You're facing negative user feedback on game features. How can you improve without demotivating your team?
Negative user feedback is tough, but it's also a goldmine for improvement. To transform critiques into motivation:
- Identify recurring themes in feedback and prioritize those issues for improvement.
- Frame the feedback as opportunities for growth to the team, rather than failures.
- Celebrate small wins and progress towards addressing the feedback to maintain morale.
How do you handle negative feedback while keeping your team inspired?
You're facing negative user feedback on game features. How can you improve without demotivating your team?
Negative user feedback is tough, but it's also a goldmine for improvement. To transform critiques into motivation:
- Identify recurring themes in feedback and prioritize those issues for improvement.
- Frame the feedback as opportunities for growth to the team, rather than failures.
- Celebrate small wins and progress towards addressing the feedback to maintain morale.
How do you handle negative feedback while keeping your team inspired?
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Negative feedback are opportunities to improve but not all negative feedback is loot worth picking up. Treat negative feedback like sorting through a game's drop system—filter the noise (trolls and unhelpful comments) and focus on the rare drops: genuine insights that align with player engagement data and your game's core mechanics. You need to equip your team with the mindset that even negative feedback is XP, helping refine features and unlock the next level of player delight.
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As a security consultant I have to give a lot of negative feedback daily to improve customers security posture. So I noticed that handling and implementation of negative feedback effectively starts with shifting the mindset. I try to work with the teams and refrain the mindse. feedback is not an indication of failure—it’s an opportunity to improve. Focus on patterns in the feedback, as they highlight key areas for improvement. Communicate this to the team clearly, showing how it aligns with long-term goals. Try not drown them in negativity, section the feedback allign to relevant teams and get it improved. Finally remember to celebrate progress, no matter how small. Acknowledging people and efforts is key to success.
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Negative feedback can be challenging, but it’s also a valuable opportunity to improve the game. Here’s how one can approach the situation constructively and keep the team motivated: 1. Reframe the Feedback - Celebrate Feedback as Input: Emphasize to your team that feedback means people are engaging with your game. Their critiques are opportunities to refine and succeed. - Separate the Game from the Team: Remind your team that negative feedback is about the product, not their abilities or efforts. 2. Provide Emotional Support - Encourage Resilience: Remind the team that iteration is a normal part of game development. - Highlight Learning: Frame this as a growth experience, showcasing how all great games improve over time.
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Beta testing is a part of all game developements in the gaming industry. Negative feedbacks are a part of the process just like positive feebacks. In the past many games have been recalled due to initial feedbacks and have managed to make a comeback with the next one in line. If you stay true to the story the dynamics and the mechanics of the games will adapt as per. The team is your support, your guide, your family and your process in designing the game. If you as a developer are prepared for both forms of feedback then always keep the team on toes to accept similar feedback or expect and accept similar feedbacks. In the end if you need to make it right, make it right, make it work. All the best.
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This is the way: - rephrase feedback for your team. Be honest but without unnecessary emotions. Nobody wants to listen a toxic comments after two mounts crunch. - deconstruct it. Try to detect the real reason of users frustrations. Analyze it. Ask team about ways to fix it. - sometime developers just need to laugh at they self, at product glitches or (yes it’s real) at users who wrote the comments. We (developers) are people too😉
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Negative player feedback is never easy, but it’s a valuable tool for improvement. I always present it to the team constructively, emphasizing it’s about the product, not their effort or skills. Together, we analyze the feedback, identify key areas to address, and prioritize quick, impactful changes that can shift player perception. Seeing even small adjustments make a difference is motivating for the team. I also make it a point to recognize their hard work, both before and after the changes. Feedback isn’t criticism; it’s guidance, and I focus on turning it into a clear path for progress.
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Players will have different opinions on features. Some might love a new feature, some might hate it. The most important thing is to not take it personal. The best option is to discuss objectively with the team and figure out if the feature can be improved in certain ways that would please the users a bit more, without hurting the players that already love the new feature. Celebrating the positive reviews is also a good way to keep the team motivated while adopting a 'how can we improve it further?' mindset.
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Zeljko Banovic
CEO @ Punkster
(edited)Demotivate them straight on, and then reward them for the effort - with 3 payed days off - connected with weekend - to cool down and find motivation to continue. Any other way and you will be perceived as a fraud, as soon as opinions get public. That will happen even if you do your best to hide it. The bottom line is, you team can work even with low motivation, but will not work if they lack trust in your words.
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Acknowledge the feedback as an opportunity to improve rather than a setback. Share it constructively with the team, focusing on solutions instead of blame. Celebrate the strengths of their work so far, then collaboratively brainstorm improvements. Create a clear action plan, set achievable goals, and maintain open communication to keep the team motivated and aligned with the project’s vision.
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As a leader you need to reframe the negativity into the opportunity of the issue by... 1. Sticking to the facts 2. Removing the noise 3. Helping the team prioritise 4. Recognizing the team and their efforts 5. Defining the value, positioning the reason why it's an opportunity and why doing this work is worth their while versus other work. 6. Saying " Thank you " to individuals