Feature Voting - The Ultimate Guide for 2025

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There are hundreds of ideas in your backlog, but which one should you focus on next? 🤔

One of the simplest ways to approach this issue is by implementing a feature voting tool to take care of feature prioritization. The idea is simple - you lay out all your ideas on a list and share it with your customers, who vote on what's most important to them.

But the most popular idea with the highest number of votes may not be that good for your business in terms of revenue. And what if you want to ask follow-up questions after the voting part?

Today, we help you resolve these issues so you can learn how to do feature voting in a way that makes your customers happy and benefits your business. 👇

What is feature voting?

Feature voting is a process where customers downvote or upvote feature requests for your product and tell you which features they want to see next in your product.

It's a way to collect user feedback and democratically decide which features are critical and which ones are nice to have.

With tools like Featurebase, you can have a public or internal portal up and running in just a few minutes to collect user feedback and let users vote on ideas.

That will allow you to showcase a list of features for people to vote on and also let users suggest new thoughts that everyone can vote on.

Then, you can filter by topics that have the most votes to figure out what to prioritize next.

Featurebase lets you go one step further, though. When collecting feature requests, you can segment according to monetary value. In other words, you can separate the feature ideas that come from high-paying customers (on a high monthly plan or with high customer lifetime value) and put them above the others. 💰

Benefits of feature voting

When you collect and track feature requests, everybody wins: both you and your customers. Here are some practical benefits of feature voting.

• Improved alignment with customers' needs: you can develop features customers actually need instead of guessing or copying your competitors' roadmaps.
• Improved feature prioritization: a feature voting app lets you put all your feature requests in one place, and customers choose the ones that will improve the product. You can make data-driven decisions more quickly.
• Better customer engagement: when customers vote on features, they feel more involved with the future of your product. Their voices are heard and valued and they are less likely to churn and switch to competitor products.
• More transparency and trust: with public feedback boards, customers can see all the requested features and their votes. The user can see how decisions are made and what others think of their product ideas.
• Lower churn: as customers see you build features they requested, they won't be so eager to switch to a competitor over a missing feature(s) in your product.
• More efficient development: when you collect feedback from customers about features they need, you can carefully spend money on developing features customers actually need, as opposed to wasting them on bloatware.
• Market insights: using feedback software helps you recognize real customer pain points ahead of time, letting you stay one step in front of the competition.

The downsides of feature voting and how to fix them

Not all customers' votes are equal. 🙅‍♂️

The upvote of a customer who is paying $1,000/mo is much more important than another customer paying just $10/mo, which means that just relying on the vote number is entirely misleading.

For feature tracking tools to work properly, they have to take this into account and allow you to connect your customer data to those votes.

With an advanced feature voting tool like Featurebase, you can do that and later sort ideas by customer revenue potential so ideas with votes from the most important customers will appear first.

This also makes it possible to sort ideas by customer segments (e.g., companies paying more than $300/mo) to determine the most critical features for specific customer groups.

Why should you use feature voting for your product?

If you're still not convinced that feature voting is a great way to keep users engaged, increase revenue and create a better product, we have a few more reasons to convince you further.

1. Gather feedback and measure its importance on autopilot

Feature voting acts like a constant feedback loop, automatically collecting insights from your user base.

By simply watching which features get the most votes, you can understand user preferences without having to set up time-consuming surveys or interviews.

It allows for async insight collection that helps product managers make informed decisions without talking with each customer individually.

2. Identify quick wins and essential features

Modern feature voting tools like Featurebase allow you to measure the importance, usage frequency, and urgency of voted features. You can also connect users' data to their ideas.

This lets you easily spot deal breakers and identify any quick wins you might have missed.

3. Align solutions with customer needs

It's easy to build whatever seems fun, but this often leads to something users don't want. With a feature voting tool, you can ensure that your end users want whatever feature you prioritize.

This also essentially removes the need for user testing, as it directly reflects user interest and demand.

Focusing on the features with the highest votes lets your users guide your development priorities. This approach saves time and resources and increases the chances of your product's success by ensuring it meets actual user needs.

On the other hand, you also have to consider your general product vision. A big part of product management is saying "no" to customers' requests that don't match your vision.

4. Understanding the needs of different customer groups

Not all users are the same, and feature voting can give you an excellent overview of different customer segments.

For example, imagine you run an online learning platform. After implementing a feature voting tool, you notice that beginners overwhelmingly vote for more basic tutorials, while advanced users are asking for in-depth courses on specific topics.

