Suggest an Idea
Table of Contents
- How to Submit an Idea: First Steps
- Information about the Idea
- Submit the Form
- What to expect from this process
How to Submit an Idea: First Steps
To complete the Suggest an Idea form click here, then complete the form. Below are more details on the form with an example and what to expect. In the form there is another example to help you complete the form. Make sure you include all required information for your idea to be accepted.
Once you click the link, you will see a welcome screen with a short note. Click the Go to the Form button to begin.
The form features the FamilySearch logo at the top, is titled 'What is your idea?', and includes a brief additional note. The form scrolls down and is all on one page. Complete each question that is applicable and remember some questions are required. Most questions are open boxes for text, meaning you can type what you want, but a few have dropdown lists.
You want to provide as much information as possible to make sure we understand the need for the idea and what you want to do. The questions will guide you through this. Only provide the information asked in each question. By the time you answer each one, you will have shared the complete idea, and we will have the understanding we need. The remainder of this document will include each question and additional details on answering them to make sure we are clear on what we need.
Information about the Idea
The next several questions will dig into the idea you have. The questions are meant to help you provide the kind information our engineer teams need to act on an idea. Answer all pertinent questions as thoroughly as possible. It will feel like there is some repetition. This is by design to ensure we get everything we need. There is an example of an idea that flows through each question so you can see how this might look.
Q1. Title
What you write here will serve as the title of your idea in our database. Keep it short as you will be able to provide more detail in later questions.
EXAMPLE: Provide the ability to add a marriage date while I’m adding a new spouse.
Q2. Write a Compelling Idea
When writing your idea, please provide as many SPECIFIC details as possible. Remember to include these elements:
1 - SITUATION: Describe the situation or your current experience. Start with the words "When I ..."
2 - NEED: Describe what you want to do. Focus on one need at a time. You can continue with the words "I want to ...‡
3 - OUTCOME: Describe the desired outcome when you achieve this need. There may be multiple outcomes for a given need. You can use the words "...so I can....
4 - BENEFIT: When applicable, tell us who will be most impacted by this outcome and why it is important to your work.
It's helpful for us when you share how your idea can benefit your work.
EXAMPLE
SITUATION: When I review handwritten records in Spanish that I struggle to read and understand.
NEED: I want to have an easier way to transcribe and translate these documents directly within FamilySearch, especially for older handwriting styles.
OUTCOME: ...so I can quickly verify names, dates, and locations without needing to switch between multiple tools or rely on external translation services.
BENEFIT: This would be especially beneficial for users like me who are researching ancestors from non-English-speaking countries. It would help ensure accuracy in family trees and make the research process more efficient for genealogists and family historians worldwide.
Q3. Do you have any other examples that would help explain the idea?
This is more space if you would like to share examples or other information about the idea. You might include other URL’s (web links), person identifiers (PIDs, like LS5T-39G), or use cases. Be descriptive.
EXAMPLE: No entry needed.
Q4. Add screenshots that help show your idea
You can add multiple screenshots. Click in the box to upload files from your computer. Your file manager will come up and let you select the files you want to upload. You can also drag and drop images from your file manager into the box. You can’t copy and paste images. You can add jpg or png files. Each of those file types is shown in the image below.
EXAMPLE:
Q5. Are you using a Mobile app or the Website? (required)
There is a dropdown with six possible answers: Mobile - Android, Mobile - Apple (iOS), Web - Chrome, Web - Firefox, Web - Safari, or Other. This may seem like a simple question, but it’s very important for us to understand which platform you are using because functionality varies between them. Let’s distinguish between the platforms.
Website: means you accessed FamilySearch from a browser like Chrome, Edge, or Safari and are on the website www.familysearch.org.
Mobile: means you accessed FamilySearch functionality from an app on your mobile device, like a phone or tablet. The apps include Family Tree or Memories.
EXAMPLE: Website – Safari
Q6. Provide the URL or specific details of where you are on the app or website
This is where you start giving more details about where you want a new feature. URL’s (website links) are the best information to provide if you are on the website. You can also give a descriptive explanation of where you are on the website or app.
EXAMPLE: https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/LC5H-R4G.
Q7. Select the Product or Feature you are using from the list. (required)
You are provided with a list to choose from but it’s not comprehensive and may not have your choice on it. There is an option called Other/I don’t know. Select this option if you aren’t sure or the option you need isn’t listed. You can select multiple products/features, if needed.
The list includes: Activities, Books, Catalog, Community, Family Groups, Family Tree, FamilySearch Centers, Genealogies, Get Involved, Help/Support, Home Page, Images, Indexing, Memories, Messaging, My Account, Person Page, Places, Records, Relatives Around Me, Sources, Source Linker, Temple, Tree/Pedigree Views, Wiki, Other/I don’t know, Relative Finder, and Search. Others may be added as needed.
EXAMPLE: Person Page, Tree/Pedigree Views, Source Linker
Q8. What is your skill level with FamilySearch?
The options are Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced and Not Sure.
EXAMPLE: Intermediate
Q9. What role(s) do you have with Family Search?
Mark all that apply from the list provided. The options are General User, Church Member, Employee, Missionary, Consultant (any), Helper, Area Advisor, Not Sure.
EXAMPLE: General User
Q10. Are you willing to be contacted by the product team?
Mark YES or NO depending on your preference.
Submit the Form
Once you have scrolled to the bottom and answered each applicable question, you will be asked to click a CAPTCHA box that helps ensure that you aren’t a robot. Then you will click Submit Idea. If you change your mind, simply close the page.
What to expect from this process
Once you hit Submit Idea, you'll get a thank-you screen confirming we got your idea. There is also a button if you feel like tossing in another idea.
This new process is quite a departure from what we've done before. You won't see every single idea thrown into the community pool. We're going to sift through them to ensure they're fresh ideas, share them with engineering, and then store them neatly in a database for future reference.
If you submit something that isn’t a new idea, we will send you an email, if provided, or a private message (PM) in the community to let you know. We will include any pertinent information about your submission such as if the function already exists and how to use it or where you should post it in the community. You may also receive an email or a PM if we need a little more information about the idea you submitted. If your submission is missing too much information, we will return it to you in a PM and ask you to resubmit the idea with all the information.
When we have an idea that we would like to vet with all of you, we will add it as a discussion in Suggest an Idea and open it up for voting to see what the interest is.