Many software developers give an opportunity to their users to submit ideas for new features. Things work the same way within the WordPress community. ManageWP recently offered a whopping $1,000 to the winner of best idea for their plugin. Clearly, users are some of the best sources for gathering feedback about your product and how it can improve.

One of the best ways of enabling users to suggest features is to use a system whereby a user can submit his idea, and other users can vote it up or down. Thus the most highly voted ideas or feature requests are prime candidates for future development on your theme/plugin.

You can see such a system employed brilliantly by the Dropbox team. They named it Votebox and you can see it in action here.

Thankfully, we can now use a very similar system on WordPress thanks to these plugins:

Usernoise Pro

Usernoise Pro is a minimalistic WordPress plugin for gathering and discussing users feedback thus engaging them into communication.

Main Features

• Adds a modal feedback window with item discussions. No coding required.
• Sexy and responsive design with a number of typographic presets.
• Highest level of theme compatibility possible.
• Editable feedback categories with 4 built-in caregories.
• Feedback statuses, like “New”, “In progress”, “Rejected”.
• Spam-proof by design. Spam bots do not see Usernoise form.
• Feedback form can be shown on the page.
• Non-WordPress site support. Usernoise can be used for non-wordpress sites by installing WP into a subfolder and copying a couple of lines of code from the admin area.
• Auto-updates supported
• New in 2.0 100% compatible with any theme.
• Stores comprehensive WordPress and HTTP debug info along with the feedback gathered. Two debug levels available.
• Multisite-compatible
• RTL supported
• You can reply to feedback right from email client when receiving the notification.
• [usernoise_link] shortcode to link to Usernoise window
• Localization ready. Just install a free CodeStyling Localization plugin and localize it to your needs in seconds.

Download Usernoise Pro

Ideas!

Ideas! is a slick and minimal Feedback and Submission system, it lets you engage with your customers, offer an interactive and instant feedback / commenting system via modal or inline, or a mini private support system, track bugs, collect user ideas and votes or manage a private team project.

System Features

• Interactive multi-purpose feedback and commenting system
• Ajax, instant posts and comments with user interactivity!
• Modal + Inline versions Included/Supported!
• Ajax, Multiple File Upload and Attachments Support!
• Custom Post Statuses (Open, Pending, Completed, etc.)
• Colorful Post Statuses
• Custom categories, can be used for anything other than Ideas, Bugs, Questions – Including category names and descriptions are fully customizable!
• Admin E-mail Notifications to as many emails as you like (when someone post a new item)
• Users can subscribe to items via email and receive updates
• Users can post private items If you enable this option
• Shortcode Generator can be added to any page, with MANY options!
• Users can vote up OR down on any subject
• Optionally show the module for logged in users or all users (e.g. private support module)
• Make all module available to all users and guests
• IP check to prevent multiple votes on same item
• Allow guests to post comments instantly
• Allow guests to post items instantly
• Allow postings without e-mail required
• Requires no coding, easy to setup!
• Translation Ready! Already localized in English, German, Dutch, Danish, Simplified Chinese!

Download Ideas!

Avia Feedback Box

The Avia Feedback Box is a feature request system for visitors and customers. They can suggest new ideas, vote on existing ones, and track your work progress.

At the beginning of each month a user/visitor get 10 votes to distribute. They can choose to use all their votes for one idea they really like, or spread them across between several ideas.

If you want to improve your product or service and also want to integrate your customers in an entertaining and playful way this is definitley a plugin you should consider!

The Plugin is based on the famous Dropbox customer Feedback tool Votebox. Kudos to the dropbox team for such a great way to gather customer feedback.

Options of the plugin:

• 3 skins (light, dark and structure only)
• Access rules so either everyone or only registered members can submit new entries and vote
• Set if new Feedback should be published immediatly or be sent as draft
• Special Commenting function for the admin to keep users posted
• Valid HTML , Compatible with FF2 ,3, Safari, Opera, IE7 ,8,9

Get Avia Feedback Box

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