My bias for action with user feedback (and bugs)

I have a bias for action when triaging user feedback that comes from the wild: app store reviews, Reddit, Twitter, Threads. My mental model (esp. for app store reviews) goes like this:

• When looking at extremely negative feedback (1-2 star reviews): I see if there is something actionable in the feedback. Otherwise I move on.
• With 3-4 star reviews: I pay attention to these a lot. These are the users the team has the best chance to convert into long-term loyal users.
  • If a user is giving even a 3-star rating, then they like something about the product. I find that such reviewers have legitimate suggestions on how to improve the product.
  • I also find such reviews great sources of ideas during hackathon weeks.
• With 5 star reviews: I make note of these to remind myself what the app’s strengths are, and how we should not regress on them.

Here’s my short backstory and philosophy of where this bias comes from.

Roots of my bias

I once had a manager for a short duration. He was a no nonsense guy and I loved him for it. He probably imparted one of the most valuable lessons in software product development: We can and will not fix every bug.

It is a clarifying statement. It is not a statement about bugs. It is a statement about what a product team can (or cannot not) do about bugs. It is about action.

Over time, I have come to recognize this as an axiom of product development. When faced with a bug report or even user feedback, I like to ask what I can do about it.

Like any engineer I will investigate, and get know everything I can about any issue – bug or user feedback. But I like to quickly arrive at a point where I can answer a question: Is there anything actionable here?

If I am not able to determine the actionable bits around a bug or user feedback, then I stop worrying about that issue. I like to stress about things where I can take action.

You may ask, “why?”

My response: peace of mind. Why stress over things I cannot control? I rather worry about things I can do something about.

What is your approach to user feedback? How do you deal with extremely negative reviews?

– vkp