What do you do if your Systems Design feedback isn't helping you grow and become more self-aware?
Systems design is a complex and creative process that requires both technical and interpersonal skills. As a systems designer, you need to be able to communicate your ideas, justify your decisions, and collaborate with others. But how do you know if you are doing a good job? How do you learn from your mistakes and improve your skills? One way is to get feedback from your peers, mentors, or clients. Feedback can help you identify your strengths and weaknesses, and provide you with suggestions and insights. However, not all feedback is useful or constructive. Sometimes, you may receive feedback that is vague, irrelevant, or contradictory. Or you may feel that the feedback is unfair, biased, or unhelpful. How do you deal with such situations? How do you make the most of your feedback and use it to grow and become more self-aware? In this article, we will explore some strategies to help you handle feedback that isn't helping you in your systems design journey.
The first step is to seek clarification from the feedback giver. Sometimes, the feedback may be unclear or incomplete because of a lack of context, details, or examples. You can ask questions to understand the feedback better, such as: What is the specific problem or issue that you are pointing out? How does it affect the system design or the user experience? What are some possible solutions or alternatives that you would suggest? How would they improve the system design or the user experience? By asking questions, you can also show that you are open and receptive to feedback, and that you value the feedback giver's perspective and expertise.
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Seeking clarification is necessary so as to get the main message the feedback is trying to pass. Aside the feedback might be ambiguous, I also suggest you reiterate the entire process to ensure users really understand the design too. Attach a guide or be there to make the whole process simple for stakeholder to give you accurate feedback. Feedback always help, so if you feel it is not help in your own case, then, look into the whole process from both side (Yours and the users) then see what to make better.
The next step is to evaluate the feedback and decide whether it is relevant, accurate, and constructive. Not all feedback is equally valid or useful. Some feedback may be based on personal preferences, assumptions, or misunderstandings. Some feedback may be outdated, inaccurate, or inconsistent with the system requirements or goals. Some feedback may be too general, vague, or subjective to be actionable. You can use your own judgment and criteria to assess the feedback, such as: Does it align with the system design principles and best practices? Does it reflect the user needs and expectations? Does it address the system performance, reliability, scalability, security, and maintainability? Does it offer specific, measurable, and achievable recommendations? Does it help you improve your skills and knowledge?
The final step is to respond to the feedback and communicate your thoughts and actions. Depending on the quality and nature of the feedback, you can choose different ways to respond, such as: Thanking the feedback giver for their time and input. Acknowledging the positive aspects of the feedback and expressing your appreciation. Explaining your rationale and reasoning behind your design choices and trade-offs. Providing evidence or examples to support your arguments or claims. Accepting the constructive criticism and admitting your mistakes or limitations. Asking for more guidance or resources to help you learn or improve. Rejecting or ignoring the irrelevant, inaccurate, or unconstructive feedback. Providing feedback to the feedback giver on how they can give better feedback in the future. By responding to the feedback, you can demonstrate your professionalism, confidence, and willingness to learn. You can also build rapport and trust with the feedback giver, and foster a culture of feedback and learning in your team or organization.
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Alex, a software engineer at Tech Innovate, felt stagnant despite receiving regular feedback. During a 1:1, Alex said, "I'm struggling to see where I can improve. Can you give me specific examples?" His manager, Sam, replied, "Let's review your last project. Your solution was functional but not scalable. For example, if we double the user base, your system would struggle. Let's compare it with Project X, which used a microservices architecture for scalability." This conversation illuminated Alex's growth areas, making the feedback actionable. Sam then suggested, "How about we pair you with Jamie for the next project? She's great with scalable systems, and it could be a valuable learning experience."
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