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Netflix.com uses star ratings, Digg.com uses up/down votes and Facebook uses a "like" but not a "dislike" button. Despite the popularity and diversity of these rating scales, research offers little guidance for designers choosing between them.

This paper compares four different rating scales: unary ("like it"), binary (thumbs up / thumbs down), five-star, and a 100-point slider. Our analysis draws upon 12,847 movie and product review ratings collected from 348 users through an online survey. We a) measure the time and cognitive load required by each scale, b) study how rating time varies with the rating value assigned by a user, and c) survey users' satisfaction with each scale.

Overall, users work harder with more granular rating scales, but these effects are moderated by item domain (product reviews or movies). Given a particular scale, users rating times vary significantly for items they like and dislike. Our findings …