Hi everyone, hey, wanted to get out of the computer and talk to you in person... about giving feedback on UX design projects... so why are we talking about feedback on projects? It's because, in the next video... not sure why it's behind me... but the next video in the series here is a class project...

where we're actually going to submit it, and there's... you know, you'll be looking for feedback... and the problem with-- where I'm at professionally now, is that... I think, we crossed over like half a million students... no, was actually quite a while ago now... so even if I wanted to do this full-time and only give feedback...

and never make courses again... I still couldn't keep up with the... you know, with everybody's projects... and you want feedback, I want you to have feedback. So the deal is, is that you're going to... when you submit one project you have to give feedback to two other projects...

of people doing a similar sort of thing, or anything... so that's going to be the deal... why do we do it? It's two reasons, right, you want feedback, you want critical feedback... you want to see if you're doing it right... you know, it's nice to get that interaction...

it's important for you to grow as a designer... and probably more importantly is you giving feedback to other people... will help you more than you know... being able to articulate yourself in terms of... what you do like, what you don't like, to other people... really helps you understand...

what you like, what you don't like... and it allows you to really get good at selling in your ideas... when you are presenting UX design projects... so it's win-win, you submit one, which will be the next project... and you comment on another two, we pay it forward... because it's good for all we're doing here at Bring Your Own Laptop...

it's good for you, it's good for the people that you're commenting on... it's all sorts of wins. The problem is, is not everyone knows how to give feedback... some of you will be great at it, so go do that... I'll give you my tips to do it, yeah, let's do that. First up, let's talk about the things you don't do...

the don't dos is, well done, thumbs up emoji... that's not useful for anybody so we're going to add a little bit more value... doesn't have to be paragraphs... but I'll give you a good structure in a second on how to... do something meaningful to the person you're doing it... and so that you can actually develop your...

articulation of reviewing... it's not a word, but here we go. First thing is, is that if you see something, you're like... "I don't even know what to say, because I'm not even sure what I'm critiquing"... if that is the case, and you're not sure, instead of skipping it, ask a question... that's a great way for, to get the dialogue started, which is awesome...

but also, it helps the person that is posting the... you know, project, to be a bit more, to know that people are checking it... so that they're going to be a bit more articulate about how they are... you know, delivering it, explaining it... maybe bit of screenshots, maybe an "A", a "B"... so ask a question if you're unsure, and ask a specific question...

"Hey, what is going on over here, what is this bit for?"  Not just question mark, "What is this?," be a little bit more... specific to get a dialogue started... so if you're unsure, ask a question about the project. So let's say that we do know what they're trying to do... and we've got an opinion on it, we're not sure what to say... bring in the critique sandwich...

so what is the critique sandwich? So it is... it's, it's a methodology that I find works for me... so you take it, use the bits that you like, throw away the bits you don't... if you're very experienced you probably already have a way of doing this... go do that...

but there's going to be lots of people... who are actually just doing the Essentials course... moving into the Figma Advanced, even though they're quite new to the industry... because they want to get their skills up, so that's probably you. So, to give a good critique, I find, is... the sandwich is kind of made up of four parts...

it's two bits of bread and two meaty bits in the middle... or VG bits, because I'm vegetarian... but the bread bits are the positivity... and the middle bit is the, the real meat of it... it's not so much negativity, it's more the constructive part... so I find, leading with the things that you do like about it, helps it...

and lets the person receive the bits that... that you feel like it could be done better, or you got questions about... so leading with the things that you like... and ending, the ending one's easy, "Well done, keep going."  So that's the sandwich, the bits in the middle... let me take a pause, gather my thoughts, wait there... let's talk about the meaty part of the sandwich, the good bits.

There are two parts to it, there is the critique, and a solution... let's talk about the critique first... the most important part, probably, of this whole thing... it is, what I find giving-- I found criticism really hard to give... I'm the, Dan going to please everybody guy... so I found it really hard to give criticism until I worked out that...

if I change the positioning of, instead of it being me versus you... "I don't think the buttons are-- I think the buttons are too big"... or, "I don't like the colors of those buttons"... that's my opinion versus your opinion... not the way I work, I find it tricky... and the other person receiving it is, it's a...

it's a sleight on them and their decision making... if we move it across one... to the Persona and the project... I find it works better for everybody. So let's say that, we talk about the buttons, the size of the buttons... so if I said something more like the...

you know, considering the Persona, a tech savvy Persona... would find these buttons too big... I don't know, does it feel better than... "I don't think-- I think the buttons are too big"... and the Persona will find these buttons too big... or, "Traditionally this type of Persona, or this type of task...

has this sort of size buttons"... I feel like shifting it just a little bit over, I can get really--  and then I can go and find, research, and have stuff to back it up... rather than me versus you. So that's it, look at the task, it might be the task, it might be the Persona... whatever they're trying to do... let me think of another good task example...

how about this... bad way, "There were too many steps in this cancellation process"... me versus you, whereas if I use the Persona and the task... I say that... "I think the audience will find these many steps... in the cancellation process confusing" ...

I don't know, does it feel, it feels night and day to me, maybe not to you... but using the person, and then finding the task problematic... then leads us into what we can do next... whereas if I say, "I don't like you... the way you design," is a tricky way... anyway, next step.

So after the critique is the-- you need to offer a solution... and don't be too prescriptive, don't be like, "Make the logo bigger"... or, "Make the buttons smaller"... or, "Make the buttons 20 pixels, or 25 pixels, or 40 pixels"... don't be very specific... be more direction pointing...

like, "Hey, have you-- can you explore some more buttons?"  "Hey, have you had a look at this design system... they use these sizes, they're aimed at a similar audience, go check that out."  So allowing people a bit of creative freedom... and yeah, don't be too prescriptive... but offer something, some direction... "Have you tried" is another good one, "Can we explore"... is language that allows us both, me and you, the critique and the...

I don't know what you are... you're the designer... anyway, to go off together to explore stuff rather than us butting heads... there you go, critique, solution, the middle of the sandwich... that is it, that is the critique sandwich. Now one last thing...

is I want to give you permission to be able to critique anybody's work... you might be like, "Oh, I don't want to, they look better than me"... in this space, in this Bring Your Own Laptop world, it's okay... because the person receiving the critique... even if they're really good, and you've only been doing it for three days... they know, and you know, and I know that we're practicing our critiques...

and your first ones aren't going to be very good... you're allowed to be not very good at that... and then as you get through the course more and more you'll get better at it... you'll become a better UX designer... better able to communicate your ideas so go off and that. All right, that is it, let's get on to the class project...

and with Dan, clean the office up... he's letting his things go... like, "Ah, go to the beginning, I don't have to tidy up anymore"... look at that, that blurry thing at the background there, can you see... is a 3D printing box... was doing some 3D printing with some stinky plastics...

and it needs a, what do you call it, housing container, anyway... so it's all in bits, everything's flying around... but creativity, everywhere, it's also messy... all right, on to next video.