Articles on: Product Roadmap

Voting and Comments

Voting and Comments


Time to read: 6 minutes


Learn how to enable and manage user engagement through voting and comments.


What You'll Learn


  • How voting works
  • Enabling and configuring voting
  • Managing comments
  • Handling feature suggestions
  • Best practices for engagement


Understanding Voting


What is Voting?


Voting lets users show which features they want most. Each user can vote once per item.


Why enable voting?

  • Prioritize development - Build what users want
  • Reduce guessing - Data-driven decisions
  • Engage users - Make them feel heard
  • Validate ideas - Test demand before building


How Voting Works


For Users:

  1. Click vote button on any item
  2. Vote count increases
  3. Button changes to "Voted"
  4. Click again to remove vote


For Admins:

  1. See vote counts on all items
  2. Sort by votes to find popular items
  3. View who voted (in item edit screen)
  4. Use votes to prioritize roadmap


Setting Up Voting


Enable Voting


  1. Go to Roadmap > Settings
  2. Click General tab
  3. Find User Interaction section
  4. Check ☑ Enable Voting
  5. Click Save Settings


Voting is now active!


Voting Options


Require Login for Voting

  • ☑ Enabled (Recommended)
  • Only logged-in users can vote
  • Prevents spam and duplicates
  • Tracks who voted


  • ☐ Disabled
  • Guest users can vote
  • Tracked by IP address
  • Less reliable
  • Higher spam risk


Guest Voting Settings (Advanced)


If you allow guest voting:


  1. Roadmap > Settings > Advanced
  2. Find Guest Voting section
  3. Configure:
  • Vote Tracking: Cookie or IP address
  • Vote Expiry: How long guest votes last (days)


Where Votes Appear


Frontend:

  • Vote count badge on item cards
  • Vote button on each item
  • "Voted" state when user has voted


Admin:

  • Vote count column in item list
  • Voter list in item edit screen
  • Sort by votes in admin list


Managing Votes


Viewing Voters


See who voted on an item:


  1. Edit the roadmap item
  2. Scroll to Roadmap Statistics meta box
  3. See total vote count
  4. Click to expand voter list (if available)


Removing Votes


Users remove their own:

  • Click vote button again
  • Vote is removed immediately


Admin removes vote:

  • Edit the item
  • Find voter in statistics
  • Remove manually (if plugin supports)


Sorting by Votes


In Admin:

  1. Roadmap > All Items
  2. Click Votes column header
  3. Items sorted by vote count


On Frontend:

Use shortcode parameter:

[roadmap product="main" orderby="votes" order="desc"]


Shows most-voted items first.


Understanding Comments


What are Comments?


Comments let users discuss roadmap items, ask questions, and provide feedback.


Why enable comments?

  • Gather details - Users explain what they need
  • Answer questions - Clarify features
  • Build community - Create discussions
  • Collect feedback - Learn about pain points


How Comments Work


Uses standard WordPress comment system:

  • Same as blog post comments
  • Threaded replies supported
  • Moderation tools available
  • Email notifications
  • Spam filtering (with Akismet)


Setting Up Comments


Enable Comments Globally


  1. Roadmap > Settings
  2. Click General tab
  3. Check ☑ Enable Comments
  4. Click Save Settings


WordPress Comment Settings


Configure comment behavior:


  1. Settings > Discussion
  2. Check these options:
  • ☑ Allow people to submit comments
  • ☑ Comment author must fill out name and email
  • ☐ Users must be registered to comment (optional)
  • ☑ Comments must be manually approved (recommended)


  1. Email notifications:
  • ☑ Email me when comment is posted
  • ☑ Email me when comment is held for moderation


  1. Click Save Changes


Per-Item Comment Settings


Turn comments on/off for specific items:


  1. Edit roadmap item
  2. Find Discussion meta box (right sidebar)
  3. Check/uncheck:
  • ☑ Allow comments
  • ☑ Allow pingbacks and trackbacks


If you don't see Discussion box:

  • Click Screen Options (top right)
  • Check ☑ Discussion


Managing Comments


Viewing All Comments


  1. Go to Comments in WordPress admin
  2. See all comments across all items
  3. Filter by roadmap items if needed


Moderating Comments


Approve comment:

  1. Hover over comment
  2. Click Approve
  3. Comment becomes visible


Reply to comment:

  1. Hover over comment
  2. Click Reply
  3. Type response
  4. Click Reply


Mark as spam:

  1. Hover over comment
  2. Click Spam
  3. Sends to spam folder


Delete comment:

  1. Hover over comment
  2. Click Trash
  3. Moves to trash (can restore)


Quick Actions


Bulk approve:

  1. Check multiple comments
  2. Select "Approve" from dropdown
  3. Click Apply


Bulk delete:

  1. Check multiple comments
  2. Select "Move to Trash"
  3. Click Apply


Comment Notifications


Get email when comments posted:


  1. Settings > Discussion
  2. Check notification options
  3. Enter admin email
  4. Save


Email includes:

  • Commenter name
  • Comment text
  • Link to approve/spam/trash


Feature Suggestions


What are Suggestions?


