ACDSee idea voting section for product improvments?

[mogle]

Some of us suggest ideas, changes and improvements for ACDSee. It is a frustration to see that some of these great ideas are never picked up. Other ideas turn out to be not so good. It is also difficult for a software company like ACDSee to locate resources and implement random given ideas. I work in the industry myself, my company have had great success in asking the customer what they want, allowing any user to submit ideas and product changes to an open forum for discussion and voting. You can vote things up or down. Every idea need a status, something like: New, Undervaluation, Rejected, In Progress, or Delivered. It is important that every idea got it?s own unique reference ID. A name can quick be misleading.

ACDSee?s product teams can then use this as an help for where they are allocating their resources. When implemented correctly, this is a great way of interacting with customers, product managers, support teams, development teams, test teams and more.

I challenge ACDSee to take this up?

[mala]

The challenge with this is that users actually have to get to that page to up-vote and idea. Having said that, this is much better than having nothing to promote ideas. I have a bunch of things that could IMPROVE MY WORKFLOW A LOT (Ctrl-zooming to center, geocoding(address to GPS), batch reverse geocoding, embed metadata recursively through folders, etc). I can make a post to the forum but does ACDsee even read it? It seems they read some messages but you have to be lucky they read yours, think that it's a good idea and then add it somewhere in their internal system.

[mogle]

A voting section could be a separate forum. A dialogue between a group of active users and a software house is often very effective. A number of successful software housed got similar user forum or interactions between their user base. It drives and generates happy users.

Looking at the number of active users and how often they submit or update on issues. I sadly got my doubts that it will work for ACDSee. We need more active users who speak out and actively support the community.

[mala]

Well, maybe people don't contribute more because ACDsee really doesn't care that much what users have to say. I see hardly any interaction with ACDsee developers here.

As background information, after doing a lot of research I just switched to ACDsee a short while ago. My main task is cataloging images which I thought was one of ACDsee's strengths. It turns out that they are severely lacking in this relatively basic task starting from inefficient workflows, using non-standard tags, not recognizing modified meta-data headers, etc. If ACDsee actually would take user input serious than maybe you would see more enthusiastic users...

[MBangert]

Why should i waste my time to post ideas?

I am currently Fighting since more than one year with ACDSee to get a Version that is not crashing with my number of Pictures.

ACDSee Acts with that selfmade Problem flexible and fast as a rock.

[mogle]

Why should i waste my time to post ideas?

:

IF: ACDSee took more care of their customer base. Their customer base would grow (faster then what it does now).
IF: ACDSee took their time to make a facility, a separate forum for product ideas and improvements would do, appointed some user advocates to administer, structure and update the forum. A growing number of users would go to the forum to: a) Review ideas, b) Submit their own ideas (this would then be the only place where a customer could ask for changes or improvements). c) Vote for ideas, ideas could be voted up or down.

It takes a small effort by ACDSee to facilitate this. It is difficult to do, it needs to be worked on every day, every week, every month with regular updates.

What do you think would happened if ACDSee did this?
- Over time, number of happy users would grow fast.
- Over time, ACDSee's product offering would improve. They spend more time and money on what the user base wants, and less on other things.
- Over time, it will be more fun and rewarding to work at ACDSee. Every employee starts feeling that they make a positive difference for the company and its products.

It is that simple!

Even users like MBangert who is critical to this idea would start looking at other ideas. He would start voting things up and down. One day, he would submit some of his brilliant ideas. Even when an idea is "fixing an old bug or two". It is all up to people and managers at ACDSee....

[user4711]

a user vote i think is a good idea. so they see which feature they should add soon. I think the features of the ultimate version layers no users use, because after a short usage in the demo with layers there are notice lots problems. so i guess users that test layer in the demo give it up and see no reason to buy the ultimate version. see also my post about the layer usage problems i get

[JoeB]

I asked about a suggestion forum once and the answer from another member was to write to customer service. I did do that just yesterday, and got a response that my feature request would be forwarded to a product manager. Maybe it will.and maybe it won't, but this didn't seem like the best way to go about it. Along with my request was a question as to where I can post future requests, and the answer was the community forum, but no specific section was mentioned. Look around, tell me if you see an obvious single place to make product suggestions.
I certainly don't know one way or the other if feature requests are ignored, I tend to doubt it, but a dedicated feedback page would make it easier.

[mogle]

Today there is no clear why how a ACDSee customer can submit or suggest a product improvement. The obvious way would be in dialog with ACSSee Support or submit on this forum. Reading the different comments on this forum, there are lots of ideas suggested. You spoke out, but there is no feedback in terms of:

• Your suggestion is rejected or even already implemented.
• No notification when it is implemented.
• Other users can collaborate on your suggestion and make it even better.
• Other user can downgrade your suggestion.
• No notification when it is implemented.
• ACDSee Product Manager got one place to go to evaluate what the existing customer is asking for.
• ACDSee Product Manager, can suggest their own ideas in a public space and see how existing customer response to their suggestions.

