by JessDear jovotans,
Your jovoto Toolbox is a new blog series where we will be discussing the platform’s main features and how to take advantage of them.
We’ll be covering topics like giving feedback, rating ideas, collaboration and guidelines. Learning more about how to use these tools will help you to become better integrated into the jovoto community and hopefully even ups your chance of success on the platform!
First up in this series: giving feedback. Feedback is a core aspect of what makes the jovoto community so strong and is also an important aspect of the creative process. This is why we have recently introduced the Best Feedback Award. We hope by reading further, you will be able to better understand what “good” feedback is and how you can give it!
Here is our list of 7 ways that you can ensure your feedback is both helpful and effectively communicated. Remember, it’s about helping out your fellow jovotans!
1. R-E-S-P-E-C-T!
Aretha was onto something here. By keeping feedback respectful, you can expect the same in return! Try to give feedback with the intention to help the other person to improve & develop their idea, so do it with respect & consideration. Put yourself in their shoes; how would you like to hear it? Focusing on the positive aspects of the idea before moving onto what exactly could be improved is a great way to deliver the message in a respectful manner.
2. Constructivity is key
Respect is the number one rule, but constructivity comes in at close second.. As one of the pillars of jovoto, constructive feedback is meant to help you or another creative develop your ideas. It’s nice to give compliments but don’t stop there, we’re striving for more effective and constructive feedback! An example of a constructive comment would be “I think you’re on the right track, but keep in mind the target group is women from 15-30.” Don’t worry if something doesn’t come to mind right away, sometimes explaining why you think an idea or design is great is already a big step in the right direction!
3. Suggest a solution
There is nothing more constructive than a suggestion on how your fellow jovotan can take his or her idea to the next level. Once you’ve identified something that could be improved about an idea, why not make a solution-oriented suggestion? For example “Hey johnny73, great overall design! I think you could keep experimenting with the typography though, what about trying out a non-serif font?
4. Straight to the (bullet) point
If you have more than one thing that you’d like to address you can consider making bullet points or dividing your feedback so it’s easy to understand and follow your argument. The goal here is to try to make your comment as clear and easy to read as possible!
5. Stay relevant to the subject
This one is self-explanatory. Apples are not oranges. Stay objective and make sure your feedback is relevant to the problem or subject at hand.
6. Ask a question
Feedback does not only have to be about addressing what’s good or what could be improved, it can also be about raising the right questions. By doing so you can open up a completely new way of looking at a problem or an idea, which can be extremely helpful to the recipient.
7. Be realistic
Keep in mind that the person you are helping has likely already invested a lot of time and effort into their idea. Sometimes focusing on one or two aspects about their idea will be more helpful than telling them to rehaul their whole design.
So there you have it. You’ve got the basic tools you need to be a constructive and effective feedbacker. Don’t wait to put what you have learned into practice, test out your feedback skills in one the projects live right now! Who knows, you could be the first Best Feedback Award winner.
Note: Don’t forget, we strive to provide the best workplace for you so the feedback doesn’t have to stop under the ideas! You’re always welcome to give us feedback in our Support Center. Just click on the Support button on the bottom of each page, or contact the community team on community@jovoto.com.
