Please read at least the Intro and Short Version before voting in the poll
PART 1: Introduction
I really like ESO and think it's a good game. After about a year of playing and a lot of thought, I decided to write this post not to rant, but rather to highlight a key way that I think ESO's evolution could be enhanced. For ESO to achieve optimal growth I think there should be an overhauled system that ZOS uses to gather, assess, respond to, and incorporate players' feedback about changes to the current and future state of the game. I've included the short version below (if you want an in depth analysis supporting my stance feel free to read the wall of text starting with Part 3...you've been warned ). I'd like to hear your thoughts. It seems like it would be really difficult defending a position that current player/developer interactions (e.g. these forums, ESO Live, ZOS meetings with guild leaders, etc.) are good enough to ensure ESO has the best future possible, so if you feel that way drop a line to help me see what I might have missed.

PART 2: Short Version / tl;dr
Note: I use the term customer and player interchangeably throughout.
I think it would be very beneficial for ESO's growth for ZOS to implement an overhauled player & developer feedback system. The best growth opportunities for ESO will occur in accordance with ZOS's increasing ability to do the following:
1) Understand their customer base and identify what's important to them.
2) Create a robust system that allows ZOS to collect statistical data related to item 1, and make this system transparent to the players so ZOS's effort and feedback is readily visible.
3) Act on what is important to their customers, especially if ZOS can implement changes (e.g. new content, fixes, QoL updates, etc.) in a way that increases customer satisfaction but also makes ZOS profitable.

PART 3: Example of an Overhauled Player/Developer Feedback system
I'm providing this example of an overhauled player/developer feedback system to anchor my key points to it and avoid abstraction. However I'm not married to this example, and would definitely support alternatives proposed by other players that achieve the same outcomes. First let's consider some key standards that an ideal player/developer feedback system should adhere to:
1) Rigorous data collection to identify content players prefer (PvE or PvP), and what's important to have in that content.
2) Incentives to motivate players to provide this data.
3) Centralized location for players to submit requests on changes to the game (new content, fixes).
4) Prioritization system that allows players to rank the importance of requests. Highest priority requests should be continually tracked, regardless of the date initially submitted.
5) Transparency so that key data is viewable to the players, including ZOS feedback about if and when requests could be implemented.

The current player/developer feedback system (e.g. ESO official forums, ESO Live, developer meetings with guild leaders, etc.) doesn't fully meet these 5 standards. So to overhaul the system ZOS could start by gathering key data from the players via a personal survey, which at a minimum should allow them to identify which of the 3 categories players fall into: mostly PvE, mostly PvP, or Neutral (i.e. they enjoy fairly equal amounts of both content). Then ZOS creates a specific webpage on the official ESO website which will be their primary tool to gather player requests on the game (new features, fixes, etc.). ZOS then starts a quarterly poll on this webpage that lists 3 categories (PvE, PvP, General) and the top 10 player requests for each category. Players are invited to rank the items so ZOS can learn the top 10 for their player base in each of the categories. There should also be some mechanism which allows players to submit requests that might not be on the list, which players can get into the Top 10 by upvoting the idea. For each Top 10 item ZOS should have two pieces of feedback they provide: 1) the potential viability and complexity of adding the feature to the game, 2) a potential date the feature could be added. Potential is the keyword here…the goal is to increase player/developer feedback, not try to lock ZOS into certain dates. These Top 10 lists should be maintained from one quarter to the next, so for example, if something was submitted a year ago and players still vote it in their top 10 it should remain on the list.
I also want to underscore the importance of, when faced with a challenge, to not immediately take the stance of "It can't be done." First we should brainstorm and explore ideas and potential solutions, and from that process determine the feasibility of creating an overhauled player/developer system like this.

