How to Give the Most Effective Product Feedback?

If happiness is the essence of life, then growth is its impelling force.

Growth is a cynosure to success. We all know it; we have all heard it. 

Ever wondered what drives ‘Growth’? 

It’s that information you receive on your product, task, performance, or anything which eventually propels you to improve. 

In simple terms, it’s the ‘Feedback.’

Feedback is essential, not just for the individual but also for organizational growth.

Want to turn over a new leaf by giving effective feedback to get the desired results?

You have come to the right place.

We have discussed How to give product feedback efficiently here in this blog.

Read on,

Asking for and receiving feedback is a crucial part of product development, yet it can be challenging to give feedback that is both useful and actionable. This is especially true regarding product feedback, which can be subjective and hard to quantify. 

Giving feedback is an art; it takes practice to get it right. But with a bit of know-how, you can learn to provide feedback that is both helpful and well-received. 

Here we have some tips on giving feedback that will be useful for the teams to get better.

When You Give Good Product Feedback?

Feedback always serves as a grist to the mill for the enterprises. For the longest time, companies and users have preconceived notions that only negative feedback can take the organization on an uphill streak. But in reality, the positive feedback also provides a psychological boost.

Now the main question is, when do you give positive feedback?

There is no one answer to this question as it will vary depending on the product and the user’s experience with it. 

Giving feedback can be a delicate process, but following these guidelines will help ensure that your feedback is positive and helpful.

Product managers can follow a few general guidelines when giving feedback.

Regarding good product feedback, product managers should follow a few general guidelines. 

• Feedback should be given early and often. This will keep the employees motivated.
• Try to be regular with both good and bad feedback.
• When you feel the product or feature is made with due care and is likely to fulfill expectations.
• Feedback should be constructive. This means you should focus on offering solutions and ways of improvement.

When it comes to giving feedback on products, product managers should take care to avoid giving negative feedback too often. While it is important to point out flaws and areas for improvement, doing so constantly can foster a negative and unproductive environment.

By following these guidelines, product managers can ensure that they are giving feedback in a helpful and informative way.

In general, product managers should aim to provide constructive and helpful feedback. Doing so can ensure that the product team is always working towards making the best possible product.

Lastly, remember to be respectful when giving feedback. Even if you didn’t like the product, there’s no need to be rude.

Now let’s see how you can adroitly provide feedback when you find some flaws.

When You Give Bad Product Feedback?

Appreciation will boost you, but the criticism refines you and takes you to great heights. We all know that market changes at a fast pace. To thrive, you should have the pliability to adapt through vicissitude.

Now let’s address the question.

‘When You Give Bad Product Feedback?’

There is no single answer to this question as well, So we have to reiterate and say, 

It depends on the situation and the product.

Product managers should always be direct, objective, and specific when giving feedback. 

Having said that,

There are times when it’s imperative to provide negative feedback. 

Let’s quickly see what those times are.

• If a product is not meeting customer needs.
• If it is not performing well in the market, then giving negative feedback is likely helpful. 
• If a team is not meeting expectations.
• If there are communication issues, then giving negative feedback can be a way to help improve the situation.
• If it is causing usability issues, it is important to highlight these problems.

Of course, there is no hard and fast rule for when to give negative feedback. Ultimately, it is up to the product manager to use their judgment to decide when negative feedback is necessary.

It’s important to give feedback – good or bad – when you’re using a product. This feedback helps teams improve the product and make it more user-friendly. 

Giving bad product feedback can be difficult, but it’s important to do it correctly. This way, teams can make the necessary changes to improve the product.

We have whittled down a consolidated list of top tips for you to follow to give effective feedback. Keep reading!

9 Best Tips for Giving Product Feedback

Now you can incorporate these tips to get the most from your feedback.

1. Start with the positives

When giving feedback on a product, it’s essential to start with the positives. This helps to build rapport and trust with the person receiving the feedback. It also makes it more likely that the person will listen to and act on constructive criticism.

