This format is where feature voting as such started. However, it has come a long<\/em> way since then.<\/p>\n Feature voting kind of sucks. Modern feature voting does not.<\/p>\n We\u2019re going to get rid of the archaic predisposition that all \u201cfeature voting\u201d tools are useless.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s why most people (including us) think that \u201cfeature voting\u201d in its most basic form, sucks:<\/p>\n Yup, sounds pretty sucky.<\/p>\n The good news is that modern feature voting tools don\u2019t have any of these issues.<\/p>\n Modern tools aim to make the \u201cfeature voting forum\u201d a much more useful system. Modern tools don\u2019t focus on the voting aspect. They cover the whole user feedback cycle, while making the experience low effort.<\/p>\n Modern feature voting tools make the feedback environment a moldable, filter-able, detailed source of information. They\u2019re a blast for customers to use, and a gold mine for product managers.<\/p>\n Still not convinced? OK.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s go through all of the issues above and explain why a modern feature voting tool like Canny wipes all of them away.<\/p>\n Most old feature voting systems let anyone sign up via email. This leaves plenty of room for fraud-y or irrelevant people. Illegitimate users mean inaccurate and untrustworthy data.<\/p>\n Modern tools are extremely focused on identifying legitimate users. They are customers with their name and face attached, not a random person from the internet.<\/p>\n Companies can also toggle their own settings for whether they want their feedback to be public to everyone, limited people, or internal.<\/p>\n Awesome feature voting tools give company owners complete control over their privacy and login settings.<\/p>\n Users won\u2019t be bothered to give feedback if the environment for giving feedback:<\/p>\n Modern feature voting tools:<\/p>\n Some tools (such as Canny) allow the company owners vote on behalf of their customers. If a request arrives in another channel, it can be added to the list in a few clicks.<\/p>\n In this case, the effort is literally zero on the users\u2019 side.<\/p>\n This means that even if a customer really can\u2019t be bothered or can\u2019t find the option, their feedback or idea will still be recorded.<\/p>\n As we mentioned before, modern feature voting tools tie the whole customer feedback cycle together.<\/p>\n With modern tools, it\u2019s not \u201crequest a feature and then go stare at a wall wondering where your idea went\u201d.<\/p>\n It\u2019s:<\/p>\n 1. Request a feature or give feedback \u2026all in one tool.<\/p>\n The whole process focuses heavily on informing people of actual progress. Notifications are sent about every important development. Nobody is out of the loop unless they want to be.<\/p>\n This is, again, only an issue with basic, old feature voting tools that include no complex features.<\/p>\n The modern ones deal with duplicate content preemptively to avoid a mess.<\/p>\n Canny, for example, suggests similar posts as the user types, to avoid the duplicate getting created in the first place.<\/p>\n If that fails for whatever reason, merging posts is not only possible, but super easy.<\/p>\n By the time a PM wants to go through the requests, it\u2019ll be clean, unique, and easy to sort.<\/p>\n Aggressive people have nothing to do with feature voting.<\/p>\n Whether you use feature voting or not, there are going to be things you don\u2019t build.<\/p>\n And, whether you use feature voting or not, some people will always be angry. Welcome to the world of having customers with their own personalities.<\/p>\n The only difference that a good tool makes is whether you\u2019re transparent about not building it, and why. Without one, your user feedback process is a black box, leaving the user to wonder if you even care.<\/p>\n Informing someone that you won\u2019t be making something and why is better than not reacting at all.<\/p>\n If anything, a feature voting tool helps with managing expectations without having to say it. If a feature has 2 votes, then it\u2019s clear to everyone that it\u2019s most likely not going to happen.<\/p>\n Plus, the conversations PMs can have with their users will help manage any misunderstandings or anger.<\/p>\n Old feature voting tools leave everyone in the dark. This adds to the general frustration. Modern feature voting tools allow plenty of room for information and explanations.<\/p>\n Basic feature voting tools have no capability for having any sort of longer discussion about a feature.<\/p>\n People are sometimes bad at expressing themselves. This usually means a giant mess.<\/p>\nEverything wrong with \u201cfeature voting\u201d<\/h2>\n
\n
Anyone can post an idea or vote on an idea<\/h2>\n
![\"Modern](\"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/01-privacy-908x1024.jpg\")
<\/p>\nCustomers can\u2019t be bothered to participate<\/h2>\n
\n
\n
![\"Modern](\"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Screen-Shot-2019-05-20-at-1.43.40-PM-1024x522.png\")
<\/p>\nPeople won\u2019t know what\u2019s happening to their ideas or votes<\/h2>\n
\n2. Get involved in the roadmap
\n3. Get updates about everything you care about<\/p>\n![\"Modern](\"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/02-feedback-cycle-1024x876.jpg\")
<\/p>\nDuplicate posts = manual work for PM\u2019s<\/h2>\n
![\"Modern](\"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Screen-Shot-2019-05-17-at-12.42.33-PM-1024x470.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/03-merging-1024x543.jpg\")
<\/p>\nPeople are mad if their feature doesn\u2019t get built<\/h2>\n
![\"Good](\"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/image_preview-1024x642.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/04-misunderstandings-1024x495.jpg\")
<\/p>\nPeople aren\u2019t on the same page about what a feature should do<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Screen-Shot-2019-05-17-at-12.51.46-PM-1024x350.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"Canny](\"https:\/\/no-cache.hubspot.com\/cta\/default\/5705808\/e1d55d08-a2cf-44a3-a9a0-f3ca5ff21dfa.png\")
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