Product Hunt comments update: How do you think this will affect the discussion atmosphere?
Today, I noticed a small update on my profile while replying to your comments.
A new button has been added – specifically, the option to "downvote" a comment.
This brings up a few questions I’d like to discuss with the community, because I’m curious (not only from a UX/UI perspective) how you feel about introducing such a system [not just on PH, but in general].
Do you see the downvote system as positive or negative?
Does the option to downvote make people more likely to be harsh or more honest? I’m thinking of Reddit, which relies on downvotes, but also of Facebook’s “negative” reactions like “Sad” or “Angry” for expressing a different stance on the topic.
Should regular discussion posts on PH also have a downvote button? (For now, it only applies to comments.)
One thing I noticed about myself [UX/UI feedback]: I was so used to the "Upvote" and "Reply" buttons that I automatically tried to "Upvote" something and then press "Reply," which used to be next to the "Upvote." But instead, I ended up accidentally "Downvoting" my own "Upvote" with this new addition/replacement. 😅
Replies
Interesting observation! I think downvotes can be a double-edged sword. On one hand, they help highlight low-quality or off-topic comments, keeping discussions cleaner. On the other, they can sometimes discourage people from sharing honest opinions if they fear backlash.
From a UX perspective, I’d suggest making the downvote slightly less prominent than upvote to reduce accidental clicks (like what you experienced) and to encourage constructive discussion rather than just negative reactions.
minimalist phone: creating folders
@ritik_ranjan Damn, I upvoted your comment, wanted to reply and downvoted it again. :DDDD but fixed it :D Well, I think that downvote symbolises "not sympathy/not alignment", so I wouldn't use them for downgrading the content, but using them for disagreement with the opinion.
@busmark_w_nika Haha, glad you fixed it 😄 That’s an interesting way to look at it, as more of a “disagreement” signal rather than content quality. Makes sense, though it does blur the line a bit between healthy debate and discouraging someone’s input. I guess the key is how the community chooses to interpret and use it.
Swytchcode
minimalist phone: creating folders
@chilarai I am a bit confused with that change, to be honest :D
Raycast
I'm curious about the intention and what problem it's attempting to solve.
If it comes with relaxing moderation and enabling more comments, then an alternative feedback mechanism could democratize moderation.
It's also not clear if downvote counts are made public, or if it's simply a status (i.e. you'll see that you downvoted a comment, but no one else will know, nor will total downvote counts be visible).
It also appears that the "report comment" action has been removed? If so — then the downvote action may be their replacement (no more identifying spam vs AI slop vs abuse, etc — it's just "I don't like this").
Most mature platforms have quite sophisticated, multi-step reporting mechanisms so that clarity of the offense can be better understood from the perspective of the reporter. This friction may also reduce frivolous or angry reports.
minimalist phone: creating folders
@chrismessina Well, that interests me too, because if people see the results, they are more likely to join the dominant group (not because they share the same opinion), but because the majority did so.
I think that "downvote" is not very informative, because it indicates "sympathy/aversion", but not a real reason like "AI slop, vulgarity, inappropriate behaviour, etc." – like the Report button used to contain.
Update: I can report my own comment :D WTF? :D
Lancepilot
As a PH user, I just hope the downvote doesn’t mess with the friendly vibe here 😅
minimalist phone: creating folders
@priyankamandal We should pray for that together :D
DiffSense
If im having a passive-aggressive day. I could definitly see my self downvoting AI slop comments to blow off some steam. I think maybe its also a way for the PH team to focus on what matters, instead of policing reported comments etc. Self policing systems like reddit works pretty well.
minimalist phone: creating folders
@sentry_co I would welcome removing AI bots on the platform. It is kinda disturbing and doesn't feel authentic when I am followed by bots. 🫣
A downvote button can either keep discussions clean (filtering out spam/irrelevant comments)… or turn into the "petty Olympics" where people downvote just because they disagree.
On one hand, it could improve signal-to-noise. On the other, it might discourage people from sharing less-polished but genuine thoughts.
Maybe the real question is: will downvotes here be used as “quality control” or “ego control”? 😅