This doesn’t really fit in any #feature-requests category
As a Roblox developer, it is currently too hard to make use of the research panel that many developers have been invited to seemingly in order to increase feedback throughout Roblox. This is because of 3 main issues, which I will discuss in this post:
The region lock:
The first issue I wish to address is the fact that only those currently living in the US may make use of the panel. This is most likely going to create some level of bias within the panel. While you may argue that there are a lot of different cultures spread between those in the US, it is also worth noting that majority tends to rule when it comes to research and feedback; so in this case, the focus group not being opened to all nationalities is hurtful to the overall objective of unbiased research. That fact of this being US-only makes it difficult for the research team to create a diverse and representative focus-group as they have locked themselves into only one country, albeit a diverse one. It is also disheartening to hear this from a company that has previously prided itself in respecting all cultures.
While I understand there may be legal issues blocking the use of international developers as part of the panel, I also wish to flag the following. Developers were not flagged of the fact that the panel is US-based only until after submitting the first question. This is what sickened me, the fact that the research team made me type out a whole response to one question only then to ask for my country and disregard my efforts there and then is absolutely unacceptable. The research team should have made efforts to either not send the email to non US-based developers or just make ‘state selection’ question 1.
The email:
I know this has been rectified since via a DevForum message, but I need to bring this up because this is the second time that the research team has used a sketchy email / website without prior notice. While I understand they may be outsourced and therefore not permitted to use @roblox.com. For developers’ security, they should be provided with an alternative, safer, and more verifiable form of contact, such as DevForum messages. Currently, the community needs to ask DevRel every single time an email goes out, which is super inefficient and ruins the whole point of a quick and fast communication stream.
The purpose:
The purpose of the panel is questionable. Due to the scale of the program (it was previously implied that this is a large scale panel, in comparison to other much more locked down programs), it’s unlikely that those within the panel will receive much information regarding large Roblox updates. It’s near impossible to provide NDAs to everyone within a large feedback program such as this, so it almost certainly isn’t for feedback on upcoming major features.
I have to question the purpose of the program. It seems as if the panel has been marketed as a sort of ticket to have Roblox listen to you, but this simply can’t be the case. With a panel this large, listening to each individual opinion becomes too difficult which overall just disappoints developers who expected just that.
Read the email, notice that it appears to promise a lot of stuff and also take notice of the fact that it rarely even mentions that you can be denied, this is heavily misleading and even if all the bullet points are followed through with (which I can only assume they will), developers who aren’t eligible will be left saddened that the research team apparently doesn’t care about their opinion. It’s hurtful that people will think this because I truly know that Roblox have always taken developer feedback to heart but the unfortunate reality is that the way this panel is currently set up will make people think this way.
Email:
If this issue is addressed, it would improve my development experience because I could rest assured knowing that Roblox is making the best use of this program. As of currently, I unfortunately have no trust in this panel making any major difference to the platform. That is just due to the three factors mentioned above. I really wish to see this panel succeed, but I just can’t see that happening with how it is set up right now.
