Dot voting done right, and three ways it goes wrong
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Forty ideas on the wall, five dots each, and a cluster of dots on the idea the boss voted for first. Dot voting is the most used prioritisation method in workshops and the least thought about. Here is how to run it so the result means something, and the three ways it quietly goes wrong.
When to use it
Use dot voting when you have more ideas than you can discuss and need a shortlist in ten minutes.
It is a filter, not a verdict. Dot voting shows where the energy in the room is, not whether an idea is feasible or affordable. For that, follow it with an impact and effort matrix or a proper scoring.
How to run it
- Cluster and remove duplicates first. Walk the wall and merge ideas that say the same thing. Two duplicates split the dots between them and both lose.
- Say what the vote decides. Before anyone picks up a dot, say it out loud: "This vote gives us a shortlist of five to discuss. It does not pick the winner."
- Give a fixed number of dots. A third of the number of ideas is a good rule, at most five. Fewer dots force a real choice.
- Vote at the same time and in silence. Everyone goes to the wall together, or writes their choices on a card face down, or votes in a digital tool that hides results until the end.
- Decide on stacking before, and say it. All five dots on one idea, or one dot per idea? Both are fine. Announcing it afterwards is not.
- Count and show the top group. Read out the five to eight ideas with the most dots and draw a line under them. The rest stays visible but leaves the discussion.
- Discuss the surprises. An idea with many dots nobody mentioned, a favourite from the morning with none. That is where the group learns something.
Give the sponsor the same number of dots as everyone else and ask them to vote last. If they vote first, everyone votes for their choice. If they vote last, you find out what the room thinks.
Three ways it goes wrong
1. The anchor
The first visible dot pulls the others. An idea that already shows three dots when you reach the wall gets a longer look and probably a fourth. The result shows who went first, not what the group thinks.
Fix: simultaneous or hidden voting. Everyone to the wall at the same moment, cards face down, or a digital vote with results hidden until everyone is done.
2. The wrong question
People vote for what they like. The question you needed answered was what fits the criteria: what we can afford, what we can test by December, what the customer asked for. "Which idea do you like" produces the funniest idea or the one the best presenter pitched.
Fix: name the criterion before the vote and write it on the wall above the ideas. "Vote for the idea we can test in two weeks." One criterion per round. If you need two, run two rounds in two colours.
3. The vote as the decision
A dot count is a signal, not a decision. Fourteen dots tell you fourteen people were interested on a Tuesday afternoon, not who will do it, by when, and with what budget. Workshops that end with "the top three win" produce a photo of the wall and nothing else.
Fix: decide in the room, with an owner and a date for each idea that goes forward. Or say openly that the shortlist now goes into weighted scoring, and name who runs it and when the result comes back.
Variations
- Weighted dots. One big dot (three points) and two small ones (one point each) per person. It shows strength of preference.
- Dots per criterion in two colours. Green for impact, red for feasibility. Ideas with both colours go first; ideas with only green go to the "needs a plan" pile.
- The veto dot. One black dot per person for an idea they strongly oppose. Three vetoes and the idea is discussed first. It surfaces the objections silent voting hides.
Mistakes that spoil the count
- Voting on the raw wall. Duplicates split the vote and good ideas drop out. Cluster first.
- Changing the rules mid-vote. "Oh, you can stack them", said after half the room has voted, invalidates the round. Start again.
- No photo, no record. Photograph the wall with the counts before anyone touches it, and note the criterion.
For the whole afternoon from a long list to a few concepts, see from 40 ideas to 3 concepts.
Score and prioritise ideas with your team
IdeaHone scores ideas against your criteria, shows them on a matrix and keeps the reasons, so the decision is clear and traceable.
How many dots should each person get in dot voting?
A third of the number of ideas, at most five. With twelve ideas, give four; with thirty, give five. Fewer dots force a clearer choice and keep the result from flattening out.
Is dot voting a good way to prioritise ideas?
It is a good way to get a shortlist fast. It is a poor way to make the final decision, because it measures preference, not feasibility or value. Follow it with a scoring step.
How do you stop people copying each other in dot voting?
Vote at the same time and in silence: everyone at the wall together, choices on cards face down, or a digital vote with hidden results. Ask the sponsor to vote last.
