Feature Request 101: How to Collect User Feedback and Build Better Products

If you've ever built a SaaS product, you know the product roadmap can get messy fast. Between internal suggestions, executive input, and customer feedback, it can be tough to know what to prioritize. Enter: feature requests. When handled right, they’re more than just ideas in a spreadsheet. They’re a bridge between you and your users, helping you build smarter, stay focused, and deliver value.

In this article, we’ll show you how to collect, manage, and prioritize feature requests effectively.

Let’s dive in.

What Is a Feature Request?

A feature request is a suggestion made by users, customers, or internal team members to improve or expand a product. These can be requests for:

• New functionality (e.g. "Add dark mode")
  
  
• Improvements to existing features (e.g. "Make filters easier to use")
  
  
• Integrations (e.g. "Integrate with HubSpot or Jira")
  
  
• UI/UX enhancements (e.g. "Simplify the onboarding screen")
  
  
• Bug reports mistakenly labeled as feature gaps
  
  

Unlike general feedback, feature requests are directional: they suggest what to build. They’re often actionable and specific, making them valuable signals for product development and product management.

Why Feature Requests Matter

But is this so important? After all, Steve Jobs said people don't know what they want until you show it to them. 

Well, that may be the case for smartphones, but in the world of SaaS you do need to listen to user feedback. So here are all the reasons why feature requests are important. 

Customer-Centric Development
Feature requests show what your target user actually wants. Instead of guessing, you can validate product decisions with real-world customer input. This makes your product roadmap more aligned with actual user needs.

Improved Retention and Satisfaction
Users who feel heard are more likely to stay loyal. Closing the feedback loop shows users you care, and it can reduce churn. Because why leave when you're already with a product that's willing to go the distance for you? 

Strategic Clarity
Feature requests give product managers a backlog of real needs. When properly categorized and prioritized, they help prevent distractions from low-impact suggestions and guide long-term roadmap decisions that have real impact that drive value. In other words, you get to be more effective with each decision you make.

Types of Feature Requests

Not all requests are the same. They typically fall into several categories:

1. Bug Fix Requests
Technically not feature requests, but from the standpoint of making your product better, they indeed kind of are. These should be prioritized through engineering workflows.

2. Usability Improvements
Often these are small but meaningful tweaks to improve the UX, like better spacing, error messages, or UI enhancements.

3. New Feature Ideas
These are requests for entirely new product features. They often represent evolving user needs or new use cases that may not yet be part of the product vision.

4. Integration or Interoperability Requests
Users may want your SaaS product to integrate with other platforms. These requests help you expand into adjacent markets and make your product more valuable.

5. UI Changes
Suggestions around layout, readability, or visual style, often crucial for user satisfaction.

How to Collect Feature Requests (the Smart Way)

A good system collects customer feedback from multiple sources without overwhelming your team. Here’s how to do it:

1. In-App Feedback Widgets
To really capture your user's thoughts in context, nothing's better than popping up a request for feedback Tools like UserVoice, or Canny allow you to embed forms and capture suggestions contextually. This helps you collect relevant feedback at the right moment in the user experience and build a voting-friendly environment.

2. Support Email
Or you can go the classic way: emails. Train support reps to tag relevant tickets or submit feature requests. A dedicated email inbox can also centralize this type of feedback and connect it back to your product management tools.

3. Customer Interviews and App Surveys
If you want to get a little more up close and personal, have a deeper conversation, like interviews. Especially for high-value accounts, interviews or triggered surveys offer deeper insights. Use targeted questions to understand user expectations and feature needs.

4. Public Roadmaps and Voting Boards
You can even invite your users to collaborate with you. Platforms like Canny or ProdCamp let users submit, comment on, and upvote requests. Voting helps prioritize based on actual demand and gives users a voice in your roadmap. It also creates transparency and community buy-in.

5. Internal Teams
Who talks to the users the most typically? Your sales and CS teams. So ask them about what end users are asking for. Capture their input via a shared form, CRM note, or Slack workflow, and integrate it into your prioritization system.

Best Practices for Collecting Requests

Use a Consistent Template

A feature request template standardizes the data you collect. At minimum, it should include:

• Requester contact info
  
  
• Feature name and short description
  
  
• Problem the feature solves
  
  
• Suggested functionality or enhancement
  
  
• Priority level
  
  

Example Template

Feature Name: Custom Dashboards

Requested By: Jane Doe (jane@example.com)

Channel: Support Ticket

Date: 2025-05-01

Problem: I need to present data differently to different stakeholders.

Suggested Solution: Allow me to save and share multiple dashboard views.

Use Case: I run weekly reports for my CEO and monthly ones for the ops team.

Priority: High

Avoid the Feature Fallacy

No matter how much of a hard working team you are, you just simply can't do it all. So don’t build everything users ask for. Use requests as insight to shape your product vision and validate functionality. Tools like Jira can help ensure that only the most impactful features make it into the roadmap.

Capture Context and Centralize Input

Push for concrete use cases and embed collection points where users are active. Centralize requests in tools that integrate with your product roadmap, changelog, and prioritization system.

Prioritize Requests with a Structured Framework

Not all feature requests are created equal. Use a clear, repeatable system to assess which requests make it onto the roadmap.

• Volume & Frequency: Track how often a feature is requested, and by whom. Prioritize requests from high-value segments or ICP users. Use public boards or upvoting tools to gauge demand.
  
  
• Value vs. Effort: Focus on quick wins—features that deliver high value with minimal development lift.
  
  
• RICE Framework: Score each request based on Reach, Impact, Confidence, and Effort. Tools like Jira Product Discovery can help automate this process.
  
  
• Strategic Alignment: Make sure the request aligns with your long-term product vision and current roadmap goals.
  
  
• Revenue or Retention Impact: Prioritize features tied to tangible business outcomes—like closing a deal, reducing churn, or boosting upsells.
  
  

Close the Feedback Loop with Transparency

Following up with users after they submit a request builds trust and strengthens relationships. It’s one of the most overlooked—yet impactful—steps in product feedback management.

• Acknowledge Every Submission: Use automated responses to confirm that requests have been received and logged.
  
  
• Be Honest: If a feature won’t be built, explain why. Clear communication is better than silence.
  
  
• Share Updates: Keep users informed of progress with changelogs, in-app updates, or email alerts—especially those who submitted or upvoted the request.
  
  
• Celebrate Releases: When a requested feature ships, give credit where it’s due. Thank users and publicly reinforce that customer feedback drives innovation.
  
  

Feature Request Management Tools

Here are tools that can streamline your process:

• UserVoice – Centralize customer feedback and submit tracking
  
  
• Canny – Public voting boards, roadmap views, and prioritization workflows
  
  
• Beamer – Feedback loop and changelog announcements
  
  
• Userflow – In-app surveys and feedback forms
  
  
• Jira Product Discovery – Prioritize, organize, and embed requests into your product development system
  
  

Each tool helps you capture, prioritize, and integrate feature requests into your roadmap and broader product management workflows.

Make Your Product Roadmap as Impactful As Possible

So, now you know. Feature requests are more than just ideas from your users. They're beacons for your product. They show you the way so you don't get lost. With a robust process to collect, embed, and prioritize them, your product development will be smarter and your product roadmap more effective.

The smartest SaaS companies don’t just build, they listen. And the savviest ones? They use Beamer. From collecting feedback to closing the loop with changelogs and in-app updates, Beamer helps you turn user input into product momentum.

So what are you waiting for? Try Beamer free today.