Release note questions that show how users want to hear about changes
Ask users whether they read your release notes, where they read them and which changes caught them by surprise. Each question below comes with when to ask it and what the answer tells you.
What release notes survey questions tell you
Release notes survey questions ask users whether they read about your changes, where, how much detail they want, which changes should always be announced and how much notice they need before something breaks. A change users didn't hear about feels like a bug, and the answers show which channel and level of detail would have reached them.
Ask inside the product next to your changelog or release notes panel, or by email a week after a release. Ask once a quarter, with four or five questions: whether they read the notes, where, the level of detail and the change that should have been explained better.
Written answers get a theme and a sentiment, so complaints about a surprise change stand apart from requests for more detail. Each card in Results compares with the period before, so a new format for your notes shows up in the next quarter's answers.
- Questions
- 14
- Best asked
- Once a quarter, or after a big release
- Industry
- SaaS
- Where to find them
- From library in the Usertick survey editor, on every plan
The 14 release notes questions, with when to ask each
Grouped by what they tell you. Use them as they are or change the wording.
Who reads release notes and where
Start with whether and where users read, so you know which channel to write for.
- 01Yes / No
Do you read our release notes?
Asks whether the user reads the release notes at all. Select No in Results to read what those users say would make them start.
- 02Dropdown
Where do you read about what changed?
Where users read about changes, from the product to the community. The share of each answer shows where to put the effort when you publish the next note.
- 13Text
What would make you read our release notes?
An open question for what would make the user read the notes. The answers name a format, a length or a channel to try in the next note.
What a note should say
Detail, the reason for a change and the rules for announcing set the shape of every note you write.
- 03Multiple choice
How much detail do you want in a release note?
One choice from just the headline to the technical notes. The donut shows how much to write, and a split audience suggests a short note with a link to the full detail.
- 04Stars
How well do the notes explain why a change was made?
Five stars for how well the notes explain why a change was made. A low average suggests the notes list changes without the reason, which matters most for removed features.
- 05Multiple choice
Which changes should always be announced?
Lets users pick every kind of change that should always be announced, from price changes to design changes. The bars give you the rules for what to announce.
- 07Text
Which recent change should have been explained better?
An open question for a recent change that needed a better explanation. The answers name the release, a direct list of notes to rewrite or follow up.
Keeping up with changes
These show whether users keep pace with what you ship and how much warning they need.
- 06Yes / No
Have you been surprised by a change you did not hear about?
Asks whether a change ever caught the user by surprise. Select Yes in Results to read which change those users name in the next question.
- 08Ruler
How many days of notice do you need before a breaking change?
Days of notice needed before a breaking change, on a ruler up to ninety. The median and the middle half give you a notice period to commit to.
- 09Big scale
How well do you keep up with what we ship?
How well users keep up with what you ship, on a ten-step scale. Low scores next to many users who don't read the notes point to the channel more than the content.
- 10Customer effort
How easy is it to see what changed since you last logged in?
A customer effort score for seeing what changed since the last sign in. A low score is a case for a short panel of recent changes inside the product.
- 12Emoji
How do you feel about the pace of our changes?
A row of faces for the pace of your changes. Results shows each face with its share, and unhappy faces can mean you ship faster than users can learn.
How to deliver the news
End with the channel and the volume users prefer, and a link to the full list for those who want it.
- 11This or that
For release news you prefer
Two pairs: a note in the product or an email, every change or only the big ones. The split bars set the default channel and how much news users accept.
- 14Call to action
See everything we shipped this quarter
A call to action button at the end that links to everything shipped this quarter. It gives users who want the full list a place to go after the survey.
Tips for asking about release notes
Small choices that get honest, useful answers.
- 01
Ask next to the notes
Show the survey where the notes live, such as your changelog page or a panel in the product, and ask users who just read one.
- 02
Ask about one recent release
Name a recent release in the open question, so users recall a real change and answer about it.
- 03
Follow up on surprises
Give each answer about a surprise change an owner in the inbox, and reply with the explanation the note should have given.
- 04
Set a notice rule
Use the median from the breaking change question as your notice period, and say in each note how much notice you gave.
Add these questions to a survey
From the library to the first answers.
- 1
Open the library
In the Usertick survey editor, choose From library, filter by industry and topic, and add several questions at once.
- 2
Or paste your own list
Paste questions reads up to 10 questions from any text on Free, 100 on Starter and 200 on Pro and above, keeps your wording and picks an answer type for each.
- 3
Choose where it runs
Show the survey on your website, send it by email, share its link and QR code, or switch it to a conversation.
- 4
Read the answers
Results counts every score and choice, and Usertick reads each written answer and files it by topic, on every plan.
Templates and more questions about release notes
Full surveys that ask about the same things, and neighboring topics in the library.
Templates
Browse all templatesFrequently asked questions
Once a quarter, or a week after a big release. Show the survey inside the product on the page where your notes appear, or send it by email.
Four or five. Start with whether users read the notes and where, add the level of detail, and end with the change that needed a better explanation.
Yes. Send the survey by email to reach them outside the product, and start with whether they read the notes at all.
Yes. The call to action question shows a button that links to your page, such as everything you shipped this quarter.
Yes. The question library comes with every plan, the free plan included, and the free plan covers 150 responses a month across your surveys.
Yes. Once a question is in your survey, reword it, change its options or its answer type, and add logic to skip it for some answers.
Yes. The library is translated into Usertick's built-in languages, and in any other language it shows in English for you to translate.
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