User Groups and Management

How to get there: Go to Settings → User Groups.

Learn how to create and manage user groups in ProductLift to organize users by segments, control access to specific content, and deliver targeted experiences to different customer types.

What are User Groups?

User groups are collections of users organized by common characteristics, allowing you to:

• Control access to specific boards or posts
• Segment users for targeted communication
• Organize beta testers or VIP customers
• Create customer tiers with different access levels
• Filter feedback by user group

User groups enable sophisticated access control and user segmentation beyond basic roles (Admin/Member/User).

User Groups vs. User Segments

User Groups and User Segments are different features:

When to Use Groups:

• Control access to beta features
• Create customer tiers (Gold, Silver, Bronze)
• Organize internal teams
• Manage partner access

When to Use Segments:

• Analyze feedback by customer value
• Filter by MRR or plan type
• Prioritize by user characteristics

See User Segments for segment details.

[Screenshot: Side-by-side comparison diagram showing User Groups (lock icon, access control) vs. User Segments (chart icon, analytics)]

When to Use User Groups

Use Case 1: Beta Testing

Scenario: You have new features in beta, want limited group to test.

Setup:

• Create "Beta Testers" group
• Add selected users to group
• Create "Beta Features" board visible only to group
• Beta users see board, others don't

Result: Controlled beta rollout without affecting all users.

Use Case 2: Customer Tiers

Scenario: Enterprise customers get access to exclusive roadmap.

Setup:

• Create "Enterprise Customers" group
• Add enterprise users to group
• Create "Enterprise Roadmap" board for group only
• Enterprise customers see special roadmap

Result: VIP treatment for high-value customers.

Use Case 3: Internal Teams

Scenario: Engineering team needs private technical discussion board.

Setup:

• Create "Engineering Team" group
• Add engineers to group
• Create "Technical Discussions" board for group
• Internal technical conversations isolated

Result: Focused discussions without noise.

Use Case 4: Partner Access

Scenario: Partners need feedback access but not all features.

Setup:

• Create "Partners" group
• Add partner users to group
• Grant access to specific boards only
• Limit what partners can see

Result: Controlled partner collaboration.

Use Case 5: Geographic Regions

Scenario: Different features for EU vs. US customers.

Setup:

• Create "EU Customers" and "US Customers" groups
• Region-specific boards visible to each
• Target region-specific features

Result: Localized feature development.

Creating User Groups

Step 1: Access Group Management

Navigate to Groups:

Settings → User Groups

[Screenshot: Settings sidebar with "User Groups" option highlighted under Users section]

Step 2: Create New Group

Create Group:

1. Click "Create New Group" button
2. Group creation dialog opens

Group Details:

Name: (Required)

• Descriptive name
• Examples: "Beta Testers", "Enterprise Customers", "EU Users"

Description: (Optional)

• Purpose of group
• Helps team understand usage
• Example: "Users testing new mobile features before public release"

Icon: (Optional)

• Visual identifier
• Choose from icon library
• Appears next to group name

Color: (Optional)

• Group badge color
• Helps distinguish groups visually

[Screenshot: Create group dialog showing name input, description textarea, icon selector, and color picker]

Examples:

Name: Beta Testers
Description: Users participating in beta program for new features
Icon: 🧪 (flask)
Color: #3B82F6 (blue)

Name: Enterprise Customers
Description: Customers on Enterprise plan with exclusive access
Icon: ⭐ (star)
Color: #F59E0B (gold)

Name: Internal Team
Description: Company employees for internal discussions
Icon: 🏢 (building)
Color: #8B5CF6 (purple)

Step 3: Save Group

Create:

1. Fill in group details
2. Click "Create Group"
3. Group appears in groups list
4. Ready to add users

[Screenshot: Groups list showing newly created groups with icons, names, member counts, and edit buttons]

Adding Users to Groups

Manual User Assignment

Add Individual User:

Method 1: From Groups Page

1. Open group in groups list
2. Click "Add Members" button
3. Search for user by name or email
4. Select user
5. Click "Add to Group"

[Screenshot: Add members dialog showing search box, user search results with checkboxes, and "Add to Group" button]

Method 2: From User Profile

1. Go to Settings → Users
2. Find user in list
3. Click user to open profile
4. Find "Groups" section
5. Click "Add to Groups"
6. Select groups to add user to
7. Save changes

[Screenshot: User profile page showing Groups section with multi-select dropdown and currently assigned groups]

Method 3: Bulk Assignment

1. Settings → Users
2. Select multiple users (checkboxes)
3. Click "Bulk Actions" → "Add to Group"
4. Select group
5. All selected users added

Automatic User Assignment

Auto-Add Based on Criteria:

Configure rules to automatically add users to groups:

Setup:

Settings → User Groups → [Select Group] → Auto-Assignment Rules

Rule Examples:

Rule 1: By Plan Type

• Condition: User's plan type = "Enterprise"
• Action: Add to "Enterprise Customers" group
• Result: All enterprise users automatically in group

