If you have ever circled a number on a survey meant to get feedback on your satisfaction with a provided service, then you are familiar with subjective ratings and rankings.
What are subjective ratings and rankings?
Subjective rating is a rating that a person gives based on their opinions, feelings, etc. It is generally done on a scale from 0 (no significance) to 9 (highly significant). Subjective ranking is when a subject is asked to order a set of items according to given criteria. When combined with the results from multiple members of a target audience, experts can find the data usable in decision-making.
3 Drawbacks of Subjective Rating and Ranking
There are a few drawbacks to subjective rating and ranking that should be considered:
1. Limitation
In the subject pool, analysts are only getting feedback on the items they are asking to be rated or ranked. This leaves a significant amount of room for issues that are not being addressed due to them being overlooked for inclusion in the surveying.
2. Fear
Subjects may not be honest in their ratings and rankings due to fear of repercussion.
3. The tendency to be central
Many subjects surveyed are likely to choose down the middle or even pick the highest for every possible rating. This can make a percentage of the data collected untrustworthy.
Why is subjective rating and ranking important to understand?
Subjective rating and ranking are important to have an understanding of for a variety of reasons
1. It is very common.
You are sure to encounter subjective rating and ranking often throughout your life, so it is worth having an understanding of it.
2. It can provide valuable insight.
Exploring individuals’ feelings, opinions, and desires can provide a great deal of insight into what next steps should be taken in a process.
3. They are generally easy for the subjects to follow.
A subjective rating or ranking questionnaire is generally easy for subjects to understand and can therefore be a simpler method for gathering data than other means.
An Industry Example of Subjective Rating and Ranking
A new process has been implemented in a workplace, and the CEO of the company wants to gauge how the employees feel about the change after the first month. A subjective ranking and rating survey is drafted to gauge overall satisfaction with the new process. A series of questions are posed where the employees can circle their satisfaction level from 0 to 9. They are then asked to rank what qualities of the new process they are most happy with and least happy with. The data obtained will be used as part of the decision-making as to whether to keep or modify the new process.
3 Best Practices When Thinking about Subjective Rating and Ranking
Here are a few key practices to consider when it comes to subjective rating and ranking:
1. Keep to a well-established value system
The most common ranges are 1-5 and 0-9. Keeping it to one of these makes things easier for the participant and helps make the data easier to interpret.
2. Grouping the data
The most common method for grouping the data once collected is by using the median.
3. Be wary of skewed data
You can determine if the data is skewed negatively or positively by looking at both the mean and median of the data as indicators.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about Subjective Rating and Ranking
What is the difference between a rating question and a ranking question?
Rating questions explore how a respondent feels positively or negatively about individual items. Ranking compares individual elements with one another. Rating questions help to understand the strength of feelings behind options, while ranking allows for the choosing of the preference of multiple options.
Is rating or ranking better?
Both have their benefits and drawbacks. For the best insight, it is advisable to use both in tandem.
How is the mean calculated for rating and ranking?
Mean is the average value of the positions in a list. For example, you have 5 customers rate their satisfaction level and the responses you got back were 5, 1, 2, 3, and 2. You would add those values up and divide the sum by the number of values. The mean satisfaction for these responses would be 2.6.
Subjective Rating and Ranking in the Real World
In business, we should always be looking at any tools available to help improve. Utilizing subjective rating and ranking can be a great way to gain insight into your customers and employees and can give direction as to ways to better your processes.
