Dot voting is a lightweight way to focus a group on a small, visible set of options. Give each person the same number of votes, let people vote independently, and record ties instead of hiding them. Mockitt Whiteboard helps teams keep the decision and the prototype evidence together.
Set the decision before you hand out dots
Write the question at the top of the board: “Which two onboarding concepts should we prototype this week?” Define what a dot means. It might select ideas for discussion, identify a small shortlist, or prioritize a next experiment. It should not be described as proof of user preference unless users themselves cast the votes.
A fair voting procedure
- Make every option comparable: same level of detail, same owner, and a short evidence note.
- Give each participant an equal number of votes and explain whether multiple dots on one option are allowed.
- Run a silent round first so seniority and group discussion do not anchor the result.
- Reveal the totals together, then ask what evidence or concern the vote did not capture.
- Record the result, dissent, and the next action on the same board.
How to handle ties and disagreement
A tie is a signal to discuss, not a reason to add a hidden deciding vote. Compare the tied options against the predeclared criteria, run a small follow-up test, or carry both into a deliberately cheap prototype. If someone objects to the winning option, record the objection and the assumption it challenges. The facilitator can close the meeting, but the decision record should show who owns the follow-up.
What dot voting can and cannot tell you
Votes show the distribution of the room’s current judgment under the chosen rules. They do not estimate market demand, usability, accessibility, or technical feasibility. Pair the result with interviews, task observations, analytics, or an engineering spike before committing to an expensive build.
Use a shared board as the decision record
Keep the options, criteria, dots, tie notes, and next experiment together. A shared Mockitt Whiteboard makes the board easy to review asynchronously and gives the prototype team a direct handoff. Archive the board after the decision so a later team can see what was known at the time.
Facilitator checklist
- Is the question narrow enough to answer today?
- Are all options equally understandable?
- Does every participant have the same rule and number of votes?
- Is the tie path explicit?
- Is the next evidence-producing action assigned?