Template · free to copy
Feature request template
Four pieces of plain Markdown for the whole life of a feature request: the form your users fill in, the description at the top of your board, the note your team writes while triaging, and the reply for each status. Copy them into any tool and change the wording to sound like you.
1. The submission form
Ask for the problem, not the solution. People describe the fix they imagine; the problem behind it tells you how much it matters and who else has it. Make the title and “The problem” required and leave the rest optional.
**Title:** What do you want to be able to do? (one line, in your own words)
**The problem**
What were you trying to do, and where did the product get in your way?
**What you do today**
Any workaround you use, and what it costs you: time, money, a lost deal.
**How often does this happen?**
Every day / Every week / Every month / Rarely
**Who else needs this?**
Only me / My team / Everyone in my role or industry
**Anything else?** (optional)
Screenshots, links or a deadline we should know about.2. A board description
A short note above the posts sets expectations before anyone writes: search first, add context to existing posts, and know that someone reads them. Keep it under a few lines so it does not push the posts out of view.
Tell us what you are trying to do and what gets in your way. Search first:
if someone already asked, vote and add your story in a comment, which helps us
more than a new post. We read every post, and you get an email when its status
changes.3. A triage note for your team
Write this as a private note when a request needs a decision. It turns a pile of votes into something you can compare: one problem, the people behind it, the evidence and the decision with its reason. Fill in “Next review” for anything you postpone, so “not now” never quietly becomes “never”.
**Problem in one sentence:**
**Who is affected:** voters, accounts or segments, and how many
**Evidence:** links to tickets, calls or usage data
**Related posts:** duplicates merged, linked ideas
**Decision:** Planned / Not now / Won't do, and why
**Next review:** date, or "when <condition>"4. Replies for each status
A status without a sentence leaves people guessing. Post one of these as a comment when you change the status, and replace the brackets with the real reason or date.
Under review
Thanks for writing this up. We are looking at how many people run into this
and what it would take to fix. Vote or follow this post to hear what we decide.Planned
We plan to build this. It is on the roadmap, and everyone who voted or
commented will get an email when work starts and again when it ships.Not now
We understand the problem, but other work comes first for the next
[period]. We will look at it again on [date]. Votes and examples from your own
work still count, so keep them coming.Won't do
We have decided not to build this, because [reason]. Here is what we suggest
instead: [workaround or alternative]. Thank you for taking the time to explain it.Shipped
This is live. [One sentence on what changed and where to find it.] Thank you
to everyone who voted and explained how they would use it.Using it on a feedback board
The template works anywhere you collect requests: a form, an issue tracker, a help desk or a shared document. On afeedback board, voting and similar-post suggestions do part of the work for you, because people find the existing post before they write a new one. For the process around it (triage, statuses and how to say no), read our guide onhow to manage feature requests.
Questions about the template
Should every field of a feature request be required?
No. Require the title and the problem, and make the rest optional. Each required field is one more reason to close the form, and you can ask follow-up questions in a comment.
Why ask for the problem instead of the solution?
Because the problem tells you whether the request matters and to whom. Several people may ask for different solutions to the same problem, and the best fix is often one nobody suggested.
Can I use this template outside UpVoiced?
Yes. It is plain Markdown: paste it into a form, an issue template, a help-desk macro or a shared document. No attribution is needed.
Collect requests with UpVoiced
UpVoiced is a feedback board, roadmap and changelog that emails people when their request ships. It is in development: see the board on the fictional demo and request early access.