Idea re Suggest an Idea process (submitted, but shared here for visibility)
Title:
Suggested improvements to the Suggest an Idea process
Write a Compelling Idea:
SITUATION:
Submitted Ideas immediately disappear from view. The submitter has no access to the Idea unless they remember to keep a copy for their records. Nor are they warned that this will be the case.
It is not possible to edit the content post submission.
It is not possible to take a screenshot of the form before submission, because of 2 issues that also make the form unnecessarily difficult to complete: the form's main box only shows 4 lines at a time, and the example box does not wrap round or permit carriage returns.
Duplication of Ideas is inevitable given that no-one can see what has been submitted previously.
The previous collaborative mechanism with up/down votes, and often discussion, felt more capable of generating fully thought through and implementable ideas.
While we are told that all Ideas are reviewed and that the process is now 'working as designed', the Ideas I have submitted since Sept 2024 remain invisible; I have received no status updates.
None of this inspires confidence in the Ideas process.
NEED:
a) The submission needs to be made visible to the submitter (ideally with a short edit window).
b) It also needs to be visible to other Community users (ideally with collaboration capability).
c) The form needs to be made fit for purpose from a usability perspective.
d) Submitters need timely visibility of where their Idea has got to in the process.
OUTCOME:
a) A fit-for-purpose form for the easy capture of Ideas.
b) Ability to edit for a short time post submission.
c) Visibility of submitted Ideas and of their status within the Ideas process.
d) Ability to collaborate on Ideas.
e) Avoidance of duplication.
BENEFITS:
a) More, more specific, and more implementable Ideas, leading to better systems and processes.
b) A clearer, more collaborative, and much better communicated Ideas process.
c) Evidence that users can make a difference and get problems fixed, leading to improved user perception.
d) Savings in Community moderator/FS Support time.
Answers
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Hopefully, @Stephanie V. will pass these excellent, positive comments to the team / vendor who - after 11 months - still appear to be struggling to sort out the problems in implementing a Suggest An Idea section that will indeed involve collaboration between Community members and a knowledge of exactly what our fellow members are submitting as ideas.
Alternatively, maybe a complete rethink is required, possibly leading to the scrapping of that section of Community and utilising the existing categories for posting ideas. I only say this in view of the fact that (as you suggest, Mandy) we have no idea on the status of any "Ideas" that have been submitted since April 2024, nor any suggestion as to when (or if) this issue is ever likely to be satisfactorily resolved.
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