A few days ago I was looking for a new saddle for my bicycle and stumbled upon the website for Brooks England. The way their reviews are structured really stood out. Instead of grouping reviews together they are broken out into two groups: Unsolicited Testimonials & Unfiltered Criticisms.

It got me thinking, how much valuable feedback do they receive from customers because they open themselves up to criticism? Probably a lot. The dissatisfied customer now has a direct (and public) place to speak their mind.

Also, it gives the company a way to publicly address real problems from real customers. Not only do they now have an opportunity to turn dissatisfaction into satisfaction, the discussion is open to potential customers. A potential customer can not only read about the problems, but also see the resolution (or lack of).

What if we as developers were more open to criticism? For one, we would receive valuable feedback to help improve our code, development processes, and ultimately our products. But perhaps more importantly it would help absolve our fear of shipping. Opening the door to criticism shifts the focus from being afraid of what others think to welcoming the feedback, even if the feedback is negative.

What do you think?