5.3 Receiving feedback

Listening to and understanding feedback is important as it allows you to build upon your strengths and identify areas that could be improved. Remember that feedback should never be seen as a personal criticism. The following offers a useful guide to receiving feedback.

• Ask for clarity if needed. Giving clear feedback is a skill that is not possessed by all. If you have received feedback that you can’t act upon, you can ask for more detail.
• Accept positive feedback. You would not want to remove an aspect of your design that was seen as good.
• Evaluate the feedback you receive against your end goal. It may be the case that the feedback you receive is not relevant. But if you decide to disregard the feedback, make sure you have a clear rationale for this.
• Don’t take ‘negative’ feedback as a personal criticism. It is helpful that someone has taken the time to evaluate your work and suggested areas for improvement.