FAQs
Why should I use an online decision making tool?
Success is only achieved when you leave behind in your wake a trail of good and wise decisions. Unfortunately, not always is making decisions the easiest task in the world.
Sometimes, when you make decisions in a haste or without thinking things through, you often end up making the wrong one, or one that does not particularly have the desired outcomes that you were initially looking for.
Making a decision without completely assessing the pros and cons, the benefits and losses, or the possible outcomes of the decision in the long term can cause you to overlook several points that might have convinced you to choose another option than the one you actually went for. This can be a cause of regret or difficulty later on in life.
So to help yourself out with any and all dilemmas you may face in your life, whether they be as insignificant as what to get for dinner, or as pivotal as whether you should move in to a new city, this online decision making tool can aid you in the process greatly.
The benefit that comes with an online tool is that you do not have to pull out a pen and paper, sit down and weigh out the advantages or disadvantages of all the possible decisions you can make. Instead, you can simply whip out your phone, get typing for a few minutes, and have the website do all the thinking and weighing out for you in a matter of moments!
How will this tool help me to make decisions?
Thoughts, if not organized, can get all jumbled and tangled in the confines of your head. Sometimes the best thing to do is to write down what you think. Having all the positive and negative points in front of you, or an analysis of each of the options you have in written form, can greatly aid you to reach to the best possible conclusion for the sake of yourself and others who will be affected by this decision.
So that is exactly what this website will help you to do. It will help you to manage your thoughts in an orderly manner, weigh each of the points that you may wager for either of the sides, and provide you with a clear cut answer, as to which option you should side with in accordance to the importance of each point you have mentioned.
This website will allow you to equal parts, contribute to the decision with your opinion as you list and weigh the saliency of each point, and also depend on the tool to judge and make the decision for you!
How do I know if I should use the Multiple Choice Decision or Simple Yes No / Pro Con Decision?
The website provides you with two options when you want to make a decision: you can either use the Multiple Choice Decision interface, or the Simple Yes No / Pro Con Decision interface.
The choice as to which one you should use depends on the dilemma you are facing or the problem you have brought with yourself to solve.
If you are faced with multiple options that you have to choose from, and you need to decide which one of the several choices is the best one to make, then your selection should be the Multiple Choice Decision one.
In the case that you are faced with a question that requires a simple yes or no answer, (such as whether you should buy a car or if you should get a divorce), you will need to use the Simple Yes / No Pro Con Decision interface.
How do I use the Multiple Choice Decision form?
In the space given on top of the blank sheet, you can mention the possible options that you need to choose from, and separately list all the strengths or advantages of each of the selections. Then, you must determine how important each of the typed points are to the final result of the problem and judge it on a scale of one to ten. You can select a number from the drop-down menu that appears when the box is clicked.
Once you have done so for each of your options, you can then see your results by the click of a button and observe which one of the choices comes out on top.
How do I weigh the strength of either of the candidates or selections?
The weight of each of the listed elements depends upon the importance of that particular element. You must create a criteria within your mind as to how you are to judge any points you come up with. You will yourself notice that the proficiency or advantage of an option in a certain area takes precedence over some other areas.
For example, if you are deciding where you should take your family to vacation this summer, the fact that going to a particular country will cost much less compared to other options will give this point more weight in comparison with the fact that you will have to pack more if you decide on this spot.
Can I write weaknesses in place of strengths or disadvantages in place of benefits while using the Multiple Choice Decision tool?
No. It must be remembered that when using the Multiple Choice Decision tool, it only works when the benefits of a particular option are listed and weighed. If you choose to enter weaknesses instead, the evaluation will not work and you will not get correct results.
How do I use the Simple Yes No / Pro Con Decision interface?
To use the Simple Yes No / Pro Con Decision maker, you must first fill out the space at the top of the sheet that proposes the question of should you perform a certain action.
Then, you must think carefully and list down all the pros and cons you can think of in case you do perform the action. The list of pros will highlight what benefits doing the thing might bring you and the list of cons will be highlighting the negative impacts or the disadvantages carrying out that action might bring.
The next step will be to determine the weight of each of the pro or con in a similar way as to how you would judge the importance of a point when using the Multiple Decision maker. You can rate each of the pro or con on a scale of one to ten, depending on the importance of each of them.
