Do you like the tool?
You ask three friends: "Do you like my tool? It is great, yes?"
They say yes. Of course they say yes. You learned nothing.
Good feedback comes from the right people and the right questions. A fair question does not push the answer.
Key words
| Word | What it means | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Feedback | What users tell you about your solution. | It is hard to find Cancel |
| Survey | A set of written questions given to many people. | a short online form |
| Interview | A talk where you ask a person questions. | five minutes with the manager |
| Observation | Watching a person use the tool without helping. | a desk worker books a court |
| Closed question | A question with a fixed set of answers. | Rate it from 1 to 5 |
| Open question | A question that lets people answer in their own words. | What would you change? |
| Leading question | A question that pushes people to give a certain answer. | You love it, right? |
| Focus group | A small group that talks about the solution together. It should be a mix of the people who will use it. | 1 staff member, 3 members, 1 visitor |
| Rating | A score, such as 1 to 5. 5 is the best. | 4 out of 5 |
| Sample | The group of people you ask. | 2 staff, 5 members |
| Consent | A person agrees, knowing why you ask and what you will do with it. | a short note and a tick box |
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Seven ways to gather feedback
| Method | Good for | Be careful |
|---|---|---|
| Verbal feedback | Quick comments, formal in a meeting or informal in a chat | Write it down at once, or you forget it |
| Survey | Many people, simple numbers | People may skip questions or answer too fast |
| Interview | Full answers: why people think what they think | Takes a lot of time. You can ask fewer people |
| Observation | Seeing real problems. Write notes in an observation record | People may act in a different way when watched |
| Focus group | Ideas that grow when people talk together | One loud person can take over the group |
| Performance and use data | Facts from the tool itself, such as bookings each week | It shows what happened, not why |
| Trial and rating | A score and a comment after use | Only people who tried it |
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Quick check: asking well
Have a go
Quick check: asking well
4 questionsHave a go: your answers are marked here and then forgotten. Sign in if you would like your score kept, and to pick up where you left off.Sign in to keep your score
Your answers are marked here and are not kept. A college account keeps every student’s marks.
Fair, honest and safe
Tell each person why you ask. Tell them what you keep. Let them say no.
Do not collect names unless you need them. Keep the answers safe. This is how you follow the rules on personal data. Personal data means facts about a real person.
Worked example: an average rating
| Step | What you do | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Five members rate the tool | 5, 4, 4, 3 and 5 |
| 2 | Add the ratings | 5 + 4 + 4 + 3 + 5 = 21 |
| 3 | Count the ratings | 5 |
| 4 | Divide the total by the count | 21 divided by 5 = 4.2 |
| 5 | Say it in words | The average rating is 4.2 out of 5 |
The cells students fill in are left blank in this preview.
Try it: add up the ratings
ratings = [5, 4, 4, 3, 5]
total = sum(ratings)
print("Total:", total)
print("Count:", len(ratings))
print("Average:", round(total / len(ratings), 1))
# Add the rating 2 to the list. Run it again.