Key Points

• A subjective ranking is ordered based on a set of specified criteria.
• A subjective rating is giving a numerical score to something based on someone’s personal feelings.
• These are common methods of gaining insight.

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?

A 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 repercussions.

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 ratings and rankings 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.

How Do They Differ?

Ratings are typically assigned to individual components of something. This could be things like build quality, color, and usability for a product, as a general example. Rankings would compare those individual elements against one another.

A rating is used for understanding the strength behind someone’s choice, while ranking allows users to choose their preferred option when given a multitude to select from.

An Industry Example of Subjective Rating and Ranking

A new process has been implemented in the workplace, and the company’s CEO 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 the qualities of the new process with which they are most happy and least happy. 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.

Other Useful Tools and Concepts

Looking for some extra tips and tricks to get rolling? You might want to look into the best practices for implementing rework at your business. Rework isn’t a positive aspect of any production cycle, but it can mean the difference between maintaining and breaking your customer’s trust.

Additionally, learning the meaning behind the acronym TEAM can get your processes back on track. This acronym works to actively engage everyone involved in the workflow of a project. As such, it can be a powerful way to get your production back on track.

Subjective Rating and Ranking in the Real World

In business, we should always consider any available tools to help us improve. Subjective rating and ranking can be a great way to gain insight into your customers and employees and give direction on how to better your processes.