Comments on: Learning In Progress #10: Writing Effective Criticisms http://www.jonjones.com/2007/07/12/learning-in-progress-fuck-knows-what-writing-concise-criticisms/ Jon Jones is an Art Outsourcing Manager in the video game industry. Wed, 01 Feb 2012 07:02:35 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Dwight Hayles http://www.jonjones.com/2007/07/12/learning-in-progress-fuck-knows-what-writing-concise-criticisms/comment-page-1/#comment-340272 Dwight Hayles Mon, 07 Dec 2009 20:44:25 +0000 http://www.thejonjones.com/2007/07/12/learning-in-progress-fuck-knows-what-writing-concise-criticisms/#comment-340272 A large part of my job is critique, qa and reviews. Working on 3d assets I find the best way to portray what I am trying to say is through images. Nothing says "this area needs fixed" better than a still image or render of the asset with either an arrow pointing to the area or a number next to the area. The number corresponds to the numbered correction that explains the fix needed in detail. Sometimes it is hard to explain a correction when a 3d asset is comprised of 200+ mesh components and some of those components are very complex. I also find it very helpful to have another artist critique the asset before I get a chance to look at it. I ask the QA artist to critique the asset as if he were in my position. This really cuts down on those minor corrections that take a long time to explain when there are a lot of them. Lastly I think it has the added side effect of bringing the team closer together. I see artists working together fixing problems on assets before I even get a chance to see it. That is very cool to me. A large part of my job is critique, qa and reviews. Working on 3d assets I find the best way to portray what I am trying to say is through images. Nothing says “this area needs fixed” better than a still image or render of the asset with either an arrow pointing to the area or a number next to the area.
The number corresponds to the numbered correction that explains the fix needed in detail.
Sometimes it is hard to explain a correction when a 3d asset is comprised of 200+ mesh components and some of those components are very complex.
I also find it very helpful to have another artist critique the asset before I get a chance to look at it. I ask the QA artist to critique
the asset as if he were in my position. This really cuts down on those minor corrections that take a long time to explain when there are a lot of them.
Lastly I think it has the added side effect of bringing the team closer together.
I see artists working together fixing problems on assets before I even get a chance to see it. That is very cool to me.

]]> By: Jon Jones http://www.jonjones.com/2007/07/12/learning-in-progress-fuck-knows-what-writing-concise-criticisms/comment-page-1/#comment-249465 Jon Jones Sun, 08 Feb 2009 02:18:34 +0000 http://www.thejonjones.com/2007/07/12/learning-in-progress-fuck-knows-what-writing-concise-criticisms/#comment-249465 Josh, that's awesome that it works in person too. I don't have the benefit of working with my artists in the same building, so that's really cool that similar principles work in different circumstances. You also bring up a terrific point about annual reviews... I hadn't even thought of using feedback structured this way for helping put those together. :) Win! Thanks for the comment! Josh, that’s awesome that it works in person too. I don’t have the benefit of working with my artists in the same building, so that’s really cool that similar principles work in different circumstances.

You also bring up a terrific point about annual reviews… I hadn’t even thought of using feedback structured this way for helping put those together. :) Win!

Thanks for the comment!

]]> By: Josh Jones http://www.jonjones.com/2007/07/12/learning-in-progress-fuck-knows-what-writing-concise-criticisms/comment-page-1/#comment-249456 Josh Jones Sun, 08 Feb 2009 02:13:09 +0000 http://www.thejonjones.com/2007/07/12/learning-in-progress-fuck-knows-what-writing-concise-criticisms/#comment-249456 I've been doing something fairly similar for my own team. Even though I can simply verbally provide feedback and bounce tasks around with "make changes as discussed" I find it is much more effective to be anal and provide bulleted comments. It's a reminder to both me and my colleague. And it is too easy to have a change request slip through the cracks if you don't have it written down in detail. Lastly, it's good to have this written record when doing annual reviews and you need to jog your memory about how the workflow of certain animation tasks went over the course of a milestone that you can barely remember. I’ve been doing something fairly similar for my own team. Even though I can simply verbally provide feedback and bounce tasks around with “make changes as discussed” I find it is much more effective to be anal and provide bulleted comments. It’s a reminder to both me and my colleague. And it is too easy to have a change request slip through the cracks if you don’t have it written down in detail. Lastly, it’s good to have this written record when doing annual reviews and you need to jog your memory about how the workflow of certain animation tasks went over the course of a milestone that you can barely remember.

