---
title: "Constructive Criticism"
url: "/articles/constructive-criticism"
type: article
date: 2012-05-10
updated: 2016-04-07
---

# Constructive Criticism

#  Constructive Criticism 

 The Way to a Better Web

 By

 [  Tim Smith   ](/about/tim-smith) 

 May 10, 2012

  

A common theme in our amazing industry is excitement. Excitement about technology. Excitement about the progress of web standards. Excitement about how our young industry is continually refining its process to create a faster, more beautiful and accessible web. It excites me to talk about it; even more so everyday when I wake up and remember where I work.

It's in these times, more than ever, that we need criticism. Not just any type of criticism, but *constructive* criticism. What exactly does that mean? The dictionary defines it as the following:

> "Advice that is useful and intended to help or improve something." —dictionary.com

I like this definition a lot, especially the part about being "useful" and "to help or improve something." Though we can A/B test two things once they exist, the truth is, design isn't a mathematical equation. There are times we wish it could be, but it's not. Rarely is there a singular obvious solution for a given problem. Don't get me wrong, design is not magic. Design is just tough, especially when there are so many moving parts (responsive design pun intended).

This is something I've really loved about working at Lullabot. Jared, our Creative Director, always has feedback for me. He pushes me to improve and iterate on everything I work on. His years of experience trump mine and allow him to see things that I don't. Therefore, as time goes by I examine everything much more and I'm more aware of the details. He's making me a better designer and I'm eternally grateful for that.

Remember that behind every website is a person trying to do the best work they can. We're at a time where technology is moving a lot faster than we can sometimes design for. That means we'll make mistakes. We'll have content that we don't know how to deliver on every device. But, guess what? That's perfectly fine. We will learn from these missteps; and because we're a part of such an awesome industry, we'll share our successes and failures and offer constructive criticism to those who haven't learned yet.

The way to a better web isn't by public ridicule; it's by actually caring. As cliché as it may sound, we have the power to make the world a better place and that starts by the way we treat each other. Now, get back to work, we have tons of it.

 Published in:

- [  Technical Project Management   ](/topics/project-management)

 

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