Your product has no way for users to express what they want to see built
A simple monthly poll asking "What should we build next?" gives users voice and investment in the product's future.
When to use
You have multiple potential features to build and want user input on prioritization.
Hypothesis template
If we run monthly [feature polls] in-app, engagement will increase by [target]% and we'll build what users actually want.
Method
The problem: You're building features based on your instinct or a few loud support tickets. Most users have opinions but no channel to express them.
How to do it:
- Monthly, add a small in-app card: "What should we build next?"
- List 3-4 potential features with one-line descriptions
- Let users vote with one click
- Show results in real-time: "Feature X is winning with 42% of votes"
- Build the winning feature and announce: "You voted, we built it"
- Track: poll participation rate, retention of voters vs non-voters
Key insight: Users who vote are invested in the outcome. They stick around to see if their feature gets built. The poll itself is a retention mechanism.
Success metrics
- •Poll participation rate
- •Retention of voters vs non-voters
- •Feature satisfaction when built
- •Engagement with poll results
Prerequisites
- A poll mechanism (even a simple in-app card)
- Feature candidates to vote on
- Commitment to build the winner
Common pitfalls
- •Offering too many options (3-4 max)
- •Not building the winning feature
- •Running polls too frequently (monthly max)
- •Not announcing results and follow-through
Source: Linear, Canny. Feature voting increases user investment and provides genuine product direction.
Suggested ICE scores
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