Suggestion and Idea tracking

Question

Hi there,

I'm searching a software (web-based, php/mysql) that allows users to (anonymously/with registering) write suggestions or ideas on a project. The project itself does not necessarily have to be software-related, I also want to use it for some IRL projects I'm working on, but that may well need some suggestions from the people involved.

• Guests can write suggestions
• Registered users can vote suggestions up/down
• Commenting etc.
• Admins can approve suggestions to be considered, implemented soon, etc.
• Highly customizable fields for projects, so I can use different fields for different projects (E.g. for a software project, I define "Version" and "OS" fields and for a design or layout for a website, I define "Page" and "Screenshot"... just as an example)
• A simplistic implementation of SOs reputation-system for good suggestions etc.

Now that I write it, that sounds pretty like a clone for SO, but that's really not what I have in mind. I want my users to write suggestions on specific projects that defines very clear fields they have to fill out - I hope you don't mistake this as a try to copy SO.

It's more that I feel using a BugTracking software like Mantis to track both Ideas/Suggestions and Bugs will be too complex to use for users that just have an idea they want to express and then have to fill out multiple fields on Revision, Version, Program Component, OS Data and whatever else.

Having a software that enables even the users that never had anything to do with tracking the possibility to have their ideas heard would greatly improve the development of end-user software/projects.

Answer 1

You probably want something close to http://uservoice.com/, although it does not have customizable fields, I think.

Answer 2

I highly recommend Youtrack. It seems to be a perfect choice for the use cases described:

• Web application, where external reporters may post their requests with the 'guest' account (if you would like to enable this option) and also use their OpenID to register. Registered users may be granted the reporter, commenter, voter, and etc. rights.
• Issue reporting: the only required field is summary, so your external customers do not have to fill in thousand fields.
• For each project you may setup the default assignee who receives all the posted requests and processes them.
• Customizable fields: you can create the custom fields you need for each project, or you may even use the same custom field with the different values for different projects.