What are the best practices for giving and receiving feedback in engineering design?

1 Understand the purpose

Before giving or receiving feedback, you should understand the purpose and context of the feedback. Is it formative or summative? Is it intended to help you refine your design, validate your assumptions, or evaluate your performance? Is it based on specific criteria, standards, or expectations? Knowing the purpose and context of the feedback will help you align it with your design goals, scope, and constraints, and avoid confusion or conflict.

2 Be specific and actionable

Feedback should be specific and actionable, meaning that it should provide clear and concrete information and suggestions for improvement. Avoid vague, general, or personal comments that do not address the design problem or solution. For example, instead of saying "This design is too complicated", you could say "This design has too many features that are not essential for the user's needs. You could simplify it by prioritizing the most important functions and eliminating the redundant ones." Specific and actionable feedback will help you focus on the strengths and weaknesses of your design, and identify the next steps to take.

3 Be respectful and supportive

Feedback should be respectful and supportive, meaning that it should acknowledge the effort and creativity of the designer, and encourage further development and learning. Avoid harsh, negative, or dismissive comments that do not recognize the value or potential of the design. For example, instead of saying "This design is terrible", you could say "This design has some interesting ideas, but it needs more work to address the user's pain points and expectations. You could improve it by conducting more user research and testing your prototypes." Respectful and supportive feedback will help you build trust and rapport with your feedback partner, and motivate you to keep improving your design.

4 Seek diverse perspectives

Feedback should seek diverse perspectives, meaning that it should involve different sources, viewpoints, and experiences that can enrich your design. Avoid relying on a single or similar source of feedback that may not capture the full range of user needs, preferences, and contexts. For example, you could seek feedback from your peers, mentors, clients, users, experts, or stakeholders who have different backgrounds, roles, skills, or interests related to your design. Diverse perspectives will help you broaden your understanding of your design problem and solution, and discover new opportunities or challenges.

5 Be open and receptive

Feedback should be open and receptive, meaning that you should listen carefully and attentively to the feedback, and appreciate its value and relevance for your design. Avoid being defensive, resistant, or indifferent to the feedback, or rejecting it without consideration. For example, you could thank your feedback partner for their time and input, ask clarifying questions, summarize the main points, and explain how you will use the feedback to improve your design. Open and receptive feedback will help you learn from your feedback partner, and demonstrate your professionalism and commitment to your design.

6 Follow up and reflect

Feedback should follow up and reflect, meaning that you should act on the feedback, and evaluate its impact and effectiveness for your design. Avoid ignoring, forgetting, or misinterpreting the feedback, or applying it inconsistently or incompletely. For example, you could document the feedback, prioritize the most important or urgent actions, implement the changes, and share the results with your feedback partner. You could also reflect on the feedback process, and identify what worked well and what could be improved. Follow up and reflect feedback will help you measure your progress and performance, and enhance your design skills and knowledge.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?