The most common system for rating things is giving it a number from 1-10. It’s also the worst.
The average person cannot hold so many separate, unlabeled quality levels in their head. Tell me: What is the difference between 2, 3, and 4? Is 7 good or just ok?
Professional raters (like restaurant reviewers) have enough volume to separate the quality levels, but most of us don’t. At best, a rating out of 10 becomes a comparison with other things in that category.
The goal of rating systems is to convey information to other people, even your future self. A rating out of 10 is too ambiguous and requires too much interpretation. You need to think: Is this a person who would actually rate something a 3/10 or do they rate everything 7/10?
Out of 5 is much easier because it provides labels: bad, below average, average, above average, or great. Most people would benefit from compressing their rating out of 10 by subtracting 5 (assuming most people don’t know the difference between 2, 3, and 4)
I try to focus on the actionability of the rating system even further. My 5 labels for restaurants are notably bad, avoid, fine but won’t go again, happy to go again, I’d recommend you go.
Even doing 5 stars and allowing half stars is better. You have 10 quality levels, but the 5 stars give them labels to anchor on. It’s easier to say something is between bad and below average than it’s a 2/10. This leads to better ratings.
So next time you’re tempted to rate something out of 10, just don’t.