Grab any product you know like the back of your hand and check out its comments. Ditch the fake, fluffy ones—they’re as real as a three-dollar bill! Personally, I get a good laugh out of reading those one-star dramatics. Oh, and we’re ignoring the folks who say, “Awesome product!” and then slap it with one star. If they can’t figure out stars, can we really trust them to use, well, anything right?
And no essays, please! If it’s more than three paragraphs, it’s out. You picked this product because you know it, not because you want a novel about it.
So, that’s your homework. Read at least ten reviews to get the full flavor. You’ve got people who don’t have a clue about how to use it, folks mad because their $20 bargain isn’t a luxury item, and then the ones complaining about some weird feature nobody even wants!
Before you start feeling like a genius compared to the “expert” who can’t find the ON button, just remember: this is the person shaping your future! They speak up, and suddenly, companies are changing things. Meanwhile, you stayed silent, so brace yourself for even more irritating changes as things get “simplified.”
This isn’t just about your favorite gadget—it’s the same story with software, politics, kitchen stuff… pretty much anything!
Engineers aren’t out there smirking while they make confusing stuff; programmers aren’t rubbing their hands together as they make head-scratching features, and writers aren’t snickering while writing bad stuff. But, well, it happens. It’s not on purpose; it made sense to them. So, why would they want to change? What would they even change? If you’ve read any of my posts you already know how differently engineers see the world. We like complexity.
Is the light starting to dawn? Those crafting these grand designs don’t think there’s anything wrong. They might polish it up a bit, but change it? That’s where comments come in. Not all suggestions will make the cut, some are just way off, but many will. Yours certainly won’t, because you didn’t say peep about what you liked or didn’t.
The last time I wrote about this, people thought I was just fishing for comments. Sure, I like comments, but I’d call it a win if you start voicing your opinions on Amazon, Goodreads, or even to your local politician.
Why the focus on you? I like to think my readers are a bit smarter than the average social media maven. I’d bet none of you have whined about color shades not matching the pictures. I want a future driven by thinking people, not in the hands of those moaning about changing batteries.
So, here’s the deal: until you start shouting your opinions where people can hear, don’t come complaining when the future smacks you in the face with a wet fish!
© 2023, Byron Seastrunk. All rights reserved.
This is a great point and I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately.
The first one I want to write is to Schick who makes shaving gel. They changed the design for their travel containers and the dispenser is now useless when they had a good design. It’s a design that should have never made it past prototype. I usually post good reviews in my google reviews but rarely post the constructive feedback. Thanks!