Always thank the person for their time and effort in creating the product. Whether positive or negative, feedback is integral to the product development process.

2. Tell them the context: 

Nothing is more confusing for the team members than vague feedback. As a Product manager, it’s your responsibility to communicate the context to the team. Do not straightaway shell out your ideas and takeaways without giving context. 

Presenting the context first will save a lot of that precious time and yield better results. As the room for confusion will be reduced significantly.

3. Avoid generalities

When giving feedback on a product, it’s important to avoid generalizations. For example, saying “this product is terrible” doesn’t give the person or team who made the product any helpful information. It’s essential to be specific about what you didn’t like about the product so that the team can improve it in the future.

Some specific things you can mention in your feedback include:

• What were you trying to do when you used the product
• What didn’t work well for you
• What could be improved
• What you like about the product

By giving specific feedback, you’ll help the team to make improvements that will benefit everyone who uses the product.

Generalities can be frustrating for team members because they do not provide clear direction. If you find yourself giving general feedback, try to be more specific. For example, instead of saying, “you need to be more organized,” you could say, “I noticed that you missed your deadline for the project proposal. What can you do to avoid this in the future?”

4. Be clear and concise

When giving feedback on a product, it is vital to be clear and concise in your comments. This will help the team to understand your perspective and make the necessary changes to improve the product.

It is also essential to be respectful and constructive in your feedback. This means avoiding personal attacks and instead focusing on the areas that need improvement. You can positively impact the product and the team by giving thoughtful and helpful feedback.

5. Be objective

When giving feedback on a product, it is crucial to remain objective. This means you should not let your personal opinion or preferences cloud your judgment. Instead, it would help if you focused on the product itself and whether it meets the customer’s or user’s needs.

It can be challenging to remain objective, especially if you are not a product fan. However, it is important to keep your personal opinion out of the equation and to focus on the facts. This will help you to provide accurate and helpful feedback that can be used to improve the product.

6. Avoid giving personal criticism

No one likes to be on the receiving end of personal criticism. And yet, when it comes to giving feedback on a product or service, it can be all too easy to slip into complaints about the person than the product.

When giving feedback, it’s important to focus on the product or service itself and not on the person who created it. This can be difficult to strike, but it’s important to remember that the goal is to improve the product, not to put the person down.

So how can you avoid giving personal criticism while still giving helpful feedback? Here are a few tips:

• Focus on specific aspects of the product or service that you would like to see improved.
• Avoid making general statements about the product or service that could be seen as criticism.

7. Ask why we are doing this

Creating a product is not the only objective of a business. Businesses must maintain their market share, generate revenue, and create shareholder value. The purpose of a product is to solve a problem for the customer. 

Before a business can determine whether or not to create a product, it must first assess whether or not the product will be profitable. Additionally, the product must be able to meet a customer’s needs or wants. If a business cannot answer these questions, then it should not create the product.

8. Use “I” statements

Using “I” statements is essential when giving feedback on a product. This will help the person receiving the feedback to understand your perspective better. For example, instead of saying, “the product is too complicated,” you could say, “I find the product to be too complicated.”

“I” statements are important because they help to create a dialogue between you and the person receiving the feedback. This dialogue can help to identify the root of the problem and find a solution that works for both parties.

9. Avoid using absolutes

As a product manager, you will often need to give feedback to your team about the product they are building. It is important to avoid using absolutes when giving this feedback, as it can lead to misunderstandings and misinterpretations.

Instead of saying, “this product is terrible,” try to give constructive feedback that is specific and actionable. For example, “I think we can improve this product by doing X, Y, and Z.” This feedback is helpful and will allow your team to make the necessary changes to improve the product.

Conclusion

The best companies out there did not just inure through the changing business milieu but aced them like a boss.

Do you know why? 

Because they did not hesitate to change and grow, the good news is you can be one of them too. All you need is flexibility, which is not just structured to taking feedback but also giving them.

In this blog, we have provided a few of the proven ways to give feedback effectively, but there are copious other ways that can also be useful.