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Set up a public feedback board in 5 minutes

Create a ProductDesk project, enable feedback and roadmap tabs, share your board URL, and run your first status update-no custom code required.

You do not need a separate feedback SaaS, a roadmap spreadsheet, and a voting plugin. This walkthrough gets you from zero to a public feedback board with a live roadmap in about five minutes.

If you want the bigger picture first, read Public customer hub for your SaaS.

Prerequisites

  • A ProductDesk account (register if you do not have one).
  • A product name and slug (the slug becomes your-slug.productdesk.dev).

Step 1 - Create a project

  1. Sign in to the dashboard.
  2. Create a new project and name your product.
  3. Pick a slug you are happy to share publicly-it is part of the board URL.

When setup finishes, note your public board URL:

https://your-slug.productdesk.dev

Open it in a private window to see what customers see before you announce it.

Step 2 - Enable Feedback and Roadmap tabs

  1. Open the project Settings (or Overview) in the dashboard.
  2. Under hub tabs (or tab configuration), turn on Feedback and Roadmap.
  3. Leave other tabs off until you need them-waitlist, community, docs, and changelog on the board can wait.

Save settings. Reload the public board: you should see Feedback and Roadmap in the navigation.

Step 3 - Share the board

Place the same URL anywhere customers already look:

  • App footer or settings screen (“Suggest a feature”).
  • Marketing site header or /feedback redirect.
  • Onboarding email (“Here is where we track what we build”).

Guests can read the board without logging in. Submissions, votes, and comments use a one-click email verification link-no customer account signup.

Step 4 - Run one feedback cycle

Test the loop yourself:

  1. On the public Feedback tab, submit a test idea (use a real inbox you can access for the verify link).
  2. In the dashboard Feedback view, open the post and change status to Planned.
  3. Switch to In Progress, then Completed when you are done.

Open the public Roadmap tab after each change. The item should move columns automatically-there is no second manual roadmap doc to maintain.

Optional: add tags in the dashboard so voters can filter by area (billing, mobile, API, etc.).

Step 5 - Optional: skip email verify for logged-in users

If your app already has accounts, use owner identify so signed-in users land on the board ready to vote. Keep the public URL for everyone else as guests.

This step is optional for day one. Ship the public link first; add identify when you wire an in-app “Give feedback” button.

Troubleshooting

SymptomFix
Roadmap emptyPromote feedback to Planned or later-not every Open item appears on the roadmap until you commit to it.
Cannot voteComplete the email verification link; check spam for the magic link message.
Wrong slug in URLSlug is set at project creation; create a new project if you need a different public hostname.

What is next

  • Turn on Waitlist before launch if you are not ready for open feedback.
  • Read the full product guide for tags, moderation, and integrations.
  • Compare plans on pricing-Hobby starts at $1/month with launch pricing on paid tiers.

Open the dashboard and publish your board today.