Archive for July, 2006
How to give feedback
Golden oldies week on the blog. All from Small is the New Big.
Blog readers are far more likely to be asked
for their input than the average employee. You’re frequently required
to approve, improve, and adjust things that are about to become real.
And yet, if you’re like most people, you’re pretty bad at it.
In the interest of promoting your career, making your day at work
more fun, improving the work life of your colleagues, and generally
making my life a whole lot better, I’d like to give you some feedback
on giving feedback. As usual, the ideas are simple–it’s doing them
that’s tricky.
The first rule of great feedback is this: No one cares about your opinion.
I don’t want to know how you feel, nor do I care if you would buy
it, recommend it, or use it. You are not my market. You are not my
focus group.
What I want instead of your opinion is your analysis. It does me no
good to hear you say, "I’d never pick that box up." You can add a great
deal of value, though, if you say, "The last three products that
succeeded were priced under $30. Is there a reason you want to price
this at $31?" Or, "We analyzed this market last year, and we don’t
believe there’s enough room for us to compete. Take a look at this
spreadsheet." Or even, "That font seems hard to read. Is there a way to
do a quick test to see if a different font works better for our
audience?"
Analysis is a lot harder than opinion because everyone is entitled
to his or her own taste (regardless of how skewed it might be). A
faulty analysis, however, is easy to dismantle. But even though it’s
scary to contribute your analysis to a colleague’s proposal, it’s still
absolutely necessary.
The second rule? Say the right thing at the right time.
If you’re asked to comment on a first-draft proposal that will
eventually wind its way to the chairman’s office, this is not the time
to point out that "alot" is two words, not one. Copyediting the
document is best done just once, at the end, by a professional. While
it may feel as if you’re contributing something by making comments
about currently trivial details, you’re not. Instead, try to figure out
what sort of feedback will have the most positive effect on the final
outcome, and contribute it now.
Far worse, of course, than the prematurely picky comment is the
way-too-late deal-breaker remark. If I’ve built a detailed plan for a
new factory in Hoboken, New Jersey (and negotiated all the variances
and integrated the existing landscaping), the time to tell me you were
thinking of relocating the plant to Secaucus was six months ago, not
the night before the groundbreaking.
The third rule? If you have something nice to say, please say it.
I’ve been working with someone for about a year, and in that entire
time, he’s never once prefaced his feedback with, "This was a really
terrific piece of work," or "Wow! This is one of the best ideas I’ve
heard in a while." Pointing out the parts you liked best is much more
than sugarcoating. Doing so serves several purposes. First, it puts you
on the same side of the table as me, making it more likely that your
constructive criticism will actually be implemented. If you can start
by seeing the project through my eyes, you’re more likely to analyze
(there’s that word again) the situation in a way that helps me reach my
goals. "I think it’s great that you want to get our quality ratings up.
Let’s see whether the added people you say this initiative requires are
really necessary, and whether beginning your report with staffing needs
is the best way to get this past senior management."
Second, it makes it so much more likely that I will come to you for
feedback in the future. It’s easy to interpret the absence of positive
feedback as the absence of any sort of approval or enthusiasm. Finally,
being nice to people is fun.
If I haven’t intimidated you with my other rules, here’s the last one: Give me feedback, no matter what.
It doesn’t matter if I ignored your feedback last time (maybe that’s
because you gave me your opinion, not an analysis). It doesn’t matter
if you’re afraid your analysis might ultimately be a little shaky. It
doesn’t matter if you’re the least powerful person in the room. What
matters is that you’re smart; you understand something about the
organization, the industry, and the market; and your analysis (at the
very least) could be the kernel of an idea that starts me down a
totally different path.
Originally
from Seth's Blog
by
reBlogged
by michael
on Jul 22, 2006, 8:43PM
Design Academy Eindhoven graduate projects
Design Academy Eindhoven’s Masters Graduate 2006 projects are now posted on their site. Their graduate show took place on Friday at the Droog Gallery. Jose Rojas’ “Brick Revival” (shown above) celebrates the longevity of the brick, defining this material that responds to time, nature, and human interaction. Rojas participated in the IM (Masters in Interior, Industrial, and Identity Design) program.
…
Originally
from core77.com's design blog
reBlogged
by michael
on Jul 24, 2006, 6:04PM
WolframTones: An Experiment in a New Kind of Music
This site attempts to distill stylistic aspects of music into a simple visual, using simple algorithms to recreate a stylistically appropriate set of harmonies.
Richard Sarson
Richard Sarson is a recent graduate of London’s Royal College of Art.
