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Should customers be voting on feedback? 
Sit back, friends. Incoming thread.
Sit back, friends. Incoming thread.
I usually recommend staying away from voting for a few reasons:
1- It’ll turn into group bias situation, where users are voting simply because others are.
1- It’ll turn into group bias situation, where users are voting simply because others are.
2- You’ll have 20% of the loudest group of people getting most of the attention, while inadvertently adding room for churn for 80% of your customer base. This is called the Pareto Principle (it’s an actual thing.)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareto_principle
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareto_principle
3- Voting doesn’t actually tell you how to address a problem. It tells you there is a problem, but not what the problem actually is. ie, if you ask people if they want faster horses they’ll say yes, when in reality what the best solution might’ve been to design a car. 
4- Voting is usually anonymous.
How do you know who to contact later on when you need to find out how to actually address a problem?
How do you know who to contact later on when you need to find out how to actually address a problem?
5- You’re saving yourself time by actually getting the valuable information upfront, instead of waiting to figure out who said what
Voting might be “faster” but it provides your product team with less value and insight.
You want to build something that provides value and solves a problem, not just build something because of a popularity contest.
The best thing to do is to ask as many questions as possible.
You want to build something that provides value and solves a problem, not just build something because of a popularity contest.
The best thing to do is to ask as many questions as possible.
There’s this saying - people don’t know what they want, they just know they have a problem.
Our jobs as PMs is to help find those problems.
Our jobs as PMs is to help find those problems.
I also often here that voting is needed to prioritize feedback.
Here’s the thing though, Feedback shouldn’t get prioritized.
Feedback should be used as a way to validate ideas (or opportunities) in your backlog.
Here’s the thing though, Feedback shouldn’t get prioritized. Feedback should be used as a way to validate ideas (or opportunities) in your backlog.
These ideas should first and foremost answer the question:
What problem are we trying to solve?
That is the difference between solving a problem and building a feature.
What problem are we trying to solve?
That is the difference between solving a problem and building a feature.
A feature focuses on one very specific output, for example: provide CSV exports. But do you know why you are providing CSV exports?
Do you know if CSV exports are the only type of exports, or the best type of exports to provide?
Do you know if CSV exports are the only type of exports, or the best type of exports to provide?
That’s what sets apart a good product ,and most importantly what sets apart a good product manager.
When it comes to prioritizing ideas, those should align with your current objectives and initiatives.
You shouldn’t be working on something unless it’s going to provide you with a desired outcome.
You shouldn’t be working on something unless it’s going to provide you with a desired outcome.
That is, if you’re currently looking to expand your user base, how is providing a CSV export the right thing to work on?
As a top tip: If you’re looking to prioritize ideas, check out @ttorres Opportunity Solution Tree: https://www.producttalk.org/2016/08/opportunity-solution-tree/
As a top tip: If you’re looking to prioritize ideas, check out @ttorres Opportunity Solution Tree: https://www.producttalk.org/2016/08/opportunity-solution-tree/
Feedback is there to help you understand what people are saying, and what the best solution might be to a particular problem.
It might be easier to ask people to vote on something, but that’s generally what leads companies to fall into a build trap.
It might be easier to ask people to vote on something, but that’s generally what leads companies to fall into a build trap.
