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Unfair critcism

Filed under: People and society by Hari
Posted on Sun, Jul 24, 2005 at 19:39 IST (last updated: Wed, Jul 16, 2008 @ 21:19 IST)

There are many places on the web where you can get your website reviewed. And every web designer, webmaster and programmer loves to hear opinions on how cool his site is and how well the site is integrated. Unfortunately soliciting reviews for a website can also be a two-edged sword. Having spent days and weeks painstakingly designing and tweaking what you think is a cool site design, how would you like your site to be described as "looking like an MS Word document"? Unfair one-line criticism? I think so. I had personal experience of this and I can tell you that you'll feel the same way if your hard work was similarly trashed. And although I talk about websites in particular here, I mean just about any creation. It doesn't matter what. People feel hurt when criticized unfairly. There can be no ambivalence here. Either criticism is unfair and negative or constructive and positive. I don't believe in middle-ground in this particular issue.

And that's why I am always upset when people rubbish other people's hard work. Therefore I make it a point not to offer one-line reviews for others' websites. Suggestions to improve? Yes. Constructive criticism? Yes. Dismissive statements? No. One line smart-alec remarks? No. Whenever possible, I always give suggestions softly and try and soften the criticism as much as possible. Believe me, nobody likes to hear bad things about themselves or their creations from total strangers.

But there are so many who are not sensitive to such issues, simply because they themselves have never been at the receiving end. And when accused of unfair criticism they will spring on you with the "right to free speech" argument. Although I do agree that people have a right to opinions (and a lot of people like to flaunt that right), I am a bit worried about the new trend of rubbishing the hard work of others. It seems it is fashionable these days to nitpick and find fault. People take pride in noticing the smallest errors that appear on the website, like to criticize your choice of colours and graphics and your website content. Everybody is an expert when it comes to judging other people but their own creations leave so much to be desired. Believe me, nobody likes "frankness" of that kind. Even when what you say might be substantially true a lot of unpleasantness can be avoided by being much more diplomatic and using constructive and positive feedback. For example, if you find a website rather badly designed, rather than saying:
Don't take me wrong, but your site looks so amateurish. Boy you should really get a course in web design.
You can try saying:
Hey. I visited your site and I really think the idea is great. However, you could do with a little bit of refinement. Personally I think the shade of red you use for the menu bar is too bright and hurts the eyes. You could try toning it down a bit. And I suggest keeping the advertising banners on one side. They take too much space and are distracting from the focus of your site which is the content. Again, great idea! With a little bit of tweaking with the colours and graphics, you have a winner there.
In the first review, you ask a person not to take it wrong, but immediately make sweeping statements. Who wouldn't take that as unfair criticism? Who wouldn't take that statement as a personal insult, let alone an insult to their creation? But so many people find it much easier to criticize this way and take pleasure out of it too. They like to portray themselves as "tough nuts" and strong characters. And the worst aspect is that they do it in a couple of minutes. They wouldn't even have browsed your site for two minutes, but they find no problem in trashing two weeks of hard work outright not understanding how they would feel if placed on the other side. As I have illustrated being honest and being sensitive to others' feelings are not mutually exclusive.

In the second example review, you take the time to notice a few aspects of the site and give the impression that you care about the structure of the site. You notice a few points from a third-person's point of view and you give some hints on how the visitor's experience can be improved. You actually give the impression of having taken the time to go through the site and finally definitely come across as having some consideration for the site designer's sensitivities. And most importantly you offer a few encouraging words. Who doesn't find this much more pleasant and useful? Who wouldn't respond with a heartfelt "thanks"? Without sacrificing honesty, the point is made with a lot of tact and diplomacy that the website design needs work. And unless the designer is totally biased and unreasonable, he would certainly respond much more positively to such criticism. More pleasantness and the cost is nothing but a few thoughful words and phrases.

The bottom line is that I believe in respecting people and more importantly respecting their work. Because people take so much pride in their creations and identify themselves so much with them. Especially if their work is none of your business and you are merely called upon to review it from a different perspective. Offer your honest perspective but do so politely, constructively and usefully or just don't. It is much pleasanter for all concerned.

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