I think it's good to both (a) talk to users and affected parties (e.g. users, node operators, wallets, miners, bitcoin startups, LN implementations, etc.) and (b) have extensive experience using the software, at least in the area you are reviewing.  There is always the danger of finding oneself siloed in an ivory tower.

jonatack

Of course, you can still always review and test the PR in question to give feedback or report any issues or bugs found.

bitcoin

Jon Atack AMA

How do you balance what users of bitcoin would want vs what you want when deciding what to work on or what PRs to ACK? Is there a mental thought process you go through, do you talk to users, or is it some set of standards you try to make decisions by? 