Feedback is simply receiving information on the outcome of an action or inaction. Don Norman describes it as "some way of letting you know that the system is working on your request."
I keep my phone and laptop keypad tones off. On pressing a key, when I see the letters appearing on the screen, I know that the keys are working. The tones are just additional feedback that I do not need. When I transact, I wait for the success message to appear on the screen. The accompanying sound is additional, and at time it is annoying.
Too much feedback can be an irritant sometimes.
On the other hand, If my phone is on silent and in my pocket, I will end up missing incoming calls. If I forget to put on my seat belt, the display on the dashboard blinks, the sensor in my car detects and plays an alarm sound which immediately alerts me and prompts me to take action. For a patient being monitored in a hospital, the beeping sound (feedback on patient's system) is needed along with the display, as it can alert the attending staff to take remedial action quickly.
Sometimes multiple modes of feedback are needed at the same time. The more the better, especially when time and safety are of essence. Timely and relevant feedback is beneficial.
Pain in our body is feedback. A strained relationship is a feedback. Mental stress is feedback. Stop signal at a crossing is a feedback. Natural disasters are feedbacks.
Feedback is of no use if not acted upon. If we ignore them, we defeat the purpose of the feedback and set ourselves up for harm.
The important thing, then, is to build and nurture suitable feedback systems appropriate to the need, and to pay attention to them. Feedback leads to awareness and when the awareness is acknowledged, to conscious action.
What feedbacks do you consciously acknowledge? What do you ignore?
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