∞ How to Write a Good Review of a Product
Ben Brooks is one of my favorite writers on the internet. His reviews and thoughts on technology and other various products are insightful, full of humor, and ultimately help me make a decision about a product. I find this recent post about writing reviews for products to be spot on:
Minimalism is reduction for the sake of reduction, whereas simplifying can be both reduction, or addition, whichever actually makes the “thing” simpler. Minimal, then does not mean simple, it means “less”. Simple means removing that which is complex. Often, having less can make things more complex — as counterintuitive as that may feel on the surface. I suspect most people think ‘simple’ and say ‘minimal’.
Here are the elements which make for a good, and a succinct, review:
- A statement of opinion on the subject matter. At the lowest level: do you like it, or not. If you don’t say this, then you haven’t written a review, but a walk through.
- 1-3 supporting facts to your argument of why you like or dislike the thing.
- An attempt to convince the reader you are correct, which may or may not bear out of the supporting facts, and to have them come to the logical conclusion they should also agree with you.
Source: Essence of a Review