Dot Voting

A tool to prioritise ideas and solutions and help move back to convergent thinking.

Project Stage:

Develop

Who:

Customer

Experts

Decision makers

Service Providers

Design Principles:

06. We will challenge assumptions & design with evidence

08. We will design to deliver value in all its forms

Dot voting, or “Dotmocracy,” is a decision-making technique used to prioritise ideas, options, or solutions in a group. Participants are given a set number of stickers (dots) to place on the options they prefer. The option with the most dots is considered the most popular or important. This method is quick, democratic, and gives everyone an equal voice.

Use it to

Quickly prioritise ideas or decisions in a group.
Ensure democratic and transparent decision-making.
Get a sense of the group’s consensus on the best ideas or solutions.

Top Tips

Use different coloured dots for different participant groups if needed (e.g., stakeholders vs. users).
Limit the number of dots each participant can use to ensure clear prioritisation.
If there are many options, consider running several rounds of voting to progressively narrow down the choices.
Be transparent about the purpose and process of the dot voting session to build trust in the outcome.

How – to

Present Options: Clearly lay out all options, solutions, or ideas for voting. Make sure they are well-understood by all participants.
Distribute Dots: Give each participant a set number of dots (stickers) to vote with. Typically, participants get fewer dots than there are options, encouraging them to prioritise.
Vote: Participants place their dots next to the ideas they prefer, or think are most valuable.
Count: Count the dots and rank the options based on the number of votes they received.
Discuss: Reflect on the results. Why were some ideas prioritised over others? Are there any key insights from the voting patterns?