Summary: You guys know how important feedback is to our business. Feedback means growth. Feedback means accelerated success. But sometimes soliciting and receiving feedback can be a tough path to head down (which is why a lot of people simply don't do it - they're afraid of what they are going to hear). I recently embarked down my own path of solicited feedback and I'm sharing the response I got. Luckily, I was in the privacy of my own office - alone - and could react first, then follow a more normal protocol in terms of putting that feedback to good use. So what do you do when you get feedback, especially when it stings? 1. Remember that the purpose of soliciting for feedback is not to hear what you want to hear (although it's great when that happens). The purpose is to hear perceptual truth from potential users. 2. Next ask yourself if their truth is your truth. Is it applicable? Or is that a perception that is irrelevant or misaligned with your purpose and your audience (as it was in the feedback I shared with you - she clearly wasn't my target). 3. Don't over-analyze or make changes based on one assessment alone, especially if that assessment seems a bit extreme. Seek more input until you see patterns emerge. 4. Give it some time. Try to get your feedback or at least react to your feedback in isolation. Chances are, you are going to react. Once you can shake away all the emotions, you can truly process from a practical business standpoint. 5. When you make changes, split test the changes with your original to ensure it really makes sense. This is called an A/B split. Find a way to test both and make a comparison. You may find the original really was better aligned.
