I live for feedback!
It’s true! I love feedback. It is a key cornerstone of life. Good feedback, bad feedback I like it all! It helps me improve as a person (constructive) and it tells me what I’m doing right (positive). In reality, it is how I learned to interact with people. It is a key trait in a lot of successful people that I know: consistent feedback gathering. It helps improve what needs improving and validate the positive.
Ever since I’ve started learning about HCI and design, I’ve come to recognize the real power of feedback. Let me take this “hypothetical” system: let’s say that this system is used for requesting access for data for a fairly big organization. Let’s call it a Data Access RequesT (DART) system. You know, completely hypothetical!
So you fill out the online form. It requests things that are fairly standard: what type of access, what system, who you are, justification on why the access is needed and when it is required. Pretty standard stuff, nothing special there. However, once the form is sent off the only feedback you get is “Thank you, your DART will be processed within 2-5 business days.” Ok! Who’s processing it and why did you bother to ask me when I needed the access when you’ll be processing it within 2-5 business days anyways. I suppose it could be the gremlins in the server room have no concept of time and space. Then I get an email, “You’re DART has been processed for approval.” it says. Alright, I expected as much, at least I know my information is in there somehow. Who is approving it? Who knows. The day after I get another email, “Johnny Approver has been added to the approver’s list!” There’s a freaking list?! Really? The consequent days after you get emails giving you a list of people who haven’t approved your access request until everyone has actually approved it.
My point here is that things are obviously happening in the background. There are widgets blinking, beeping and cogs are being turned. That’s fine! It is expected that a system requesting access needs to gather and collect approvals. That’s Ok! It is the cryptic nature of the emails and feedback given that becomes an issue. Who’s approving it? Why is Johnny Appleseed getting added to the list of approvers? Why, system, do you taunt me by letting me know who hasn’t approved it? I’m really starting to develop a grudge against those people who haven’t approved it!
Feedback is important. It makes Ritchie feel less anxious about pressing that Submit button because the next time I have to ask for some access I’m seriously going to wait for that list and start camping out at their cubicles with a knife. But again! Its a hypothetical system!
11:22 am 0 Comments