Rule 2: By MRR

• Condition: User's MRR ≥ $5,000
• Action: Add to "High-Value Customers" group

Rule 3: By Email Domain

• Condition: Email ends with "@yourcompany.com"
• Action: Add to "Internal Team" group

Rule 4: By User Tag

• Condition: User has tag "beta-tester"
• Action: Add to "Beta Testers" group

Rule 5: By Location

• Condition: User's country = "Germany"
• Action: Add to "EU Customers" group

[Screenshot: Auto-assignment rules interface showing condition builder with field selector, operator, value input, and "Add to Group" action]

Benefits:

• No manual management needed
• Scales automatically
• Always up-to-date
• Reduces admin work

Import Users to Group

Bulk Import:

If you have user list to add to group:

1. Open group
2. Click "Import Members"
3. Upload CSV file with emails
4. Preview import
5. Confirm import

CSV Format:

email
john@example.com
sarah@example.com
michael@example.com

Users not in portal yet can be invited automatically.

[Screenshot: Import members dialog showing file upload, CSV preview with email list, and import button]

Managing Group Members

View Group Members

See Who's in Group:

1. Open group from groups list
2. Members section shows all users
3. See:
   • User name and avatar
   • Email address
   • MRR (if available)
   • Plan type
   • Date added to group
   • Remove button

[Screenshot: Group members list showing table with user details and remove buttons]

Remove Users from Group

Remove Individual:

1. Open group
2. Find user in members list
3. Click "Remove" button
4. Confirm removal

Bulk Remove:

1. Select multiple members (checkboxes)
2. Click "Remove Selected"
3. Confirm bulk removal

From User Profile:

1. Open user profile (Settings → Users → [User])
2. Find Groups section
3. Click "X" next to group name
4. User removed from group

[Screenshot: Bulk removal interface showing selected users with "Remove Selected" button]

Group Member Count

Track Group Size:

Groups list shows member count for each group:

• Beta Testers: 23 members
• Enterprise Customers: 47 members
• Internal Team: 8 members

Click count to view members.

Using Groups for Access Control

Board-Level Access Control

Restrict Board to Specific Group:

Setup:

1. Go to Settings → Boards
2. Select board to restrict
3. Find "Visibility" section
4. Choose "Specific Groups"
5. Select which groups can access
6. Save board settings

Example:

"Beta Features" board:

• Visibility: Specific Groups
• Allowed Groups: "Beta Testers", "Internal Team"
• Result: Only those groups see board

[Screenshot: Board settings showing visibility dropdown set to "Specific Groups" with group selector showing two groups checked]

Visibility Options:

• Public: Everyone (including guests)
• Registered Users: All logged-in users
• Members Only: Team members only
• Admin Only: Admins only
• Specific Groups: Selected groups only

Post-Level Access Control

Restrict Individual Posts:

Setup:

1. Create or edit post
2. Find "Visibility" section
3. Choose "Specific Groups"
4. Select groups
5. Save post

Use Cases:

• Private announcements to VIP customers
• Beta feature details for testers only
• Partner-specific posts

[Screenshot: Post edit page showing visibility section with "Specific Groups" selected and group checkboxes]

Combined Access Control

Layer Multiple Restrictions:

Example:

Post on "Enterprise Roadmap" board (group-restricted):

• Board: Visible to "Enterprise Customers" group
• Post: Additionally restricted to "High-Value" group
• Result: Only users in BOTH groups see post

Intersection Logic:

User must meet ALL conditions:

• Be in group A (for board access)
• AND be in group B (for post visibility)

Group-Based Communication

Notify Specific Groups

Send Updates to Group:

When creating changelog or status update:

Options:

• Notify all users (default)
• Notify specific groups only

Setup:

1. Create post or status update
2. Find "Notifications" section
3. Choose "Specific Groups"
4. Select groups to notify
5. Publish

Example:

"New beta feature available!"

• Notify: "Beta Testers" group only
• Result: Only beta testers receive email

[Screenshot: Notification settings showing "Notify" dropdown set to "Specific Groups" with group selector]

Group Announcements

Portal-Wide Announcements by Group:

Create announcement visible only to specific group:

1. Create new post
2. Set type: "Announcement"
3. Set visibility: "Enterprise Customers" group
4. Publish
5. Enterprise users see announcement banner

Use Cases:

• VIP customer exclusive offers
• Beta program updates
• Partner-specific news

Analyzing Feedback by Group

Filter by Group

View Feedback from Specific Group:

1. Go to Feedback Board
2. Open filters sidebar
3. Find "User Groups" filter
4. Select groups to filter by
5. See only posts from/voted by group members

Use Cases:

• What are enterprise customers requesting?
• What features do beta testers want?
• Internal team feedback vs. external

[Screenshot: Filter sidebar showing User Groups section with checkboxes for each group]

Group-Specific Analytics

Analyze by Group:

You can filter posts by user group on any board using the filter sidebar.

