Voting & User Feedback

Turn your roadmap into a feedback channel. Let users vote on features they want, leave comments, and submit their own ideas.

Why Enable Voting?

Voting helps you:

Prioritize what matters – See which features users want most
Validate ideas – Test demand before building
Build trust – Show users their voice matters
Save time – Focus on high-impact features

Setting Up Voting

Enable Voting

Go to Roadmap > Settings > Voting
Set “Allow Voting” to Yes
Save changes

Configure Who Can Vote

Setting	Who Can Vote	Best For
Logged-in only	Registered WordPress users	Preventing spam, tracking voters
Guests allowed	Anyone, including anonymous	Maximum participation
Specific roles	Only certain user roles	Internal teams, beta users

To configure:

Go to Roadmap > Settings > Voting
Set “Voting Permission” to your choice
Save changes

Guest Voting Options

When guests can vote, you can require verification:

Option	How It Works
IP-based	One vote per IP address
Cookie-based	One vote per browser
No limit	Unlimited votes (not recommended)

Recommendation: Use IP-based for public roadmaps to prevent abuse.

How Voting Works

User Experience

Users see vote buttons on each roadmap item:

Upvote (▲) – I want this feature
Vote count shows total upvotes
Users can see what’s popular at a glance

Vote Display Options

Configure display under Roadmap > Settings > Display:

Option	Result
Show vote count	Display total votes (e.g., “42 votes”)
Show vote button	Allow voting directly on roadmap
Hide votes	Don’t show voting UI

Single Item Pages

Each roadmap item has its own page with:

Large vote button
Current vote count
Full description
Comments section

Access via: yoursite.com/roadmap/item-slug/

Comments & Discussions {#comments}

Let users discuss roadmap items.

Enable Comments

Edit any roadmap item
In the “Discussion” box, check Allow comments
Update the item

Or enable for all new items:

Go to Settings > Discussion
Under “Default post settings”, check “Allow comments”

Moderating Comments

Comments appear in Comments menu like regular WordPress comments:

Approve or reject
Reply to feedback
Mark as spam
Bulk moderate

Comment Best Practices

Respond to comments promptly
Thank users for feedback
Explain decisions when declining requests
Pin important announcements using a reply

Feature Suggestions {#suggestions}

Let users submit their own ideas.

Enable Suggestions

Use the suggestion form shortcode:

[roadmap_suggest_form]

This displays a form where users can submit:

Feature title
Description
Optional category

Where Suggestions Go

Submitted suggestions become roadmap items with:

Status: “Under Review” (or your configured default)
Visibility: Draft (requires your approval)

Reviewing Suggestions

Go to Roadmap > All Items
Filter by Draft status
Review each submission
Publish approved items, delete inappropriate ones

Suggestion Form Settings

Configure under Roadmap > Settings > Suggestions:

Setting	Options
Require login	Yes/No
Auto-publish	Yes (goes live) / No (review first)
Notification email	Get alerts for new submissions
Required fields	Title, description, category

Voting Modes {#voting-modes}

Standard Voting (Default)

Users can upvote items they support. One vote per user per item.

Idea Box Mode

The Idea Box template focuses on voting and suggestions:

[roadmap template="ideabox"]

Features:

Large, prominent vote buttons
Built-in suggestion form
Sorted by vote count
Clean, minimal design

Best for: Collecting user ideas, feature request pages

Combining with Statuses

Filter the voting view by status:

[roadmap template="ideabox" status="under-review"]

Shows only items being considered, perfect for “Vote on what we build next” pages.

Pro: Advanced Feedback Features

Pro Features – Require the Pro addon.

Analytics Dashboard

See voting trends and engagement metrics:

Votes over time – Track when voting activity spikes
Popular items – Ranked list of most-voted features
Voting activity – Recent votes with timestamps
User engagement – Who’s voting and commenting

Vote Tracking by Product

With multi-product support, track votes per product:

[roadmap product="mobile-app" template="ideabox"]

Each product has its own voting leaderboard.

Export Vote Data

Export voting data to CSV for analysis:

Go to Roadmap > Export
Select “Include vote counts”
Download the CSV

Anti-Spam & Security

Preventing Vote Manipulation

Product Roadmap includes protections:

IP tracking – Detects same person voting multiple times
Rate limiting – Blocks rapid-fire vote attempts
Cookie validation – Ensures legitimate browser sessions

v1.3.1 Security Update

Version 1.3.1 improved vote security by:

Using only server-verified IP addresses
Preventing IP spoofing attempts via headers
Better detection of proxy voting

Update to the latest version for these protections.

Best Practices

Encouraging Votes

Promote your roadmap in email newsletters
Add a link in your app or product
Share on social media when adding new items
Thank users who vote in comments

Responding to Feedback

Situation	Response
Popular request	“Thanks for voting! This is on our radar.”
Completed item	“Great news – this shipped! Update coming soon.”
Declined request	“Thanks for the input. Here’s why we’re going another direction…”
Duplicate	“Similar to [existing item]. Merged the votes there.”

Keeping Voters Engaged

Update item statuses regularly
Comment when progress is made
Mark items complete when shipped
Celebrate shipped features with users

Troubleshooting

Votes not saving

Check that voting is enabled in settings
Verify user meets permission requirements
Clear caching plugins
Check browser console for JavaScript errors

Duplicate votes appearing

Enable IP-based duplicate detection
Check for caching plugins interfering
Ensure cookies are enabled in browser

Suggestion form not appearing

Verify shortcode: [roadmap<em>suggest</em>form]
Check page isn’t cached
Ensure user meets submission requirements

Next Steps

Goal	Guide
Display your roadmap	Display Options