Critique needs Context

Something I wanted to talk about over a long long time already, Feedback & Critique.
The main point of this subject are (web)designers in general, especially focused on online plattforms where we have the ability to give & receive feedback/critique on our work such as Dribbble, Behance or the most recent one Hunie.

Those sites are not primary for getting constructive feedback or critique, even if some of them claim that this is what they're for. I've seen so much people complaining about that the critique they receive is either not constructive enough or just completely off. Don't set yourself wrong expectations.

Critique needs context, online as well as offline. Just that online it's even harder to transport context so your peers can understand & give you constructive feedback.

Especially in the fields of Design, Art & UX the feedback & critique you receive online is usually out of context and only helpful if it's just about certain techniques used.

When a friend shows me a design & asks for feedback I usually ask a lot of questions to get more context about the design decisions behind in order to give constructive & helpful feedback. Otherwise I can only say "Oh yeah, I like/dislike it" or "Oh, this pixel is isn't aligned man" because I have absolutely no context and understanding of the briefing behind. My feedback is purely based on personal taste & my experience, and this is not a guarantee for being constructive.

It always depends on what kind of feedback/critique you want to receive. In some cases I even appreciate feedback that is completely out of context. But most projects have such a detailed briefing/background that you can't expect anything from just showing a work in progress screenshot, especially when talking about digital projects.

However, if you publish something online or offline, prepare yourself that people will criticize your work without even being asked. It's your decision to provide them with as much context as possible to get more constructive feedback out of it, or you just ignore it when it's just completely off.

You will always receive critique as soon as you put something out there and the great thing is that YOU have the power & context to decide what's helpful and what's bullshit. There is this book called "Ignore Everybody by Hugh MacLeod which basically brings it to the point: Ignore Everybody's bullshit and don't let other people bring you down, but at the same time don't make the mistake and run around with eye's closed. It's about a healthy balance, like always.

Context is always powerful, in lots of situations in life.