This insight allows you to develop targeted content that meets the direct needs of each group. By analyzing votes based on user revenue or usage metrics, you can tailor your development to specific groups.

5. Build customer loyalty and attract new customers

By inviting users to vote on features, you're showing them that their opinions matter. This improves customer satisfaction and helps attract new users who see a company actively engaging with its community.

Using feature voting is much more than just your roadmap prioritization strategy.

It not only streamlines your prioritization process but also strengthens your connection with your users while ensuring what you develop aligns with the needs of end users.

How do you set up a feature voting tool?

Setting up a feature voting tool might seem difficult initially, but it's very straightforward. Here’s a step-by-step guide to get you started. 👇

1. Choose a feedback tool

First, pick a customer feedback tool with a feature voting functionality.

Featurebase is an excellent choice for several reasons. It's user-friendly, offers deep customization options, and integrates seamlessly with your existing customer data and other tools.

This last point is crucial for avoiding the common pitfalls of feature voting, like weighing all votes equally regardless of customer value.

2. Configure your tool

With Featurebase, setting up your feature voting portal is super simple. We recommend setting up the following features:

• Custom domain - With the custom domain feature, you can serve your feature voting portal from your domain (e.g., feedback.yourdomain.com).
• Logos & themes - Most feature voting tools allow you to customize your voting portal's appearance to ensure it feels on-brand.
• Set up automatic authentication - With a tool like Featurebase, you can authenticate your users so they do not have to sign up for another tool to vote on features.
• Sync customer data - This is where Featurebase shines. This way, you ensure that the features needed from important customers can be prioritized.

3. Share and promote

Once your portal is up, share it with your users.

You can embed it on your website, include it in your newsletters, or share it through your social media channels.

4. Analyze and act

As votes come in, use Featurebase’s filtering tools to figure out what to build next.

Thanks to the integration with your customer data, you can prioritize features not just by the total number of votes but also by the value those features bring. You can also use different popular prioritization frameworks used by most product managers.

This holistic view ensures you're making informed decisions that will benefit your most important users and business.

5. Close the feedback loop

When you start working on a feature request or complete one, it's essential to communicate that with your users.

Look for a tool that supports a changelog feature and status update emails to notify your customers.

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Conclusion: Should you implement feature voting?

Feature voting isn't just about making your life easier; it's a win-win for you and your users. Your users feel heard because they play a direct role in shaping the product & for you, it takes the guesswork out of product development.

While feature voting is incredible, it's not without its drawbacks. For example, just relying on the vote count doesn't paint the right picture, as all users' votes are equal, while in reality, different customers can be more or less important.

Luckily, with more advanced tools like Featurebase, you can avoid this issue by connecting your user data to those votes.

In conclusion, feature voting is a powerful tool in your product development arsenal. It engages your users, clarifies your development priorities, and can make your product better match user needs.

If you're looking for an all-in-one, affordable, and advanced feature voting tool, we've been working on the best tool in this industry for years at Featurebase.

✨ Start collecting & managing feedback with Featurebase for free →

FAQs

What is feature voting?

Feature voting is a process where users can vote on features or improvements they want to see in a product or service. This approach helps prioritize development based on user demand.

How do I set up feature voting for my product?

You can set up feature voting by choosing a tool like Featurebase, configuring it with your product details, integrating your customer data, and then sharing the voting portal with your users.

Can users suggest new features or only vote on existing ones?

Yes, users can both suggest new features and vote on existing ones. This ensures you capture a wide range of ideas and feedback directly from your user base. With tools such as Featurebase, it's also possible to identify and remove duplicate requests.

How do I prevent vote manipulation or bias?

Advanced feature voting tools allow you to integrate customer data, allowing you to weigh votes based on user revenue or usage patterns. This helps ensure a fairer and more balanced prioritization process.

What if a highly voted feature is not possible to implement?

Transparency is key. Communicate the challenges to your users and explain why certain features may be delayed or modified. Offering alternatives or seeking further input can also help maintain trust and engagement.

Can feature voting replace user testing?

While feature voting provides valuable insights into user preferences, it's not a replacement for user testing. Testing is crucial for evaluating usability, understanding user behavior, and identifying issues before a full-scale launch.

How often should I review and act on feature voting results?

It depends on your development cycle, but a regular review, such as monthly or quarterly, can help keep your product roadmap aligned with user expectations and market demands.