# ffpoll: free form poll results are more usable.

how do you poll people? the typical form i see is this:

  do you want x?

  [ ] yes
  [ ] no

  some other question?

  [ ] option 1
  [ ] option 2
  [ ] option 3

and you are expected to put a cross next to your answer. the whole thing is then very easy to summarize. but i think the result is often quite puzzling because nobody understands why people voted the way they voted.

i prefer this form:

  do you want x?

  -          yes because: ________
  -           no because: ________
  - alternative proposal: ________

  some other question?

  -     option 1 because: ________
  -     option 2 because: ________
  -     option 3 because: ________
  - alternative proposal: ________

in this form you are giving free form responses. you can still just put an x down next to the option you want in case you don't want to expand your rationale. so this form is also easy to summarize. but people often do want to express nuance and this manages to capture that. this lets pollsters better understand why people voted the way they voted. the result is then hopefully less of a mystery. make sure to publish the free form text too not just the absolute number of responses (perhaps with some editorialization if some responses can't be published).

i'm also fan of the alternative proposal line because i don't like forcing people into false dilemmas. it gives a way for people to explain their reason for abstaining. and sometimes you might find a good alternative solution with it.

note that this has some limitations. if a person chooses to give a rationale, you might be able to identify said person even if the form was anonymous. and such deliberate voting can take a lot of time. so it mostly works for polls where anonymity is not important and there's no time pressure.

i don't have much experience with this but i'm hoping that this gets more popular over time. if it doesn't really work, i guess i'll try to make peace with the simple form.

published on 2021-07-14

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