Port & Starboard

A Tactful Critic

January 07, 2010

Random opinionated thoughts on criticism.

Tim Van Damme (aka Maxvoltar) wrote the article, “Stop being so fucking polite”, which got me to thinking about criticism. There are two facets to criticism, detrimental and constructive. How a critique is stated can determine whether it’s taken into account or ignored completely.

Detrimental Criticism

Let’s face it; we’re all opinionated and judgmental. What we choose to like or dislike makes us who we are. When you dislike something enough to voice a perspective it can easily be interpreted as negative. This is apparent in body language, facial expressions and tone. Also being harsh or just barking statements like, “It sucks,” don’t help. Either way, right or wrong, the message will not be received.

The reason is, we get defensive and put up our guard. As a result, it causes a debate. Tensions rise and it becomes more about the statement and less about the value. No one gains from this situation except when it’s a disciplinary scenario.

Constructive Criticism

A colleague presents a website concept to you seeking your approval. He possibly has been pondering what praise he’ll receive for the attention to detail. The only problem is, you perceive it as hideous.

A positive critique should begin by further investigating what evoked this observation; this can be done by asking yourself questions to uncover the reason(s). There is a lot of bias and personal preference that comes into play. When there is a clear answer, it’s more likely to be received.

Turns out, it was the color that didn’t convey the website’s product. You tell your colleague and include a few possible solutions. Adding to their basket of eggs is better than throwing them on the floor. You never know, the client could've chosen the colors for the website and not the designer.

Don’t Take it Personally

Yes, it took several hours to design that realistic interface element or wrangle a bit of code into submission. The thing is that someone would have done it differently, maybe even better. When they give criticism, don’t just put up the defense wall, take it into consideration. It can be easy to ignore another person’s idea, but it would be idiocy not ponder the alternatives.

Before you critique, step back and look at it objectively. You can be courteous while sharing your solution. By being deliberate, it opens up the possibility of being accepted.