Evaluating a solution

The answer to "What do I do next?" for threads that discuss features currently not in the product, or for threads that discuss a current feature in the product could be a challenge. Sometimes threads, where a user does not come back, can leave you as the volunteer to make a decision. Remember, you are the driver.

There are three questions you can ask:

1. Does this feature exist in the product?
2. Are they just leaving feedback?
3. Are they in the right place for their question?

General things to consider:

• Is this a cool feature?
• Always add it to https://input.mozilla.org/feedback yourself or suggest it to the user, please use your best judgement.
• Does the bug exist for the enhancement already? If so, show them the bug to keep track of their issue there. If possible, please set realistic expectations for the review process.
• Are there better places to ask this question?
• Add-ons have a separate site supported by their respective developers.
• Is this a developer question? Stackoverflow.com is a great place for MDN or developer questions, as well as other places within Mozilla.

Examples

Here are some examples of where this happens. Please keep in mind these are made-up situations but the resources are real.

Example 1: The add-on does not work anymore.

Here the "Robot Tool Awesome Add-on" is not working as expected. Add-ons are made by developers. Most of the time add-ons will be compatible and automatically work with new versions of Firefox. Some special types of extensions which contain binary files need to be updated for each Firefox release though – this affects some add-ons bundled with antivirus suites for example. You can consult with the vendor's home page if there is a new compatibility update available.

Nevertheless – if there are issues surfacing with an add-on after a browser update, those should be brought to the attention of the add-on's developers, since they can incorporate fixes and make the necessary changes in their extensions to work with new browser versions. In many cases the listing of an add-on at addons.mozilla.org contains a way to contact the developer or a link to a dedicated support site, where you could direct the user to. Also see Add-on support guidelines for contributors for an overview. (But remember to come back to the training.)

If an add-on is found to be a major issue, sometimes it is also blocked. Here is the list of Blocked Add-ons for Firefox.

Example 2: Collect feedback or provide a workaround.

Here the user was used to a feature that is no longer included in the current version of the browser. After testing you have concluded that the feature is no longer usable. What do you do next?

Even though it no longer works, it may be helpful to suggest a workaround or ask them to also provide their feedback to the developers. Having both is ideal to keep the user happy. But keep in mind: not everyone can be satisfied, even if they are always right. (shhh)

Input is the place to leave feedback for the developers. It is where the User Advocacy team gathers the feedback and advocates for the user globally for all Mozilla products.

Example 3: A bug is found and it's not working even after all the troubleshooting.

After following the steps and clearly understanding what the user is trying to do, in this situation a bug should be filed. It is a bug if it was not supposed to happen and it happens to you as well, or if all troubleshooting is exhausted.

From here, getting familiar with Bugzilla is the next step. If the person seems technically inclined you can point them there with this warning about the Bugzilla Etiquette or you can file a bug as well. For more information on writing a clear bug for the advanced see this article (but do not forget to come back to the training).

What is a resolution?

Here are the facts:

• In the forum only moderators, question owners and admins can mark a thread as solved.
• Threads are locked and archived after six months.
• Moderators: view all the threads and when a "conclusion" is found to the thread owner's question (or a close facsimile thereof) the moderator marks the solution individually and the owner can change the "solution" as they see fit, along with other moderators who might read the thread. If you see a particular thread that contains an answer that obviously solves the problem, but is not marked as solution yet, you can flag it by using the (in this case misnamed) "Report Abuse" button to bring it to a moderator's attention.

Sometimes an issue does not have the solution that the user expects, however researching the next steps to solve their issue is a move in the right direction.

For contributors participating in the Contributor Quality Training Please click here for Chapter 8.