Let users submit their own feature ideas. Suggestions become roadmap items.


Why enable suggestions?

  • Crowdsource ideas - Users suggest features
  • Discover needs - Learn what users want
  • Save time - Users create draft items
  • Engage community - Make users feel valued


Enabling Suggestions


  1. Roadmap > Settings
  2. General tab
  3. Check ☑ Enable Feature Suggestions
  4. Configure options:
  • ☑ Require Login (recommended)
  • Default Status: "Under Review"
  • Notification Email: Your email
  1. Click Save Settings


How Users Submit Suggestions


  1. User clicks Suggest a Feature button
  2. Fills out form:
  • Title (required)
  • Description (required)
  • Category (optional)
  • Email (if guest submission)
  1. Clicks Submit
  2. Sees confirmation message


Managing Suggestions


Find suggestions:

  1. Roadmap > All Items
  2. Filter by Status: "Under Review"
  3. Review each suggestion


Approve suggestion:

  1. Open suggestion item
  2. Edit title/description if needed
  3. Change status to "Planned" or "Idea"
  4. Set priority
  5. Click Update


Reject suggestion:

  1. Open suggestion
  2. Option A: Change status to "Cancelled"
  3. Option B: Move to Trash
  4. Add comment explaining why (optional)


Merge duplicates:

  1. Find similar suggestions
  2. Keep best one
  3. Add comment: "Merged with #123"
  4. Trash others


Suggestion Notifications


You'll receive email with:

  • Title and description
  • Submitter name/email
  • Link to edit item
  • Auto-created in "Under Review" status


Best Practices


Encouraging Voting


Promote voting:

  • Add call-to-action: "Vote for features you want!"
  • Mention in newsletters
  • Show vote counts prominently
  • Thank top voters


Respond to votes:

  • Build high-voted features
  • Comment on progress
  • Explain why you can't build something
  • Show votes influence roadmap


Managing Comments


Respond quickly:

  • Reply within 24-48 hours
  • Acknowledge feedback
  • Answer questions
  • Thank for input


Keep discussions on track:

  • Mark off-topic as spam
  • Redirect to support for bugs
  • Moderate appropriately
  • Set clear guidelines


Use comments to improve:

  • Note common questions in description
  • Clarify confusing features
  • Gather requirements
  • Build community


Handling Suggestions


Review regularly:

  • Check weekly
  • Process promptly
  • Give feedback
  • Keep users informed


Communicate decisions:

  • Explain why accepted
  • Explain why rejected
  • Suggest alternatives
  • Credit submitters


Thank submitters:

  • Comment on their suggestion
  • Mention in updates
  • Give credit when built
  • Build trust


Engagement Tips


Build Trust


Be transparent:

  • Update statuses regularly
  • Explain delays
  • Share progress
  • Admit mistakes


Keep promises:

  • Deliver on commitments
  • Update target dates
  • Communicate changes
  • Under-promise, over-deliver


Create Community


Recognize contributors:

  • Thank voters
  • Credit suggestion authors
  • Highlight feedback
  • Feature top voters


Foster discussion:

  • Ask questions in comments
  • Poll users
  • Share mockups
  • Request feedback


Reduce Noise


Set expectations:

  • Explain voting purpose
  • Define suggestion criteria
  • Share decision process
  • Clarify timelines


Moderate fairly:

  • Consistent rules
  • Clear guidelines
  • Quick responses
  • Fair treatment


Troubleshooting


Voting Not Working


Check settings:

  • Voting enabled in Settings
  • Check user permissions
  • Test with different browsers
  • Clear cache


JavaScript errors:

  • Open browser console (F12)
  • Look for errors
  • Disable conflicting plugins
  • Test with default theme


Comments Not Showing


Check settings:

  • Comments enabled in Roadmap Settings
  • WordPress Discussion settings configured
  • Per-item comments enabled
  • Database tables exist


Test comments:

  • Try posting as admin
  • Try as logged-in user
  • Try as guest (if allowed)
  • Check spam folder


Suggestions Not Creating Items


Verify setup:

  • Suggestions enabled in settings
  • Email notifications working
  • Database permissions correct
  • Check for PHP errors


Find submissions:

  • Check All Items
  • Filter by Status
  • Check Trash
  • Look in Draft status


Next Steps




← Statuses & Categories | Displaying Roadmap →

Updated on: 25/09/2025

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