1. #1

    Lightbulb HOWTO: Writing a Good Poll

    I've noticed some pretty pointless and rubbish polls popping up, even for things where I think the topic itself would be worthwhile. I've decided to repost in modified form a how to on polls I posted to another forum some years ago:


    DESIGNING A GOOD POLL

    Some hints on how to create a good poll:

    RULES

    Well, these aren't rules – but I had to catch your attention. These are guidelines that will get you going pretty straight:


    • You probably don't need to make a poll.
    • If you don't plan on coming back and looking at the poll – don't make it.
    • If you already know the answer to the question – don't make a poll.
    • Keep your opinions out of the poll itself.
    • You get to ask one question. So ask one question.
    • Make it easy for people to answer and more people will answer.

    GENERAL

    Each option should be clear, concise and unbiased

    Each poll option should consist of a very short (preferably a single word) option followed by a space or a dash with a short statement of what this option means. For example:

    In a poll asking if you like the new expansion

    YES – I like the new expansion
    NO – I do not like the new expansion

    In a poll asking for your preferred class:

    HUNTER - I prefer the hunter
    MAGE – I prefer the mage
    WARLOCK – I prefer the warlock

    The following are poor poll options:

    YES – I like the warlock
    NO – I like the mage
    This poll is biased towards Warlock, as it associates him with the affirmative response.

    yeah
    nah – he sux

    yes
    no

    No two options should intersect in meaning

    Whilst not always entirely possible, it's best to aim for giving each voter only one way of expressing their choice. Avoid 'maybe', or 'I would if' types of options. For example:

    In a poll asking what race they prefer:

    GNOME – I would choose a gnome
    HUMAN – I would choose a human
    TAUREN – I would choose a tauren

    The following is an example of poor option choice due to an overlap in meaning:

    GNOME – I would choose a gnome
    HUMAN – I would choose a human
    TAUREN – I would choose a tauren
    HORDE - I would choose a horde race
    DRUID - I would choose a druid race
    Some people have two places to vote – remember ask one question only.

    The Options should be ordered logically

    Put some thought into the ordering of options. Generally, put YES first, NO second. Order numerical choices from lowest to highest. Alphabetical order is a good choice for some things, such as names. However, you may want to order them in some way associated with the question. For example, in a poll relating to movie preferences, you may choose to order them by the year they were released.

    There are many ways to order things; as long as it's logical, it's fine. Also, you may want to provide an option for people who have either no interest in voting, or people who want to vote but where nothing suits them (note the difference).

    For a list of unordered options (for example political parties, player names), randomise the list and give each item a number. Remember to give the no interest and other the last places e.g.:

    1 – Star Wars
    2 – Lord of the Rings
    3 – The Matrix
    OTHER – An unlisted movie
    UNDECIDED – Nothing yet

    The Poll Should Stand Alone

    Voters should be able to vote on a poll by reading just the thread title and the poll itself. They should not need to read your opinion or explanation in the original post. A significant number of people will be interested in voting, but not in participating – you want to make sure you get their vote. Make it easy for them to choose.

    Special Choices

    There are some special options you may wish to include:

    The OTHER option should clearly be labelled OTHER and then explain exactly what is meant by OTHER (which may be ambiguous without an option). OTHER should allow for ANYONE with an opinion on the topic to choose this option without reservation, so make sure they can. OTHER is for people who have an opinion which is not listed.

    The UNDECIDED option shouldn't need to be used, unless you really think it is needed. Someone who is undecided should simply not vote, however in some cases (especially political arena) undecided is a valid point of view and should be treated as such.


    SPECIFIC POLLS

    Check this section to see if what you want to know is listed here:

    Does someone agree?

    The easiest of polls. Feel free to state your opinion in the original post, but keep ALL of your opinion out of the poll itself. For example, you think Cataclysm is great, but you want to check:

    YES – Cataclysm is great
    NO – Cataclysm is not great
    UNDECIDED – Still Deciding

    Note that you use the same word in both the yes and no options, just changing the meaning with the word not. Avoid using non-opposite words here. In the UNDECIDED option, I have not given any opinion on Cataclysm, but rather, used words to not to mix up with the actual poll.

    Big hint – don't put negatives in the YES and positives in the NO. That is, it's very poor practice to put the following poll forward:

    YES – Cataclysm is rubbish
    NO – Cataclysm is not rubbish
    UNDECIDED – Still Deciding

    The positive response should always vote for the positive answer, where this is relevant. The positive answer is not always the one you agree with.

    Always put the positive response with the YES option first in the polls, irrespective of your opinion on the poll.

    What does someone think?

    If you want to find out what people think – then don't use a poll. That's the whole idea of threads, to ask what people think. There is no point trying to summarise 100,000 people's possible thought processes into 12 poll options.

    So – unless you can think of a real poll question – you should never have a poll for what people think.

    What's the most popular object/item?

    Using a poll to ask what the most popular item is – well it's pretty much a waste of time if there is more than 3 or 4 objects. If you are really desperate to do so, then there are a few simple guidelines.

    Feel free to put your opinion forward in the original post, however as always, leave your opinion well and truly out of the mix.

    Compare apples with apples; there is no point having a poll asking if people prefer a Mage or a Night Elf. This breaks the rule of only asking one question.

    If there are short names for the options, use them as tags – if not use numbers. By tag, I mean the short name at the front of a poll (like YES, BOB etc). So lets assume you want to find the most popular fruit:

    APPLE – My favourite fruit is the apple
    ORANGE- My favourite fruit is the orange
    BANANA – My favourite fruit is the banana
    OTHER – Another fruit is my favourite fruit.

    Notice we use the same text for each option. This allows a person to focus on their option (say ORANGE) quickly, then read across and validate their choice quickly and easily (no need to read the entire poll). This minimises voters picking the wrong choice. Remember, make it easy to vote.

    Hopefully this helps at least a few people create polls which are valuable, and a little useful.

    PS: Can't get the formatting to stick, so it looks a bit messy ... can't do much about that sorry.
    Last edited by schwarzkopf; 2011-10-28 at 05:28 AM.

  2. #2
    Deleted
    Sorry... It's completely off-topic, but... Your username... Schwarzkopf... Why?


  3. #3
    Quote Originally Posted by Robinhoodexe View Post
    Sorry... It's completely off-topic, but... Your username... Schwarzkopf... Why?
    Because it is the name of my main on WoW.

    Does that help ?

  4. #4
    <Insert poll here>
    Will anyone use the guidelines in this thread?
    YES - 1: SomeGoodGuy
    NO - 999999..: Everyone else


    On a more serious note, good work... Lets hope the above doesn't happen. :P

  5. #5
    I too have been seeing a lot of just outright bad polls lately, and I hope this guide really helps a lot of people. A tip of my own:

    • Think of your poll question before you make the post, because after you make the post you will be in a rush to put up the poll question and make a lot of mistakes.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •