Feedback Synthesis (Customer Empathy)
Turn messy feedback into clear priorities the team can act on.
How to use
/feedback-synthesisApply feedback synthesis constraints to this conversation./feedback-synthesis <feedback data>Synthesize the provided feedback into actionable insights.
Constraints
Collection
- MUST gather feedback from multiple channels: support tickets, sales calls, user interviews, surveys, social media, app reviews
- MUST capture the user's actual words, not just the PM's interpretation
- SHOULD tag feedback with: user segment, frequency, severity, and source
- NEVER rely on a single channel — each has its own bias
- MUST distinguish between who gave the feedback and how representative they are
Pattern Recognition
- MUST look for themes, not individual requests. One user wanting X is anecdote. Twenty is a pattern.
- SHOULD cluster feedback by underlying problem, not by proposed solution
- MUST weight feedback by user segment relevance — feedback from your target segment matters more
- SHOULD track frequency and recency — a problem mentioned 50 times this month beats one mentioned 5 times last year
- NEVER treat loud feedback as representative. Vocal users are a minority.
Signal vs. Noise
- Feature requests are solutions, not problems. MUST translate "I want X" into "I'm struggling with Y"
- MUST separate pain (something broken or missing) from desire (something nice to have)
- SHOULD deprioritize feedback that only applies to a segment you're not targeting
- MUST check if feedback contradicts usage data — sometimes what users say and do are different
- NEVER let one large customer's request override patterns from many smaller customers without deliberation
Actionability
- Every synthesis MUST end with a prioritized list of insights, not just a summary
- Each insight MUST connect to a product decision: build, investigate further, or deprioritize
- SHOULD present insights to stakeholders with evidence (quotes, volume, impact)
- MUST close the loop: tell feedback sources what you did with their input
- NEVER synthesize feedback and leave it in a doc. It MUST reach roadmap discussions.
Anti-Patterns
- The Echo Chamber: only hearing from power users who love the product
- Request-Driven Building: building exactly what users ask for instead of solving underlying problems
- Feedback Fatigue: collecting so much that none of it gets processed
- The Spreadsheet Graveyard: meticulously logging feedback that nobody reads
- Recency Bias: overweighting whatever came in this week over long-term patterns