Once you are done filling out these required areas, you can let the site analyse the results using a mathematical formula and suggest you whether or not you should go through with this plan. The answer will be in the form of a simple yes or no.
What if I have more than three or less than three pros or cons to enter?
You must enter a minimum of three each of pros and cons in order for the tool to come to a decision for you.
In the case you have more than three pros or cons that you would like the decision making tool to consider, then you can click on the ‘plus’ sign present at the bottom of the column to add more spaces where you can mention the additional points.
You are permitted to enter a maximum of ten pros and cons each.
Will the tool work if I enter more pros than cons regardless of the importance of each of the points?
Yes. while it is necessary to enter a minimum of three pros or cons, you can enter more points under either of the options if necessary. Since the decision is based on the weight or importance of each of the points, the number of statements on either of the sides does not matter too greatly.
Can I use this tool when making real-life decisions?
Yes! You can use this decision for entertainment purposes, just for fun, or even to make serious decisions!
If you are confused as to whether you should move into a new house, simply use the pro/con decision making tool to list down any and all the benefits there are to moving into a new place, and the problems you might face if you do so as well. Then determine the importance of each point, and the tool will analyze what path would be the best for you.
Similarly, you can also use this tool to decide who you should vote for in the upcoming election! Just mention the name of all candidates, and type up the strengths of each of the nominees along with the weight of the point. The tool will then select the one choice that stands out from the bunch and help you out in the dilemma of who to vote for!
You do not necessarily have to follow the path the tool suggests, but through it you will be able to see what option is the best when considered from a logical or pro and con perspective.
What other kind of decisions can I use this tool to make?
You can use this tool to make all kinds of decisions, from the simplest to the most complex ones!
Everything from selecting which restaurant you should eat at, where you should take your kids for vacations this summer, which employee you should hire, and whether you should buy that dress or not, to if that is the right person to marry, if you should finally move on, or which career would be best suited to your strengths, can be judged and evaluated using this platform.
Remember, this is a blank sheet which you can fill to your own will with whatever you desire and for whatever purpose. It is all up to you how you decide to use this tool. Now, it can be for entertainment, or for serious decisions; it is all up to you!
What principle does this method work on? Is it verified?
The formula that this decision making website works on was proposed by the great Benjamin Franklin in a letter he wrote to Joseph Priestley, where he mentions how he always makes his own decisions and advises the other to follow this path as well. This is also known as the Benjamin Franklin Method.
It is a method that is used by many, and can give you a clear idea of which option is the best one to choose. By listing the pros and cons or strengths of each of the options in written form, you are able to get your thoughts together in one view instead of keeping them separated in your mind with a mental barrier that allows points to get lost at certain times.
Then, by allocating a certain weight to each of the points owing to its importance, you can determine what points matter the most and which would not play a major part in the decision making process. The website then analyzes your entries, and using cancellation, determines which of the mentioned sides takes preference over the other in terms of strengths or importance.
The only difference between Ben Franklin’s ways and our ways is that he used pen and paper, whereas we have provided you an online platform to make things easier!
Is this method simply based on trial and error?
While it used to be based on trial and error in the past when the calculation was done using manual means, it is now based on weighted arithmetic mean when spoken in mathematical terms.
Is my personal information protected?
Yes! All of the information or content that you fill in, in any of the mentioned fields is limited only to you and your device and is not displayed to anyone else by the server or the website itself, unless you choose to.
Can I share my decision making results?
Yes. While your information remains safe and private, you can share your decision making results if you wish to, by using our PDF and PRINT buttons.
What if I want to show my decision making process to my friends or group?
The website itself does not have the feature to add a group of people to view your decision making process. But, you can share your results with individuals by saving them to PDF or PRINT.
The option to save to PDF or PRINT that result appears at the bottom of the page after the results have been generated.
Can I print my results?
Yes you can! After you have generated the results, the option to print the decision results appears at the bottom. You can print the page as it is (unless you are using a small tablet or a phone), or you can print out a PDF.
What mathematical formula is used for the decisions?
r = rate; i= important
total = (r1*i1) + (r2*i2) + (r3*i3) + (r4*i4) + (r5*i5) etc.
Final answer = total / (i1+i2+i3+i4+i5 etc.)