It is easy to over-think the technical aspects of a photo, especially for amateurs who may still be on the steeper slopes of the learning curve. But the most important thing an amateur can do when evaluating their own photos after a shoot is to notice their gut reaction to the photo, not just ask, is it perfectly sharp, perfectly exposed, etc.
Nancy,
My impression of people who are 'not into photography' is that issues such as sharpness and an ideal exposure do not generally concern them. They have a gut reaction as to whether or not they like the photo.
The person who has some sort of passion for photography is the one likely to be more interested in the technical qualities of the photo, but not
only interested in the technical qualities. The circumstances where I find myself
only interested in sharpness, noise or correct exposure etc, are those circumstances when I'm taking test shots, sometimes of resolution charts or brick walls, for the purpose of fine tuning the autofocus of the lens, or to determine which camera/lens combination produces the sharpest result, or which camera has the best dynamic range, and so on.
Generally, I take a photo of something that interests me, or grabs my attention, as I imagine most photographers do. Issues such as sharpness and correct exposure are only of concern if they either detract from the appeal of the final result, or enhance the appeal. For example, if a pattern of clouds were a major attraction of a particular scene, it would be only sensible to ensure that one didn't overexpose the shot. A blown sky would detract from the appeal of the shot.
If the main attraction in a scene is a colourful bird sitting on a branch, I imagine in most circumstances one would prefer to get the bird in focus and sufficiently sharp to appreciate its fine plumage; in fact, the more detail in the plumage the better. Sharpness in these circumstances enhances the result.