Would you use the same scale to judge a painting and a spreadsheet?

Of course not. The complexity is different. The stakes are different. The expectations are different.

Yet most rating systems treat everything the same — 1 to 5 stars, 1 to 10 scores.
That’s lazy.

At Index to Scale, we believe scale choice is strategic.

When to Keep It Simple

• 1–3 Scale → quick clarity (bad / average / good)
• 1–5 Scale → small decisions, subjective impressions

Great for:

• Cleanliness
• Service experience
• Vibes

When to Add Nuance

• 1–10 / 1–20 / 1–99 → deeper distinctions, more comparison

Perfect for:

• Food balance (sweet, salty, acidic, texture)
• Interior finish levels
• Literary depth

Wrong Scale = Useless Data

If you rate 100 sandwiches on a 1–5 scale, 40 of them will probably end up with a 4. That doesn’t help anyone decide.

Use a 1–20 or 1–99 scale, and suddenly patterns emerge — you can see what makes something standout, and how subtle the differences are.

Right scale = insight.
Wrong scale = noise.