Metrics Available:

• Posts created per group
• Votes by group
• Comments by group
• Engagement rate by group
• Top requests per group

Example Insights:

• Enterprise customers request more integrations (45% of posts)
• Beta testers more engaged (3x comment rate)
• Internal team focuses on performance (60% of tags)

[Screenshot: Group analytics dashboard showing bar charts comparing metrics across groups]

Best Practices

Name Groups Clearly

Good Group Names:

• ✅ "Beta Testers"
• ✅ "Enterprise Customers"
• ✅ "EU Region Users"
• ✅ "Mobile App Beta"

Bad Group Names:

• ❌ "Group 1"
• ❌ "Test"
• ❌ "Special Users"
• ❌ "Temp"

Keep Groups Focused

Avoid:

• Too many groups (overwhelming)
• Overlapping groups (confusion)
• Vague group purposes

Best Practice:

Create groups only when you have clear use case:

• Different access needs
• Targeted communication
• Segmented analysis

Recommended Group Count:

• Small portal (< 100 users): 2-4 groups
• Medium portal (100-1,000 users): 4-8 groups
• Large portal (1,000+ users): 8-15 groups

Document Group Purposes

Internal Documentation:

For each group, document:

• Purpose of group
• Who should be in it
• What access they get
• Who manages membership
• Auto-assignment rules (if any)

Example:

Group: Beta Testers
Purpose: Users testing new features before public release
Criteria: Manually invited by product team
Access: Beta Features board, early changelog previews
Manager: Product Manager (sarah@company.com)
Rules: Auto-add users with "beta" tag

Review Group Membership Regularly

Quarterly Review:

Every 3 months:

1. Review each group's members
2. Remove inactive users
3. Add users who should be included
4. Update auto-assignment rules
5. Archive unused groups

Onboarding/Offboarding:

• New enterprise customer? Add to Enterprise group
• User churned? Remove from all groups
• Beta testing complete? Remove from Beta group

Use Auto-Assignment When Possible

Reduce Manual Work:

Set up auto-assignment rules for:

• Plan-based groups (Enterprise, Pro, etc.)
• Geographic groups (by country)
• Value-based groups (by MRR)
• Team groups (by email domain)

Manual assignment only for:

• Beta testers (curated)
• Special access (case-by-case)
• Temporary groups

Advanced Group Features

Nested Groups

Create Group Hierarchies:

Example:

Customers (parent)
  ├─ Enterprise Customers (child)
  ├─ Pro Customers (child)
  └─ Free Tier Customers (child)

Inheritance:

• Child groups inherit parent permissions
• User in "Enterprise" also counted in "Customers"

Setup:

Settings → User Groups → [Group] → Parent Group

[Screenshot: Group settings showing "Parent Group" dropdown selector]

Multiple Group Membership

Users Can Be in Multiple Groups:

Example:

User "John" is in:

• "Beta Testers" (testing new features)
• "Enterprise Customers" (plan type)
• "US Region" (geography)

Access:

John gets access to:

• Beta Features board (from Beta Testers)
• Enterprise Roadmap board (from Enterprise Customers)
• US-specific content (from US Region)

Union Logic:

User sees content if in ANY qualifying group.

Time-Limited Group Membership

Temporary Access:

Add user to group with expiration:

1. Add user to group
2. Set expiration date
3. User automatically removed after date

Use Cases:

• 30-day beta testing period
• Trial period access
• Temporary partner access

[Screenshot: Add member dialog showing expiration date picker]

Group-Based Voting Weight

Advanced Feature:

Give certain groups more voting power:

Example:

• Enterprise Customers: 5x vote weight
• Pro Customers: 2x vote weight
• Free Tier: 1x vote weight

Setup:

Settings → User Groups → [Group] → Voting Weight Multiplier

Result:

Prioritization reflects customer value.

Troubleshooting

Issue: User Can't See Group-Restricted Board

Solution:

• Verify user is in correct group (Settings → Users → [User] → Groups)
• Check board visibility settings (Settings → Boards → [Board] → Visibility)
• Confirm user is logged in
• Clear browser cache
• Check if multiple groups required (intersection logic)

Issue: Too Many Users in Group

Solution:

• Review auto-assignment rules (may be too broad)
• Filter members list to find incorrect additions
• Bulk remove users who don't belong
• Refine auto-assignment criteria

Issue: Group Not Appearing in Filters

Solution:

• Verify group has at least 1 member
• Check if group is active (not archived)
• Refresh page
• Check user permissions to see group

Issue: Auto-Assignment Not Working

Solution:

• Verify rule conditions are correct
• Check if users meet criteria
• Test with single user first
• Review auto-assignment rules in Settings → User Groups → select the group
• Rule may have conflicting logic

Issue: User in Wrong Group

Solution:

• Manually remove from incorrect group
• Add to correct group
• Check auto-assignment rules for errors
• May have been manually added by mistake

Related Articles

Access Control:

• User Roles and Permissions - Role-based access control
• Portal Settings - General portal configuration

User Management:

• User Segments - Analytics-based segmentation
• User Profile Features - User profiles

Communication:

• Managing Customer Communication - Group-based notifications
• Follower Notifications - Notification system

Analysis:

• Analyzing User Feedback Data - Group-based analysis
• Advanced Filtering and Search - Filtering by group