Why and How to Overcome a Limited Feedback Loop

3 steps to get you past the blocker that is limited feedback

A limited feedback loop is horrible.

I hate working with little or no feedback. Who does? It drives me mad, seriously it does.

Science and their approach to experiments have taught us about the benefits of feedback, thus allowing us to understand how to make things better. For me, it is a completely logical way to work. How else can we learn?

And yet, here I am working in a limited feedback loop. I want to make progress, but without feedback, I don’t know how to.

The rigours of limited feedback create challenges on the negative side, forcing those in that limited feedback loop to become frustrated. Frustrated with the unknown. Frustrated at the lack of answers to the questions a feedback request creates. Left with nothing, then the only thing you can do is stagnate.

I don’t want to stagnate, especially as I want to get better at what I’m doing. So, here are my thoughts on how to overcome a limited feedback loop. But before we get to that, I want to share with you the value that comes from an open feedback loop. This should give you the motivation to help you overcome your own limited feedback loop.

The power of an open feedback loop

Experimentation works by taking a hypothesis and testing it. If the test works then the hypothesis is true, which is positive feedback. If it doesn’t work then you’ve still got feedback, but to prove the hypothesis you need to do something different. By recording each experiment you have feedback, then this allows you to try something different in the next experiment.

This is the power of the feedback loop and it’s great!

Feedback loops aren’t only limited to science, they are equally important in life.

A child’s development is based on a feedback loop. For example, a toddler about to take their first steps is in a feedback loop. As the toddler stands, he knows what he wants to do. This is his hypothesis. With each step, he is getting feedback. As he stumbles, his brain has already started to process the feedback from what went wrong. His mind calculating that he had not put his foot down flat enough, thus causing him to tumble.

Of course, the toddler can’t describe it to us as he hasn’t learnt to speak properly. But his brain is using the feedback loop to learn and try again. That is how we all learn to walk and it is incredible.

Feedback in business

In business, feedback is essential for a business to grow. A business designs a product, and through consumer feedback sessions a business starts to learn what the consumer likes and dislikes. We have all heard of minimum viable products before. Feedback is how they evolve and grow.

Of course, as individual feedback is going to be subjective, then the challenge is to try and make it objective. A way to achieve this is to get lots of feedback. Surveys are a practical example of this type of feedback gathering.

Limited Feedback Loops

Limited feedback loops inevitably contain three elements which of course, give me such a sense of frustration.

The first element is one that’s hard to overcome. When the subject of the feedback is broad, like a written document, for example, there are many parameters that can be incorrect.

Even worse, is that it’s on the reader as to how they apply their knowledge or interest in the subject matter.

So, the criteria the feedback relates to is broad, then this opens up the next issue, which is one of subjectivity. Subjectivity is by its own definition, opinionated. That in itself isn’t the end of the world, so to speak. But, taken with the third element, it does become a significant issue.

The third element is the feedback itself.

Let’s consider the written text again. For instance, a written text is likely to have many factors within it. But, if the feedback is a general yes, or in particular no, then you will have no idea which factors influenced the feedback.

Of course, and this is what drives me mad, you have no idea. If you got a yes, then you’re just as unlikely as to know why it was a yes than if you got a no.

Be in no doubt, it’s the quantity and quality of the feedback that makes a feedback loop successful. But what do you do if you want to make progress, and need feedback and the routes to it are effectively closed?

Build your own loop

This sounds so simple, doesn’t it?

If only it was. For me, if we are talking about a written text, for example, then there are so many more aspects to consider, I don’t even know where to start. But, I’m not going to be defeatist, because writing this will help me set out my own process to overcoming a limited feedback loop.

1. Establish what the objective criteria’s might be

Every system, just through the nature of what it is, will have a level of objective checks built into it. Any software system has to, especially if it has to operate a scale.

This can be hard to define. For example, let’s take a Google search. It’s believed that there are more than 200 objective factors that define the outcome of a search result. No one knows what they all are, but there are companies that exist just to identify them.

Remember, your hypothesis is to prove in this instance that your written text is valid, so take the time to work out factors such as format, presentation, image use etc. You won’t find them all, that would make it too easy, but you can get close.

2. Build a checklist

This process is about overcoming the objective factors. Don’t assume, as I do, that you know them all of them from memory. Write a checklist, one that defines each objective criteria you’ve found. It will make all the difference in getting your hypothesis right.

I kick myself when I look at back the things I’ve missed as a result of not having a checklist.

3. Build your own subjective audience

Having got through the easy stuff, that is the objective criteria, it’s time to look at the matter of subjectivity. This opens up something that won’t be definitive, but it will hopefully get you closer to overcoming the issue of limited feedback.

My first thought on this is to build yourself a network that you can reach out to. Maybe, as I came across in an article recently, you could create a network where you help each other with subjective feedback. It’s something I am going to look at doing and then I will get the benefit of learning how others write as well.

Let’s be frank. Limited feedback loops are terrible, especially for writers. For me, you have to overcome this, otherwise, you’re likely to not make much progress, if any.

The three actions I have outlined provide positive steps to overcome this issue. It will force you, and me to assess your work and others, as you strive to identify and define the objective standpoints in play. You will never get to know all the objective structures within any system unless you know the system architect. But, giving yourself the task to identify them will open your eyes to things you’ve not appreciated before.

Using a checklist is just a failsafe. It prevents you from missing the basics that we all do from time to time. Of course, that leads you to the subjective audience. I’m looking forward to trying this and seeing where it takes me and the quality of my work.