There are also some challenges here. Any software company find it difficult to come with forward-looking statements of new functionality and enhancements. In a tough market place, some information cannot be released before the software release date. The user environment needs to accept that. Still ? things can be done.

A separate ?Idea forum? or ?Enhancements forum? would streamline this process. For it to work effectively it forum need to be audited by someone represented ACDSee. You will also need some documented workflow. I have seen it done successfully in several places. It needs to be more than a marketing gimmick. If it is just a gimmick, it can really backfire. Positive dialogue is between end user and product managers will quickly improve the product.

[GusPanella]

In this proposed nirvana...

Please disallow suggestions for "Artificial Intelligence" or "auto adjust" or "extra fee user contributor area (like a competitive product)" or any gimmick. There are plenty of other tools that you can buy if you like gimmicks

Let's think this through.. if I wanted ToolXYZ, I would buy ToolXYZ, not a ToolXYZ clone. NO CLONING discussions allowed, only original thought (i.e. I want it to work like [insert_tool_XYZ_name_here] = Not Allowed) . Is it even possible for a user forum to do this?

Oh, and BTW, no suggestions to develop a pano module allowed, there is already rock-star implementations you can get at no cost.

As so we're not wasting time, don't allow suggesting improvements to obsolete or redundant tech or things too broken to save.


BTW... There is a change notice with every version.

[mogle]

In this proposed nirvana...

BTW... There is a change notice with every version.

I don't know how to follow your latest comment. Sounds a bit troll-like. I am still suggesting an idea-voting forum related to the core business of ACDSee. Where photographic technology software or whatever you are calling it core. One place for suggestions would be easier for everyone. Every suggestion must also have a unique ID and name. That would allow followup both internally by ACDSee and across the user base on this forum. Duplicate suggestions will be makes as Status = Duplicate, with a URL to the duplicated idea.

A moderator from ACDSee will be required. Your piano idea - I like your thinking will be rejected by the moderator. Status = Rejected. There are plenty of reasons why something is rejected. This is clearly an area where it should.

I honestly think this will help ACDSee move forward, improve customer interactions and improve their product.

[GusPanella]

About the last comment... not troll like at all... reaction to the implication of the statement "No notification when it is implemented". The point was ACD is pretty good about letting people know when new things come along.

I want to hold tool vendors to a higher standard than user forum suggestions.... I want them using the tools, seeing deficiencies, fixing where appropriate, deprecating features that waste time, and focus on the innovation. They are the professionals in the field and should be accountable for product development.

I do disagree with the premise of user voting defining features. There is another SW company does that. Looking through the user suggestions in that attempt shows a lot of reasons why it is a bad idea. Much is already implemented, others are misinformed... others yet have been on for over 5 years and requested over and over and over... and closed each time. I would rather have the $$ for that resource managing/tracking/observing/reporting the forum put on development.

In the end users of this tool have ~$100/yr of voting power per year. No more, no less.

[mogle]

I do disagree with the premise of user voting defining features. There is another SW company does that. Looking through the user suggestions in that attempt shows a lot of reasons why it is a bad idea.

In the end users of this tool have ~$100/yr of voting power per year. No more, no less.

Thank you for clarification. I like to keep the software company to a high standard - that is exactly why I am suggesting it.

I do take part in my suggested process for another software company. Where it works very well. The price tag and marked is completely different. The forum is not public but open by invitation to all paying customers. Yearly license maintenance cost per paying company easily starts at $50K and can go up to millions. The setting is very different. The number of active users is also very high, I would think the number of active users in this forum is relatively low compared to the number of licenses sold.

Submitting ideas and suggestions on the current forum(s), looks and feels partly pointless. There is no commitment either way. I can assume that most of the ideas and suggestions submitted in the current forums are not even seen by ACDSee Product Manager.

I still believe it could work for ACDSee. It would require some discipline and structure.

[mcosgrove]

Hello,

Regarding the comment: I can assume that most of the ideas and suggestions submitted in the current forums are not even seen by ACDSee Product Manager.

I can assure you that it is 100%, not the case. Why? Because I read every forum post. Every time a customer posts to the forum, I receive an email, and I read that email.

Please be assured the ACDSee Product Team and I consider all feature requests from all sources. ACD receives a lot of feedback from many customers and different sources. The forum is one important feedback loop in our development decisions.

Please keep posting your ideas, bug reports, what you don?t like and what you do like, etc. I will read them.

Regards,
Mark

[njlarsen]

Mark,
during my years of using ACDSee, this is the clearest statement from anyone in ACDSee about you listening, well done!

Niels