- One of the most effective workshopping techniques
that helps democratize the design process
in almost any type of workshop
is dot voting.
Dot voting is a simple, decision-making activity
in which each person in a group
is given a number of tokens, dot,
that each can be assigned to some option or set of options.
You can use dot voting to decide upon research efforts,
assess user insights to further explore,
narrow down your design ideas,
and even rank or gather information
on any topic before prioritizing.
Here's how you do it.
First, you need something to vote on in the first place.
Maybe that's a set of sticky notes
or a list on a whiteboard.
Then, give people an equal number of dots,
sometimes referred to as tokens.
While every person starts out with the same number
and value of dots, so maybe that's one vote, one token,
one vote, two tokens.
These dots can have different values,
so think of these almost like voting currency.
Once everyone has their currency, their dots,
the most important part, voting.
Voting takes place quietly.
Talking can only start back up
once all the votes are placed.
No campaigning or lobbying for votes should be allowed,
with our without talking, body language included.
Once everyone has placed votes,
go ahead and tally up the votes
to see which option won.
You'll have a nice heat map,
with lots of dots indicating more heat
or more votes to reference.
If you need to break any ties, you can re-vote,
but only vote on the top two to four options
from the previous round.
Then you can decide upon a winner.
- This seems like a waste of time and materials.
Why bother, when we can just talk about it
and decide as a group?
- I'm glad you asked.
If you or anyone in your group is anything like me,
someone who likes to bounce ideas off others or think aloud,
then you are prone to talking over others,
dominated conversations,
and not letting people have time to think or speak up
about their own possibly differing opinions.
So, a group is a lot more vulnerable
to the effects of groupthink as a result.
And it's not just loud people or talkative people
who can cause groupthink, either.
There's also the HIPPO effect.
The highest paid person's opinion.
If management or other influential stakeholders
are in the room, these folks
may severely sway the opinions of others,
or otherwise sway what folks choose to say aloud
because of their seniority
or their rank in the organization.
With democratic evaluation, voters all have
the same amount of influence, and therefore,
their voices, their votes, carry the same weight,
allowing you to truly maximize participation and input.
And, if there's still a risk of stakeholder sway,
you can have them vote last.
Dot voting is effective,
but, if you still feel like there are some
extenuating reasons why people may not
want to vote in front of others,
or maybe voting must be anonymous for other reasons,
then consider using an online form
for these types of special cases.
As for waste and time, and resources,
the real time waste lies in arguing and disagreements
leading to tangential conversations in between decisions.
Dot voting can help us use decision-making time
way more efficiently.
And if your resources are limited,
and you don't have sticky notes or dots,
you don't have to use them.
A plus one or a plus two written
in pen or marker works just fine.
Dot voting is a great way to democratize the design process,
preserve diversity of perspectives,
and really expedite the decision-making process
so that you can focus on creating
the best possible design for your customers.