PART 4: Key Points to Consider
1) Data is crucial to better understand the player base and what is important to them. Understanding the customers is an extremely important concern of any business. If a customer wants product A, but a business gives them product B, then that business will struggle unnecessarily (real world example: the Star Wars Galaxies MMO when Sony Online Entertainment released the highly criticized third expansion Trials of Obi-Wan which resulted in a loss of customers). Knowing its customers better will help ZOS retain existing customers, but also facilitate gaining new customers (e.g. through reputation; through new features that draw in undecided customers; etc.). I think ZOS can make a good start at understanding their customer base by having answers to the following questions:
• How many ESO players are primarily PvE oriented?
• How many ESO players are primarily PvP oriented?
• How many ESO players are mostly neutral and like equal amounts of PvE and PvP?
• What are the Top 10 player requests in each category of PvP, PvE, and General?
Now think about this for a moment. Let's say ZOS learns that 40% of their players are PvE, 35% are PvP, and 25% are neutral (data that would also be insightful for customers to know). Just by having this data ZOS can make informed decisions about what future content should be created to keep the customers happy. So for example, if ZOS releases a DLC that is mostly PvP focused, then their next DLC should be mostly PvE focused to satisfy that 40% of the customer base. But the content for those DLC's is important …it isn't worthwhile to create a DLC for PvE players that doesn't satisfy their desires. Therefore it's important for ZOS to have some sort of "Top 10" mechanism so they can tailor their content to really focus on what's important to players.
2) Entice players to provide the data. ZOS needs data from as much of their player base as possible to make really informed decisions. Because this data is so crucial, motivate customers to provide this data. Using my example from section 3, to motivate players to complete the personal survey ZOS could throw up a splash screen when players log into ESO (or the official website) that says they'll get their choice of some free Crown Store goodies (e.g. XP scrolls, food/drink, mount upgrades, etc.) by completing the personal survey. When it's time for players' feedback on the quarterly poll similar enticements can be used. Some might argue that ZOS giving free goodies away to collect customer data would hurt their profits, but I disagree. Rather I see it as ZOS sacrificing a little in the short-term (consumable goodies), to gain a lot in the long-term (e.g. satisfied customers, new content that addresses top customer desires, new customers, etc.).
3) The importance of separating player feedback into main categories like PvE, PvP, and General. During my time playing ESO it's been my casual observation that players can generally be divided into 2 main categories of either PvE or PvP. Enhancing both areas of the game is important because it attracts a larger audience of players, which is good for players and helps ZOS become more profitable. The General category would encompass requests like: UI updates; creating a very rare/expensive mat that can be used to change an item trait; etc. One important point: have players choose a primary and secondary category between PvP and PvE, and make primary votes carry the most weight in each category (the General category should be equally weighted for all players). So for example, if I'm mostly a PvE player I would choose PvE to be my primary category because that is the area in which I really want my feedback to count. However I would still vote in my secondary category because the data would allow ZOS to see convergence/divergence points in overall players' preferences. Making primary and secondary categories for player feedback would help prevent a large number of PvE players from upvoting PvP content that PvP players might not care about, and vice versa.
4) The importance of players weighing their individual concerns against the overall health of ESO. Perhaps one potential concern that could arise from having an overhauled player/developer feedback system like this is how, if implemented, Top 10 items from the PvP side might affect the PvE side (or vice versa). I think there are 3 important things to consider when assessing the value of implementing player requests:

• In general, giving players more options and flexibility to enjoy ESO on their own terms is a very good thing. We as players should be wary of taking a stance towards other players of "I don't want you to have that option.", especially if others having the option doesn't greatly impact our core gameplay, and having the option is one that would appeal to a large number of players. For example, Player Housing isn't something that is important to me; however I support it being added to the game because there seems to be a good amount of player interest in this. And having Player Housing might draw undecided customers to the game that really liked having this feature in another MMO.
• When possible the additional features should be optional. For example, the combat log feature that was recently added can be toggled on or off, which is excellent.
• Look for ways to separate changes to PvE and PvP, especially as it applies to class balance. A good example of how ZOS has already done this is the Nightblade's Teleport Strike, which in PvE stuns monsters but in PvP only immobilizes players. This is important because some changes to a class or skill might be good for PvP but bad for PvE (and vice versa).

5) Avoid the thought of "Just accept the game how it is or move on." First, any company that doesn't have a good understanding of their customers and how to satisfy them will eventually run into trouble. Second, an MMO is different than a game that you make a one-time purchase of for $60 and later mostly forget when the newest cool game drops. Players can invest a lot of time and money into an MMO, so it would be reassuring to know it's heading in a direction that both developers and players are happy and passionate about. After their initial purchase, players that like the core aspects of ESO and see its potential for growth might subscribe and buy Crown Store items primarily to support the evolution of the game. For customers like myself that have invested in the game past the initial purchase, we like to think ESO will continue to evolve in a way that satisfies the existing customers, attracts new players, and secures its own longevity. The best growth for ESO occurs when there is a healthy exchange of ideas between the players and developers.

PART 5: Benefits of Overhauled Player/Developer Feedback System
I've summarized the benefits of implementing an overhauled player/developer feedback system below:
1) Increased profits for ZOS. I think it's important to list this first because a business has to make enough money to at least sustain itself, but more realistically its profits should increase over time. If ZOS can't be profitable with ESO then the game will dissolve.
2) Happier customers that know ZOS is very passionate about listening to the players because player opinions and requests are actively sought by ZOS (e.g. through personal survey requests, quarterly polls, etc).
3) Happier customers that know their opinions and requests have a path in which they can bubble up to a position that ZOS is continuously aware of them, so that eventually ZOS is continually monitoring what is most important to players, and this process is also transparent to players.
4) Enables ZOS to have more meaningful interaction with their players regarding ESO's growth. For example, by having this data ZOS could say to the players "For the next quarterly content we are considering two courses of action. 1) We could develop and release the xYx DLC; or 2) For PvE we could scale all of Craglorn (to include loot) to v16 and add a new trial; and for PvP we could add arenas that include dueling with members of your own alliance. Our resources prevent us from doing both. Which do you prefer?"
5) ESO's evolution is enhanced by greater interaction between players and developers, and ESO's evolution is important to keep it competitive as new MMOs and technologies emerge
6) As ZOS is better able to understand what's important to existing players and implement those changes, it has the potential to attract new players to the game.

PART 6: Gratitude & Credit to ZOS
Overall I think ESO is a good game and I feel like it was a work of the heart by the ZOS developers (coders/artists/writers/musicians/managers/etc). I really like the graphics, music, writing, lore, gameplay, etc. While playing I've taken so many screenshots of this game; at times I've just stopped and listened to the music; questing and PvE group content has been enjoyable; and I've had crazy amounts of fun fighting other players in Cyrodiil when the lag wasn't bad. Thank you ZOS for the ESO experience you've created thus far

** EDIT: updated the following: grammar and spelling; formatting; the title; and the Introduction to better clarify why I wrote this post **