Circles are a principal element of his design vocabulary as evidenced in several of his recent projects, which include The Circle Project, a recent series of drawings made with a compass and felt markers, Swim, a music video for U.K.-based band Fell City Girl, and a series of posters for the Royal College’s music nights.
More photos after the jump
TAGS: Art, Graphic Design, London,
Originally
from Cool Hunting
by
reBlogged
by michael
on Jul 24, 2006, 11:41PM
Energy plants
[Image: Metropolis points us toward a new design project by Aleksandar Rodic. "Windfarm installation is controversial in many communities," Metropolis writes. The controversy is relatively superficial, however, as it's inspired by worry over "the visual impact of turbines... on the natural landscape." Thus, to improve "the aesthetics of renewable power generation," there is REimaginations, a traveling exhibit in which Rodic's image first appeared: "Compared to polluting energy sources, the exhibit suggests, 21st century wind farms represent an elegant blend of form and function." For a related project, see WorldChanging].
Originally
from BLDGBLOG
by
reBlogged
by michael
on Jul 24, 2006, 6:43PM
Do you make things more complicated?
Business blogger Scott Berkun writes about high and low maintenance people in a recent post.
There’s “Complexifiers”, people who go out of their way to make things more complicated, and there’s “Simplifiers”, who thrive on paring things down to the basics. More from Scott:
“Complexifiers are adverse to reduction. Their instincts are to turn simple assignments into quagmires, and to reject simple ideas until they’re buried (or asphyxiated) in layers of abstraction….They take pride in consuming more bandwith, time, and paitence than needed, and expect rewards for it.
Simplifiers strive on concision…They find ways to communicate complex ideas in simple terms without losing the idea’s essense or power.”
Originally
from Lifehacker
reBlogged
by michael
on Jul 24, 2006, 2:30PM
Implant Matrix – Philip Beesley
Implant Matrix by Philip Beesley is an interactive geotextile that could be used for reinforcing landscapes and buildings of the future. The matrix is capable of mechanical empathy. A network of mechanisms react to human occupants as erotic prey. The structure responds to human presence with subtle grasping and sucking motions, ingesting organic materials and incorporating them into a new hybrid entity.
Implant Matrix is composed of interlinking filtering 'pores' within a lightweight structural system. Primitive interactive systems employ capacitance sensors, shape-memory alloy wire actuators and distributed microprocessors. The matrix is fabricated by laser cutting direct from digital models. The project is supported by the Daniel Langlois Foundation for Art, Science and Technology, the Ontario Arts Council and the University of Waterloo School of Architecture.
Thanks to Geoff of BLDGBLOG for the tip
Originally
from Interactive Architecture dot Org
by
reBlogged
by michael
on Jul 23, 2006, 11:02PM
Interface Design Skill-set Diagram
Though I hesitate to add another interpretation to the already long list of diagrams mapping the relationships between the nomenclature and specialties that fall under the umbrella of “user experience designâ€, this diagram has often helped me to explain my role and value proposition as an interface designer.
An appropriate balance between customer needs, business goals, and the opportunities and limitations afforded by technology provide an interface design’s foundation in the form of a business case. A design that enables people to understand, use, and enjoy a product that fits the business case is what makes up the interface. All the other customer touch points (retail, support, marketing, etc.) form the complete user experience.
Over the past few years I’ve become more engaged in the development of product strategies in addition to product designs. In this role, the product design work is higher-level and the focus is on the transition from business model to user experience (of which an interface design is a key component).
Tags: diagrams, interface, user experience, interaction design, strategy
Originally
from Functioning Form: Interface Design
by
reBlogged
by michael
on Dec 31, 1969, 11:59PM
Movie Titles
Working Title. Seven minutes of rapid-fire movie titles. Via Jim Emerson. For a slower study, try Shill’s collection, currently showing in The MoOM.
Originally
from Coudal Partners Blended Feed
reBlogged
by michael
on Jul 24, 2006, 2:07PM
René Barba’s Penta Chair for Umbra
Cuban born, Miami raised and living in Paris since the early nineties, each of these cities and cultures has an influence on René Barba’s design. His new Penta Chair for Umbra presents his design philosophy in a tight, angular and attractive form: Strong lines, geometric forms, accessibility and proportion with a modern view. René works across media, including ceramic, glass, furniture and material.
The Penta Chair is made of several facets, each covered in leather and designed to resemble the facets of a precious cut stone, “revealing a different perception depending on the viewer’s standing point,” says Barba, and the metal rods at the base provide, contrary to their simple presence, a strong and stable setting for the seat. The chair measures 29 x 24 x 20″ and retails for $385.00
TAGS: Chairs, Design, Furniture,
Originally
from Cool Hunting
by
reBlogged
by michael
on Jul 24, 2006, 1:12PM
