My understanding is that similar idea suggestions rely on the title, while AI theme analysis uses the title and description, without considering custom fields. This limits our ability to use dedicated portal fields to guide submitters through the problem, impact, and desired outcome.
Using an idea template (description) creates another challenge: the portal treats the prefilled template as completed content. A submitter can leave questions unanswered—or submit the template unchanged—and still satisfy the required description field.
We have to choose between structured questions that capture useful information and a description field that supports AI theme analysis.
Incomplete submissions require follow-up, slow down idea review, and reduce the quality of information available for identifying similar ideas and themes.
Allow administrators to select which custom fields inform similar idea suggestions and AI theme analysis, so structured feedback can contribute alongside the title and description.
And/or Improve idea template validation so prefilled prompts do not count as answers. Ideally, allow individual questions within the description to be required, or provide guided questions whose responses populate the description automatically.
Follow-up comment:
Based on another challenge discovered today, I would say preference would be to allow us to have the AI theme analysis on other custom fields.
Use Case: Historically we have used an internally-facing Idea portal to capture ideas submitted by our employees with proxy votes for the impacted customer. But for one of our newer product lines, we are getting the green light to allow for an externally-facing Idea portal for the new product.
The problem is that while we tell the internal-facing portal to use the standard internal idea template (e.g. questions structured in way we want that makes sense for our employees), they are getting the "description" with the template for external portals. 🤦More complications then needed. I can work around it, but it makes the admin journey clunky.