About this tool
Decision Spinner
Decision Spinner puts your options on a wheel and spins it, with an animation and a result.
How to use it
- Add your options.
- Spin the wheel.
- Read where it lands.
Why a wheel beats a list
Mathematically the wheel is identical to picking at random from a list. What differs is the experience: the spin takes time, the outcome is visible as it settles, and the result feels arrived at rather than announced.
That matters more than it should. Groups accept a spun outcome more readily than a printed one, because the process was visible and nobody could have influenced it.
Worked example
Why the wheel is accepted more readily than a list:
- Outcome oddsidentical to random selection
- Processvisible and takes time to settle
- Perceived fairnesshigher
Result: Same mathematics, different social result, which is the only reason to prefer it.
When it helps
- Settling a group decision visibly and fairly.
- Choosing where to eat when nobody will commit.
- Classroom selection, where the theatre helps.
- Breaking a deadlock without anybody having to argue for it.
Common mistakes
- Spinning again because you did not like the result. If you do that, you had a preference and should act on it instead.
- Adding options you would refuse to accept. Only put things on the wheel you can live with.
