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Developer tool marketing ideas: developers will tell you, briefly
The fastest way to get feedback on a developer tool is to add vanes to your docs, changelog and landing page: one tap questions answered in two seconds with no account. No tracking, no modal, and the tally settles arguments that would otherwise be a hundred-comment thread.
HOW LOUD · STANDARD
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Migrations that do not ruin Fridays.Open source core · Self host or cloud ← Tap it What is a vane?
A one tap question you place anywhere on your website.
- 1Place the vane… anywhere
Engage visitors throughout your web content.
- 2Visitors tap
It's intended to be quick, fun and interesting.
- 3You get the data
Live in your dashboard: to fix problems early, plan the menu, and publish numbers worth quoting.
Developer tool poll questions to steal
Questions people actually answer.
Paste these into the builder or swap in your own decisions. Anything that would become a long GitHub thread is better as a count.
A count, not a thread
Every design decision in a developer tool turns into an argument between six people with strong opinions. A vane turns it into a number from four hundred, which ends the argument in one line.
Where should it go on a developer tool website?
The right format for every part of your site.
The best spots are the docs pages, the quickstart, the changelog, the pricing page, and the RFC or design doc.
LatticeMenuNewsVisit
News · This week
The config file is too clever
We built something elegant and half of you told us it was unreadable. Before we break compatibility to fix it, we would like a count rather than a thread.
Docs pages
The guide ballot, placed where people are already stuck.
Best formatRank It
Tells you where users are stuck, faster than issue triage.
LatticeMenuNewsVisit
News · This week
The config file is too clever
We built something elegant and half of you told us it was unreadable. Before we break compatibility to fix it, we would like a count rather than a thread.
The quickstart
A first run pulse at the bottom of the page.
Best formatMood Gradient
DX signal from people who never opened an issue.
LatticeMenuNewsVisit
News · This week
The config file is too clever
We built something elegant and half of you told us it was unreadable. Before we break compatibility to fix it, we would like a count rather than a thread.
The changelog
A verdict on each release, in one tap.
Best formatHot Take
Settles a design argument with a number.
LatticeMenuNewsVisit
News · This week
The config file is too clever
We built something elegant and half of you told us it was unreadable. Before we break compatibility to fix it, we would like a count rather than a thread.
The pricing page
A Number Guess before you set per seat pricing.
Best formatThis or That
Format wars are the cheapest engagement you will ever get.
LatticeMenuNewsVisit
News · This week
The config file is too clever
We built something elegant and half of you told us it was unreadable. Before we break compatibility to fix it, we would like a count rather than a thread.
An RFC or design doc
A word trigger inside the contested decision.
Best formatSort the Bins
Which project conventions people value.
You get the data
The crowd tells you what to do next.
Every answer lands in your dashboard the moment it's given. Spot a rough morning before it becomes a review, see which drinks earn their place, and export it all in one click.
Start freeIllustrations with sample answers.
Run it as a survey
Same questions. One link.
Send the same 3 questions as one anonymous link, by email, QR code or receipt. Answers come back person by person.
Build this survey, prefilled → How surveys workCommon questions
What owners ask us.
How do you get feedback from developers who ignore surveys?
Shrink the ask to one tap and put it where they already are, in the docs and changelog. Developers will not complete a form, but they will register an opinion in two seconds, especially about a decision they disagree with.
What should a developer tool site have besides docs?
Contested decisions, in public. Config format debates, docs ballots and honest DX pulses signal a project that listens, which is a real factor in whether teams adopt you.
Does this add tracking to the docs?
No. It is an anonymous single tap with no account, no cookie required and no user profile, which matters for an audience that blocks analytics on principle.
Can it replace a GitHub discussion?
Not replace, but it changes the shape. A ranked vote from four hundred users settles what a hundred-comment thread cannot, and the thread can then be about implementation.
VANE it for developer tools
Settle the config argument with a number
One script tag, free to start, and your docs start answering back.