]]> By: Dan Rickard http://www.jonjones.com/2007/07/12/learning-in-progress-fuck-knows-what-writing-concise-criticisms/comment-page-1/#comment-28450 Dan Rickard Tue, 14 Aug 2007 12:09:00 +0000 http://www.thejonjones.com/2007/07/12/learning-in-progress-fuck-knows-what-writing-concise-criticisms/#comment-28450 Ha ha.. this is too funny... I'll make sure to watch for this when we get our feedback from you... by the way... where is our feedback?? (notice I used two question marks?) :) Ha ha.. this is too funny… I’ll make sure to watch for this when we get our feedback from you… by the way… where is our feedback?? (notice I used two question marks?) :)

]]> By: Jon Jones http://www.jonjones.com/2007/07/12/learning-in-progress-fuck-knows-what-writing-concise-criticisms/comment-page-1/#comment-28069 Jon Jones Wed, 25 Jul 2007 16:04:30 +0000 http://www.thejonjones.com/2007/07/12/learning-in-progress-fuck-knows-what-writing-concise-criticisms/#comment-28069 Yeah, I often break out the compliments into a separate paragraph that generalizes everything, or I'll call out one particular asset as being my favorite in that batch. :) Something else I do -- particularly for studios -- is write up all my critiques in a text file and put it in a dated drop folder on the FTP in addition to email. That way it helps them store the changes outside of email and it's in a dated directory they can refer back to. It's the same way I keep track of it. Yeah, I often break out the compliments into a separate paragraph that generalizes everything, or I’ll call out one particular asset as being my favorite in that batch. :)

Something else I do — particularly for studios — is write up all my critiques in a text file and put it in a dated drop folder on the FTP in addition to email. That way it helps them store the changes outside of email and it’s in a dated directory they can refer back to. It’s the same way I keep track of it.

]]> By: Stahr http://www.jonjones.com/2007/07/12/learning-in-progress-fuck-knows-what-writing-concise-criticisms/comment-page-1/#comment-27863 Stahr Sat, 14 Jul 2007 00:55:41 +0000 http://www.thejonjones.com/2007/07/12/learning-in-progress-fuck-knows-what-writing-concise-criticisms/#comment-27863 I've been following your blog for some time now, and I'll just be posting a fast comment before bed. I think it's good to let the praise to be somewhat constructive, like telling them in what way it is great, like: This really suits the general feeling/idea, especially this(perhaps pointing out what you think made the thing work), please continue with thoose ideas, etc. Then you got both praise and the fact that the artist know what he did good, it would have got more meaning than just a general praise. Perhaps you emphasized this enough in your post, pointing at the sense of weight. but it's great to keep it short and listed, this makes it so much easier to me as an artist. and also, getting everything in one mail and not in a dozen ;) that is good also, I mean the artist also do his/her oganizing on the replies he/she gets and have some kind of system for it. I’ve been following your blog for some time now, and I’ll just be posting a fast comment before bed.
I think it’s good to let the praise to be somewhat constructive, like telling them in what way it is great, like: This really suits the general feeling/idea, especially this(perhaps pointing out what you think made the thing work), please continue with thoose ideas, etc.
Then you got both praise and the fact that the artist know what he did good, it would have got more meaning than just a general praise. Perhaps you emphasized this enough in your post, pointing at the sense of weight.
but it’s great to keep it short and listed, this makes it so much easier to me as an artist.
and also, getting everything in one mail and not in a dozen ;) that is good also, I mean the artist also do his/her oganizing on the replies he/she gets and have some kind of system for it.

]]> By: Jon Jones http://www.jonjones.com/2007/07/12/learning-in-progress-fuck-knows-what-writing-concise-criticisms/comment-page-1/#comment-27861 Jon Jones Fri, 13 Jul 2007 20:17:05 +0000 http://www.thejonjones.com/2007/07/12/learning-in-progress-fuck-knows-what-writing-concise-criticisms/#comment-27861 Thanks dude! I'd be really interested in hearing how it works out for you. One additional bonus I forgot to mention is that keeping it in very simple sentences and clearly organized like that helps for the studios I use that don't speak English as a first language. Thanks dude! I’d be really interested in hearing how it works out for you.

One additional bonus I forgot to mention is that keeping it in very simple sentences and clearly organized like that helps for the studios I use that don’t speak English as a first language.

]]> By: adam crockett http://www.jonjones.com/2007/07/12/learning-in-progress-fuck-knows-what-writing-concise-criticisms/comment-page-1/#comment-27860 adam crockett Fri, 13 Jul 2007 20:12:37 +0000 http://www.thejonjones.com/2007/07/12/learning-in-progress-fuck-knows-what-writing-concise-criticisms/#comment-27860 nice suggestions. I'll probably empliment this technique into critiques of my outsource studio's animation. I generally use an excel sheet, but this may come in much handier for the contractor to reference. nice suggestions. I’ll probably empliment this technique into critiques of my outsource studio’s animation. I generally use an excel sheet, but this may come in much handier for the contractor to reference.

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