On Nov 11, 2009, at 8:31 AM, R. Tan wrote:
Any thoughts on when it is best to use a rating system vs a simple
like/don't like voting feature? I currently need to decide which way
to go
on a restaurant guide project in which the existing rating system is
a 1-5
scale "star" (with no guide, higher stars = better).
Unless one has a known and universal explanation on how "stars" are
valued,
it seems that the rating system is flawed. What are your thoughts on
this?
In my experience, a star-based rating system has inherent flaws:
* Does 1 star mean passable or very bad?
* Does 0 stars mean unrated, neutral, or very bad?
* Does 3 stars out of 5 mean fairly good or neutral?
Everyone knows more or less what the extreme ends mean, but not the
middle. Is one star less than max only a little under tops or quite a
bit? Only the rater knows for sure.
I think what is generally needed for most cases is a four-option set:
* Hate it
* Neutral
* Love it
* Haven't rated it
-- Jim
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