Academics, and those with a special interest in the area of youth participation and user feedback, tend to define new terms for what seem like simple concepts at an alarming rate.
One such term is ‘perceptual feedback’. Simply put, this refers to the perspectives, feelings, and opinions individuals have about their experiences with an organisation that is used to inform and improve the practice and decision making of that organisation.
A new analysis by the US based Fund for Shared Insight Perceptual+Feedback+Whats+it+all+about explains that this type of feedback is completely subjective: it reflects the users’ own views and experiences, and cannot be verified by anyone else. It can, however, be contrasted with behavioural feedback: whether or not the user actually does anything differently as a result of the organisation or service.
Taken together, the two types of feedback are a really helpful way for an organisation to ensure that users’ experiences are at the heart of their planning, management and evaluation.