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Your First 15 Minutes with Distil

This guide will get you up and running with Distil quickly. Follow these steps in order.

Before You Start​

Make sure you have:

  • Created a Distil account
  • Set up your workspace
  • Received your email verification

Step 1: Add Your First Feedback (2 minutes)​

Let's create a test card to see how the system works.

  1. Go to your dashboard
  2. Click "New Card" (or press c)
  3. Enter a title: "Add dark mode to app"
  4. Add a description: "Multiple users have requested dark mode support"
  5. Click "Create"

Your card now appears in the Needs Signal section.

Step 2: Evaluate and Accept a Card (3 minutes)​

Now let's move this card through the workflow.

  1. Click on your new card to open it
  2. Read through the feedback
  3. Add a signal note: "Requested by 3 customers in the past month"
  4. Click "Accept" at the bottom
  5. Add acceptance rationale: "This is a common request and aligns with our Q2 accessibility goals"
  6. Click "Accept Card"

The card moves to Accepted. This is now part of your roadmap.

Step 3: Explore the Roadmap View (2 minutes)​

Click "Roadmap" in the sidebar.

You'll see three sections:

  • Needs Signal: Your inbox of unprocessed feedback
  • Accepted: Your roadmap of validated work
  • Ready: Items pushed to Jira or Linear

This view gives you a snapshot of what's in the pipeline.

Step 4: Try Filtering and Tags (3 minutes)​

Back on your dashboard:

  1. Click "Add Tag" on your dark mode card
  2. Create a tag called "UI" or "Design"
  3. Try the search bar - search for "dark mode"
  4. Click the filter icon to filter by tag

Tags help you spot themes across feedback. Use them to track categories that matter to your product.

Step 5: Create a Few More Cards (5 minutes)​

To see patterns, you need more data. Add 3-4 more cards:

Example cards:

  • "Speed up dashboard load time"
  • "Add export to CSV feature"
  • "Support SSO login"
  • "Improve mobile experience"

Tag these appropriately ("performance," "data," "auth," "mobile").

Don't worry about acceptance yet - leave them in Needs Signal.

What You've Learned​

In 15 minutes, you've:

  • Created feedback cards
  • Moved a card through the workflow
  • Added signal notes and acceptance rationale
  • Used tags to categorize feedback
  • Explored the roadmap view

Next Steps​

If You're Ready to Go Deeper​

If You Want to Set Up Integrations​

If You're Bringing Your Team​

Pro Tips​

Use keyboard shortcuts: Press ? anywhere to see available shortcuts.

Add signal notes liberally: Your future self will thank you for the context.

Don't over-accept: Only accept feedback you genuinely plan to build. It's okay to leave things in Needs Signal indefinitely.

Review weekly: Set aside 30 minutes each week to process your Needs Signal inbox.