Let’s work together: The Feature Request Board
How you can advocate for the Mass.gov enhancements and updates that matter to you
We’re inviting you to collaborate with us on a Feature Request board, where you can suggest new features, see what others have suggested, contribute use cases, and vote for your priorities.
To post an issue on the board, you’ll need a Github account. If you don’t have one, creating a Github account is free. Even if you don’t have any features to request, you’ll be able to comment on, vote for, and track the issues that matter to you. Reading your use cases will help our development teams identify the most consequential work we could be doing to improve Mass.gov.
Want to dive in right away? Here’s how in 4 easy steps:
- Create a GitHub account and log in.
- Head over to the Feature Request board
- Click on an issue to review, vote for, or comment on existing requests...
- ...or create your own feature request
How to use the Feature Request board
The Feature Request board is open to the public. You can bookmark it, or you get to it from the “projects” tab from our Github repository’s navigation menu.
The Feature Request board is made up of 4 columns. The New column is for issues so recent that Digital Service hasn’t had a chance to discuss them yet, let alone assign them to anyone. Once we’ve begun talking about them internally, we’ll move them to the Active Discussion column.
Once we’ve determined what needs to be done, we’ll move an issue to the queued for work column. Finally, once we’ve finished work--or if we determine we can’t work on the issue in the foreseeable future--we’ll move it to the Done/No Further Action column.
Each issue is represented by a “card.” As we make progress on an issue internally, we’ll move that issue’s card across the columns.
Explore the issues
Clicking an card’s title will bring up a preview of that issue on the right side of your browser. If an issue has a long description, or if you want to read what others have said about the issue, click the “full details” button at the bottom of the preview. The full details view includes all the comments that others have added to the issue.
Use the search bar in the upper right to search for issues that interest you. Anything you enter will filter out all cards that don’t include your search term(s).
You can also filter by label. At the bottom of each card you’ll see 1 or more labels, which describe the issue and/or what the issue affects. Clicking a label will tell the board to show you only the cards that include that label. You can also use the search bar to search for a label by typing “label: ” and the subject. For example, if you’re interested in image-related issues, you would search for “label: images.”
Note: Clicking 2 labels will filter for cards that have both labels. If you want to search for a different label instead, clear your your filter by clicking the “x” that appears in the search bar.
Clicking “menu” at the top right of the screen will present you with a view of the latest activity on the board: New tickets, moved tickets, etc.
Help us prioritize work by advocating for issues that matter to you
Digital Service prioritizes issues that many content authors have asked for, and that will have the biggest impact on Mass.gov users. You’ll need to be logged in to Github to comment or create an issue. If you don’t have a Github account, creating one is free.
Note: We highly recommend you create a username using your state email address and full name. This will make it easier for us to reach out to you directly. Also, this will direct email notifications about issues to which you’re subscribed your work email.
If you’re logged in, you can vote for an issue either from its preview or from its detailed view. To vote from the preview, mouse over the description of the issue, and a gray smile face icon will appear in the upper right. Choose the “thumbs up” or “thumbs down” to vote for or against an issue. We also recommend you leave a comment telling us why you voted the way you did.
You’ll see your reaction appear beneath the previews’ issue description.
From the full details view, you can add a reaction to the main issue description and to any of the comments on the issue. To do this, find the gray smiley face dropdown in the upper right of the description or commend and choose your preferred emoji.
You can also write a comment in the box at the bottom of the issue’s detailed view. You can delete and edit comments once you’ve posted them.
Finally, click the “subscribe” button in the menu on the right to receive email notifications anytime the issue is updated or commented on. Note: You’ll be automatically subscribed to any issue you comment on. You will not be automatically subscribed if you vote for an issue.
Creating an issue
If your issue doesn’t exist on our Feature Request board, you can create it. Here’s how.
Step 1
Click the “issues” tab in the menu at the top of the board.
Step 2
Click the “new issue” button in the upper right, and then the “get started” button.
Step 3
Write up your feature request. Here are a few tips for creating effective write ups. Describe your problem or need Describe the solution that best addresses that problem or need Give information, including screenshots or use cases, that help us understand your perspective If you know we’re tracking a ticket internally (with a number like DP-9999), include the ticket number.
Tips for describing your issue
There are lots of ways to describe an issue, but 2 of the most effective are use cases and user stories. A use case describes a feature in the context of when that feature would be useful. It helps our tech team understand what you’re looking for and why it’s important. A user story is an issue written from the perspective of a user who wants to do something but hits a roadblock. User stories make user experiences more relatable and clear.
An example of a use case: “Our agency’s purpose is to provide important information for the public. We don’t have a lot of transactional content. We would love to see a Service Page that’s geared toward information as a service.”
An example of a user story: “As a Mass.gov content author with the Department of Birding and Ornithology, I post many images of birds. I want to post lots of small images, since I know that large images slow down page loading time. However, right now, I can only post images that are half-width and full-width. I would like to be able to post a gallery of small images to satisfy my users and to avoid bogging down page load times with large files.”
Note: Github doesn’t work with older versions of Internet Explorer. You’ll need to be using Internet Explorer 11--or a non IE browser--to view our Feature Requests board.