The Power of Eliminating the Middle Ground
How can adding a simple constraint lead to better decision making and clear outcomes
Recently, while serving as a judge at open source hackathon, I found a fascinating scoring approach that has impact far beyond the context of evaluating technical projects. This experience provided me a powerful principle that can transform how we make decisions in various aspects of life.
The Scoring System
The hackathon's scoring system had an intriguing twist: while we could score projects from 1 to 5, we were explicitly forbidden from using the middle score of 3. At first glance, this might seem limiting. However, this simple constraint turned out to be a brilliant mechanism for better decision-making.
Why Eliminating the Middle Ground Works
1. Forces Clearer Decision-Making
When we have a middle option, it often becomes our safety net—a comfortable refuge when we're unsure or want to avoid making a definitive choice. By removing this middle ground, we're compelled to lean one way or the other, leading to more thoughtful decisions.
2. Reveals Our True Inclinations
Without the middle option, we're forced to confront our actual preferences. If you can't choose 3, you must decide: is this project closer to a 2 or a 4? This process often reveals that we actually do have a slight preference one way or the other—we just weren't acknowledging it.
3. Produces More Actionable Feedback
In the context of the hackathon, this scoring system resulted in more meaningful differentiation between projects. But think about how this applies to other scenarios: performance reviews, product feedback, or even personal decisions.
Applications Beyond Judging - Scaling questions
One powerful application of this principle is in scaling questions. When gathering information or feedback, instead of using a traditional 1-5 scale, you can employ a forced-choice scale that eliminates the middle option.
For example, when asking team members about project satisfaction, using a 1-2-4-5 scale forces them to lean either positive or negative, revealing underlying sentiments that might otherwise remain hidden behind neutral responses.
Real-World Applications of Scaling:
Customer Satisfaction: Force clear feedback by using 1-2 (improvement needed) or 4-5 (satisfactory), eliminating neutral responses that mask real issues
Employee Performance: Transform reviews by requiring clear stance on skills and achievements
Product Features: Make decisive roadmap decisions by requiring stakeholders to either prioritize (4-5) or deprioritize (1-2) features
Team Feedback: Drive actionable insights by compelling managers to provide clear positive or constructive feedback
Implementation in Survey Libraries or Survey Making Websites
Modern survey and feedback libraries should consider incorporating this concept through thoughtful implementation. Developers can provide configuration options to disable middle-scale values and support custom scale ranges that skip middle values (like 1-2-4-5). Additionally, offering pre-built templates with forced-choice scales and including analytics that compare results between traditional and non-neutral scales can help organizations better understand the impact of eliminating neutral responses.
Final Thoughts
While it might feel uncomfortable at first, eliminating the middle ground in our decision-making processes can lead to clearer thinking, better outcomes, and more honest feedback. Sometimes, the best way to make progress is to remove the option of staying neutral.
What areas of your life could benefit from eliminating the middle ground? The next time you find yourself gravitating toward a neutral option, try forcing yourself to lean one way or the other—you might be surprised by the clarity it brings.