How to design a rating scale for only positive entries?

Question

Would love to get some thoughts on this: I am working on an app that will allow users to rate their entries, e.g., on a scale from 1 to 5. The UX challenge, however, is that all entries are positive (think "gratitude journal"), so even the lowest rating is positive. Thanks to Amazon, Google Maps and the like, the feedback I get from my early testers is that they have a hard time accepting a rating of 1 as positive when on most platforms anything below 3 or 4 is considered not good. So somehow I need to make sure that users feel comfortable using the lower ratings.

How would you solve this? One idea I can think of is to use 5 positive emojis rather than a scale. But not sure whether this is the only option.

Answer 1

Well, of course, you have to take out any negative connotation and leave only positive options. Fortunately, there are very well-known (and tested) examples: the original Facebook (only one Like), Netflix, YouTube, and so on.

Facebook introduced reactions to express something other than just "Like" after much discussion about adding a "Don't Like" button. Since these features have been tested for years with billions of users, I think it's a good idea to take inspiration from them.

With the current FB reactions (and one that will supposedly be added in the future, though I doubt it), you could do something like this:

These are all positive, although I don't think they have a well-defined sort of gradation.

So I created a version based on the images above:

Of course this is just an example, but I think it has a more defined grading that can be translated into a 1-5 scale.

The Likert option

Another idea would be to take inspiration from the Likert scale and apply it in a playful way. For example, you could use a scale like this:

How would you rate [x]?

Good - Very good - Excellent - Outstanding - Out of this world

Using the same idea, you could use variations with definitions from sports or comedy or whatever.

Of course, your target audience needs to understand the reference. For example, if you say, "That's a home run," I understand the reference because of movies. However, if you say something else about baseball, I've no idea what you're talking about.

The same goes for your audience: your language must be understandable to everyone, without limitations.

Answer 2

5 (different, I guess) positive emojis could work, but it may be hard for your users to learn what the actual scale is, i.e. which one corresponds to which number.

Electrical appliances are rated for their energy usage with letters. The 'worst' ones got class E and the 'best' ones got class A, but as the technology improved, we also got A+, A++, A+++, etc. You could start your scale with A, or perhaps even drop the A and only work with pluses (or thumbs-up emojis, or hearts - basically anything that's positive. A star is positive too, it just reminds users too much of the standard rating scale).

Medals could work, but unfortunately there are only three of them. But maybe in combination with other awards, e.g. a trophy?

Answer 3

This is an interesting UX challenge. One way to approach this could be to reframe the meaning of the numbers on the scale. Instead of using the numbers 1 to 5 to indicate the quality of the entries, you could use them to indicate the user's level of engagement or satisfaction with the entry.

For example, you could use the following scale:

1: "Not feeling it today" or "This entry didn't resonate with me"

2: "Just okay" or "This entry was good, but not great"

3: "I appreciate this entry" or "This entry made me feel positive"

4: "This entry really resonated with me" or "I'm feeling grateful"

5: "This entry is amazing" or "I'm feeling ecstatic"

By using more descriptive phrases instead of just numbers, you can help users understand what each rating really means and make it easier for them to choose the appropriate rating.

Another approach could be to use smiley faces or other visual cues instead of numbers to represent the rating, as you suggested. This can be a more intuitive and playful way to encourage users to rate their entries.

Ultimately, the key is to make sure the meaning of the rating scale is clear and that users feel comfortable using it, even if the lowest rating is still positive. By testing and iterating with your users, you can find the best solution for your app.

Answer 4

Use a stepped range slider to enter a degree of gratitude:

Here, using a smiley spectrum from happy to crazy happy. Other metaphors can be used, such as heart.

 

Alternatively, use the smiley for the range slider control, and change the image as the range is traversed: