Thumb ratings are the new feedback system that replaces the discontinued star ratings system.
Goals
DevSite uses thumb ratings to gather mass qualitative user data regarding user problems, develop a prioritized roadmap based on user feedback, and distribute consumable qualitative user data to tenants.
Gather mass qualitative user data regarding DevSite user problems
By focusing qualitative questions on broad user problems across a tenant (for example, latency, localization, navigation issues, and out-of-date content), the DevSite team is able to aggregate the data as a whole and better understand key issues facing a tenant rather than a specific content page.
Develop a prioritized roadmap based on user feedback
By using qualitative user data as the foundation for developing a roadmap, supported by the current method of gathering feedback (team and IC anecdotal feedback as well as user-reported bugs), the DevSite team can focus attention on key user problems and develop a long-term roadmap driven by user needs.
Distribute consumable qualitative user data to tenants
By gathering the above, the DevSite team can distribute the feedback to DevSite tenant teams, so that they can work to make actionable feedback to improve their content. This relieves pressure on the DevSite team and enables DevSite tenant teams to own the problems.
Tenant-level configuration
Each DevSite tenant configures thumb ratings through the feedback_type
and feedback_categories
properties in each tenant's tenant.gcl
file.
Feedback type
Quantitative feedback via binary thumbs-up/thumbs-down ratings are configured through the feedback_type property
in each tenant's tenant.gcl
file.
feedback_type: THUMB_RATINGS
See devsite/two/tenants/developers/tenant.gcl
for an example.
Feedback categories
![]() |
![]() |
Thumb up rating categories | Thumb down ratings categories |
Qualitative feedback via thumb rating categorization is configured through the feedback_categories
property in each tenant's tenant.gcl
file.
feedback_categories:
- label: "Missing the information I need"
type: THUMB_DOWN_CATEGORY
id: "missingTheInformationINeed"
- label: "Too complicated / too many steps"
type: THUMB_DOWN_CATEGORY
id: "tooComplicatedTooManySteps"
- label: "Out of date"
type: THUMB_DOWN_CATEGORY
id: "outOfDate"
- label: "Translation issue"
type: THUMB_DOWN_CATEGORY
id: "translationIssue"
- label: "Samples/Code issue"
type: THUMB_DOWN_CATEGORY
id: "samplesCodeIssue"
- label: "Other"
type: THUMB_DOWN_CATEGORY
id: "otherDown"
- label: "Easy to understand"
type: THUMB_UP_CATEGORY
id: "easyToUnderstand"
- label: "Solved my problem"
type: THUMB_UP_CATEGORY
id: "solvedMyProblem"
- label: "Other"
type: THUMB_UP_CATEGORY
id: "otherUp"
See devsite/two/tenants/developers/tenant.gcl
for an example.
Project-level configuration
Each DevSite project configures feedback through the feedback property in each project's_project.yaml file. Thumb ratings make use of a send feedback button.
Feedback
![]() |
![]() |
Thank you for rating dialog with send feedback button | Send feedback dialog |
Qualitative feedback is configured through the feedback property in each project's _project.yaml
file.
feedback:
product_id: 717201
bucket: apps-script
product_feedback_url: https://issuetracker.google.com/issues/new?component=191640&template=824113
support_url: /apps-script/support
Embed thumb ratings in page content
Thumb ratings appear automatically at the top and bottom of the page. Authors may choose to embed thumb ratings in page content as well. Was this helpful?
Insert the following code where you want to embed thumb ratings in your page content:
<devsite-thumb-rating position="main"></devsite-thumb-rating>
Google Analytics
The ratings data is captured by Google Analytics. Analytics allows you to create custom reports and filters to focus on the ratings data of interest to you.
Page ratings
To view page ratings in Google Analytics:
Select the desired Google Analytics property.
Select Behavior > Events > Pages.
Click Secondary dimension.
In the search box, enter
Event Action
and select Event Action.Click advanced next to the search box.
In the Include Event Action Containing box, enter devsite-rating thumb.
Click Apply.
Interpreting page ratings analytics
- Total events: number of times users clicked thumbs up or down.
- Unique events: number of times users clicked thumbs up or down, excluding multiple events from the same user as determined by Analytics cookies.
- Event value: sum of all ratings, where thumbs up is 1 point and thumbs down is -1.
- Avg. value: event value divided by total events. If the value is 0, that means equal numbers of people clicked thumbs up and thumbs down. 1.0 would be all thumbs up; -1.0 would be all thumbs down.
Page rating categories
To view page rating categories in Google Analytics:
- Select the desired Google Analytics property.
- Select Behavior > Events > Pages.
- Click Secondary dimension.
- In the search box, enter
Event Action
and select Event Action. - Click advanced next to the search box.
- In the Include Event Action Containing box, enter devsite-rating category.
- Click Apply.