Understanding How Brazilian Software Organizations Collect and Utilize User Feedback: A Survey

Context: User feedback is a critical resource for guiding software evolution and improving usability and user experience. However, in Brazil, there is still little evidence of how organizations collect, analyze, and utilize user feedback in practice. Objective: Our goal is to provide an overview of how Brazilian software organizations have captured and utilized user feedback. Method:We conducted a survey involving 31 Brazilian software organizations. Data was collected through a structured questionnaire, represented using graphs and tables, and analyzed. Results: The study results revealed that most organizations predominantly have captured explicit feedback, combining internal and external sources, but systematic analysis and longitudinal monitoring have been limited. User feedback has been used mainly to support maintenance, strategic decision-making, and innovation initiatives aiming at software evolution. Integrating supporting tools, low response rates, difficulties in interpreting subjective or generic feedback, and resistance from development teams to incorporate user feedback into decision-making were highlighted as challenges faced by the organizations. Conclusion: Although organizations have recognized the importance of user feedback, the study results suggest that user feedback management practices in Brazil are not very mature yet, indicating opportunities for improvement, such as using implicit feedback and monitoring changes in user feedback over time.