Announcements

JoeMayall
by: HubSpot Alumni
HubSpot Alumni

The Ideas Forum Users' Guide

What is the Ideas Forum, and how do I use it?

This post is meant to serve as a living document to help you, the HubSpot user, utilize the Ideas Forum in the most effective way possible. In order to make sure we can hear your Ideas and feedback, I’d like to clarify the purpose of the Forum, answer some of your FAQs, and show you the best methods for submitting Ideas.


What the Ideas Forum is for:

The HubSpot Ideas Forum is a place for HubSpot users to discuss feature requests with each other and the HubSpot Product Team. We want you to tell us what features you'd like built! It’s my goal to make the feedback process as streamlined as possible for both HubSpot users and our product team. 

 

As the Ideas Forum is part of the HubSpot Community, the HubSpot Community Guidelines  and the HubSpot Community Terms of Service apply.

 

What the Ideas Forum is not for:

  1. Requesting features that already exist — If a feature exists in any HubSpot subscription, that feature is considered delivered. Threads requesting it be available at a different subscription will be removed.
  2.  Discussing how to use features and capabilities — HubSpot Community is home to numerous boards dedicated to discussing how to utilize existing features. If a thread on the Ideas Forum discusses how to use existing capabilities will be moved to the appropriate board.
  3. It is not a Support Forum — HubSpot Support works around the clock to provide users with the know-how to best utilize their portal. As the Ideas Forum is not the appropriate medium to ask questions on how to utilize existing features, threads that are better directed to HubSpot Support will be removed.
  4. It is not a Product Roadmap — While we continually update the statuses of Ideas in order to give our users a timeline of a feature’s development, there may arise instances where a feature’s development might have to be paused, or set aside. Unfortunately, unexpected roadblocks do arise, and we’d much rather be honest with our users and let them know if the development status has changed. For this reason, an thread’s status should not be viewed as set in stone, but rather a reflection of the current development plan.

 

Customer FAQs

 

I see each Idea has a status, what do they mean?

  • Idea Submitted Your Idea has been submitted to the HubSpot Ideas Forum. Help bring it to our Product team’s attention by socializing it with others.
  • Being Reviewed — This feature request has been reviewed by our Product team and is currently being evaluated. All updates will be communicated on this thread.
  • In Planning — This feature request is actively being developed. Stay tuned, as all updates about this feature will be shared through this thread. With “In Planning,” no news can be good news. We’re busy developing the boring back end stuff, but all the fun and exciting updates you should know will be communicated through this thread. 
  • In Beta — This feature is currently in Beta. If the Beta is open, instructions from a HubSpot team member on how to gain access can be found in the thread.
  • Delivered — The feature is live in all portals with the proper subscription
  • Not Currently Planned —  At this time the Product team has no plans to develop this feature. “Not Currently Planned” doesn’t mean that the feature will never be developed, just that we don’t have plans to do it at this time, so feel free to upvote and leave your feedback. Any updates regarding this feature will be communicated through this thread.

 

How can I get my feature request to the Product team as quickly as possible?

Before creating a new Idea, search the Ideas Forum for an already-existing thread that requests the same feature. The Ideas Forum hosts thousands of threads, so it is highly likely that a similar request has already been posted on the forum. By upvoting an already-existing thread, you are consolidating your interest in a particular feature for our Product team, which helps us identify it as a popular feature request.

 

What if there isn’t a thread that requests my Idea?

If you’ve searched the Ideas Forum and haven’t seen a thread for your Idea, then it’s time to create one! 

 

When writing your Idea, be as specific as possible. For example, instead of saying “better email tracking,” say “the ability to track how many recipients opened a Marketing Email on Monday morning.” This is much easier for our Product team to understand and focus on.

 

Structure your Idea in the form of a user story so other HubSpot users can relate to it. Instead of saying “I need a list of every teacher in Boston to be automatically created,” say “I’d like the ability to automatically create lists based on location and profession.” This helps other users relate to your Idea, which means it is much more likely to receive upvotes. Similarly, the more our Product Team knows about an Idea – who it’s for, what the motivation is, and what the actual item is, the more accurate they can be when it comes time to prioritize and scope it.

 

By constructing your idea in the following format, you will help our product team understand your feature request.

 

  • Title: Briefly state the desired capability to help our Product team locate your feedback 
  • Desired Capability: What is the HubSpot feature you would like to see to help you reach this goal?
  • Goal: What would you like to accomplish?
  • Use Case: How does this goal play into your business’s operation?
  • Images: Screenshots help us better understand your Idea 



Example:

“I want HubSpot to fold my laundry”

 

  • Desired Capability: At 4 pm every day, I’d like HubSpot to send a message saying “do you want us to fold your laundry?” If I click “Yes,” I’d like the system to connect to my dry and fold my laundry.
  • Goal: I’d like to come after work and have my laundry folded in the hamper.
  • Use Case: After a long day of work, the last thing I want to do is come home and have to do more work by folding my laundry. HubSpot automates a lot of my marketing and sales functions, I’d like it to automate my laundry folding as well. 

 

Note: Each Ideas Forum thread should only request one feature. If there are multiple feature requests in one thread, it creates confusion when attempting to communicate the developments of one of the features.

 

When can I expect to hear back from HubSpot?

If there is relevant information pertaining to the substance of the thread, it will be provided by a comment from a HubSpotter. As the Ideas Forum is being actively moderated, it is safe to assume that if a thread hasn’t been commented upon, the state of a feature request is best reflected through its status.

 

How long does it take for my Idea to get built?

It entirely depends on the traction your Idea receives from other users and the feasibility of the feature request. While the general rule is that the more popular a thread, the more likely it is to receive consideration from our Product team, this is not a certainty. An Idea may receive a high amount of upvotes, but if the feature isn’t able to be produced due to a technical, ethical, or legal reason, no amount of upvotes will be able to change that. That being said, sometimes our Product team finds a unique Idea with only a handful of upvotes and decides to move it into development. 

 

Why isn’t there a date saying when an Idea will be delivered?

The status “In Planning” means your feature request is actively being worked on. However, as a rule, we never provide specific dates for when you can expect that feature to be in beta or live. To best serve users like you, we need to maintain flexibility in our product development process, including how and when we role features out. This ensures we meet your expectations and deliver great products that solve your needs today and in the future.

 

See you on the Forum!

Joe
Ideas Forum Manager