Quick Fix UI: The Smiley Ranking

By Published On: March 16th, 20220.8 min read
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Getting user feedback can be like pulling teeth, so the simpler you can make it for the user, the better! I’ve seen this “smiley” feedback kiosk appearing at stores (IKEA, and at my local New Seasons market here in Oregon). It’s deceptively simple (at first, but then breaks down with follow-up questions that aren’t great, but that’s another post).
The problem here is the order of the smileys.

With any “choose the ranking” question, the “better” ranking should be to the right. Many polls are from one to five, or one to ten, with five or ten (the highest number) on the right. Users expect the “best” to be on the right, so this layout gives the user a little cognitive dissonance, as the worst is on the right. Here’s how it should look.

Charlene Jaszewski

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