Right, let’s talk about this ‘feedback factor’ thing. For ages, I kinda just did my own thing. You know, head down, build the stuff, figure I know best. Feedback? Yeah, sure, if someone offered it, maybe I’d nod along. But did I go looking for it? Nah, not really. Thought it just slowed things down, frankly.
That Big Project
Then came this one project. Man, I was proud of it. Spent weeks locked away, coding, designing, tweaking every little bit. It felt… perfect to me. My masterpiece. I showed it to a couple of guys on the team, just a quick look in the hallway. They said something like “looks okay” or “interesting concept”. I just took that as yeah, it’s good to go. Didn’t push ’em. Didn’t ask the tough questions. Why should I? I thought it was obviously brilliant.
So, the big day arrives. We roll it out. And then… silence. Well, not exactly silence. More like a flood of confused emails and support tickets. Users just didn’t get it. The workflow I thought was slick and intuitive? It made zero sense to anyone else. That killer feature I poured days into? Nobody could figure out how to use it, or they just didn’t care.
The Cold Hard Truth
It was a total flop. Tanked completely. Management was breathing down my neck. The team was pretty demoralized. And me? I felt like a complete fool. All that effort, all those late nights, completely wasted. It wasn’t even that the code was bad, technically it worked fine. The problem was, I’d built something nobody actually found useful or usable.
That’s when it really clicked. This ‘feedback factor’ isn’t just corporate jargon. It’s absolutely vital. It’s basically the difference between making something that helps people and just spinning your wheels building garbage nobody wants.
- I hadn’t bothered asking the actual users.
- I asked vague questions and got vague answers.
- Crucially, when I sensed hesitation, I didn’t probe or ask ‘why?’.
What I Do Now
So, I had to change how I operated. Now, I’m almost annoying about asking for feedback. Right from the get-go. Got a rough sketch? I show it to people. Built a clunky prototype? I sit people down and make them try to use it. I watch where they get stuck. Yeah, it can be awkward seeing someone struggle with your ‘brilliant’ idea, but it’s way better than finding out after launch.
I make sure to ask stuff like, “What part of this felt awkward?” or “Tell me what you were trying to do there.” Not just “Is it good?”. And I actually shut up and listen to the answers. Even the feedback that feels like a punch to the gut, because nine times out of ten, there’s something real in there I need to hear.
It’s not about letting feedback design the product for you. You still gotta lead. But you need that reality check constantly. That ‘feedback factor’? It’s just about making sure you’re still building something for planet Earth, not just inside your own head. It’s ongoing. Every single day. Definitely changed how things turn out for me. Less face-planting, more stuff that actually works. Still figuring it out as I go, mind you. Always are.
