Hey Daylight Builders! It’s me, Rob.
Firstly, on behalf of the entire Daylight team, thanks for being a Builder. When we say that Daylight is built for the LGBT+ community by the LGBT+ community, we’re talking about y’all!
We’re building a bank that we’re proud to call our own. A uniquely queer take on banking that’s designed to help our community have fulfilling futures faster.
Let’s talk about how to do that most effectively.
Why give feedback?
We’re a community and we can do more together. When you share your feedback with the Daylight Builder community, or directly with the Daylight team, you help us to:
- Have more empathy for different people’s feelings and experiences using Daylight.
- Spot bugs and overlooked needs.
- Understand your expectations, often based off of other products you love that have worked differently elsewhere.
Most importantly, your feedback helps us authentically build a product designed by the LGBT+ community.
Good vs bad feedback
Not all feedback is created equally and it’s important to know that feedback and opinions aren’t (necessarily) the same thing. The goal of feedback is to help the Builder Community to empathize with you and to motivate us all to prioritize and implement your changes.
Not everyone in the Builder community works in tech, or has given product feedback before. We get it! It’s easy to accidentally give bad feedback and when that happens, other people might feel like you’re trying to:
- Speak on behalf of the whole world / community / “all queer women”.
- Show how smart you are.
- Elicit humor at the expense of other Builders and the Daylight team.
Bad feedback makes the product team (and other Daylight Builders that have contributed) defensive instead of more empathetic. No one wants that, because when people feel defensive, they are less likely to listen to you and less likely to make the changes you’re suggesting.
But since we’re all passionate about making Daylight a great product for the LGBT+ community, here’s some tips on how to provide good feedback.
The Daylight team’s tips for giving feedback that makes an impact
1. Speak for yourself (and give us the context)
The LGBT+ community is really diverse and it’s always surprising what things people find very easy that others find more difficult. So we find it’s better not to assume that other people are sharing your experience.
As objectively as you can, describe what you expected and what actually happened. We’ll be able to empathize with you better if we know what you’re trying to achieve, what device you’re using etc.
“I got confused setting up a goal on my iPhone” is better than “Goals are confusing” or “This will confuse users”. This will help us to empathize with you more.
Not every new feature to appeal to every person, so try to avoid over-dramatic statements like “Nobody will like/use this”. Remember that lots of feedback is provided in digital spaces, so tone is hard to appreciate and since the goal of providing feedback is to create empathy, a generalized “people will hate this” won’t help with that.
If you’re having trouble understanding what we’re trying to do, it’s ok to ask “What value is this providing to the Daylight community?” and just leave it there. We’ll get back to you to explain (and will understand that we need to explain something a little more, or tweak the design).
2. It’s okay to have (or not have) suggestions
While we want to keep things positive, statements like “don’t give feedback unless you’re being constructive” aren’t as helpful as they sound.
Just because you’re not a designer or an engineer, it doesn’t mean your feedback is any less valuable. Don’t be afraid to tell us what’s not working, even if you don’t have a suggestion. It’s the Daylight team’s job to figure out some options, and if you’re sharing in a public space other Builders will have ideas too.
And don’t be afraid to give specific suggestions because you don’t want to tell the team how to do their job. We love suggestions! We’ll find it easier to empathize with your idea if you also help us understand how your suggestion solves the particular problem.
“I’d suggest moving the goals onto the main page so that I can see it next to my balance” is better than “move the goals to the main page”.
3. The best suggestions give us the goal too
We think that the best suggestions don’t just articulate the solution.
“Give us a way to make it easier to comment on an article” is better than “Make the button bigger”. We’re obsessed about getting the experience right, so we’ll take it from there, and if not we’ll reach out and ask.
4. Lean into your queerness!
We’re building a bank that’s uniquely our own so don’t be afraid to offer us suggestions about how we can redecorate! Just because your current bank doesn’t do it, doesn’t mean that we can’t. While managing your money is serious, there’s no reason it can’t be fun too. This can include:
- A fun or playful way of describing a feature (“A savings purse instead of a savings goal” Anyone? )
- Some queer iconography or pop culture reference you’d like our designers to integrate somehow
- A tool that you’d love but haven’t seen before – “I’d love to know which restaurants other queer people are eating at”.
Don’t be afraid of getting out of your comfort zone – the team will make sure things don’t get too naughty. 😉
5. We’re changing the world, together, so make your voice count
Be proud of being a Daylight Builder. There has never been a digital bank created specifically for the LGBT+ community in the USA, so your voice matters. Make the most of the opportunity, speak up and participate. You can give us feedback by:
- Commenting on an article in the app
- Chatting with us via the in-app support
- Emailing the team at support@joindaylight.com
Parting thoughts
We’re a community of members and we’ll never stop learning about how to do better.
We’re all on this journey together, building an app that we’re proud to call our own.