The Power of the Poll
It’s midterm election day in the US. Which means, across the country voters are flocking to the polls to decide who will hold Congress, along with a bevy of state and local issues like whether to expand the library in Scarborough Maine.
The anti-library faction has adopted the slogan “technology over paper”
While the stakes aren’t quite as high, a poll is a great way for us as creators to engage with our communities, and give our supporters say in our projects.
Making our Projects Better
A couple of weeks ago we did an informal poll to get community input on some of our box designs for Sigil.
We weren’t locking in a box just based on votes, but the poll opened up a conversation. It allowed us to take stock of what our community (and board game design forums) thought of our box directions. To understand what elements people liked, and to help us further iterate on our designs.
As creators, we do need to be cautious in that designing by committee is a recipe for disaster. But, understanding others’ points of view – and incorporating some of the feedback within the bounds of our overall vision can be a powerful tool in our arsenal.
Building Community
I love interacting with our community. But, what I love even more, is when I go to the comments on one of my posts, and see other people engaged in discussion or debate.
It’s a sign that whatever it is we are doing is working, and that our project can engage people beyond direct interaction with us.
For Nut Hunt we hosted an Illustration Showdown ahead of the campaign. The winning illustrations were turned into free phone wallpaper.
Polls are a great seed for those conversations.
They are also a great way for our community to be and feel heard.
This or That
We need to live within the economic constraints of our projects. Sometimes that means picking between features or stretch goals.
Polls are an effective way to make those decisions.
Gabe Barret asked backers to vote on stretch goals in his Robomon campaign.
It gives backers what they value and ensures that everyone gets a say. They also incentivize people who follow your campaign to pull the trigger and back it, so that their opinion is counted.
Getting to Know Our Community
While it’s a little tangential to the kinds of poll this article focuses on – I am a big fan of polls and surveys as a method of getting to know our communities, and better understanding our campaigns.
Our backer survey for instance gave a ton of insight into how our backers found us.
Which helps us know where we were successful, when we fell short, and will allow us to better plan for future campaigns.
What interesting uses of polls have you seen?
