most out of it!
