Objective Rating Criteria

[TacianoM]

Hey guys!

I was just discussing something on a topic about my city that might be really useful as well for the whole community, and that could be even added to Google Maps on a future version.

A guy nicknamed JeanR shared the criteria he usually uses when rating a place and I thought they could be improved a little to serve all the places and our entire community. So, my improved version (that serves mostly all kinds of venues but is definitely open for improvements) for his rating criteria are:

+ 1 star - Easy or free parking

+ 1 star - Pleasant and clean environment

+ 1 star - Fair price

+ 1 star - High quality service/product

+ 1 star - Good treatment

I've seen that many people have discussed about the subjectivity on this and I've checked all the topics about this "standardization" on ratings ([1], [2], [3], [4]), but I haven't seen any suggestions on objective criteria like this. An idea would be to adopt them only for us Local Guides first and then after some improvements show them to all users.

So I thought on sharing this with you to improve the idea and think on how to include it in Google Maps in the future. 

Cheers from Brazil!

[VictorBana]

@TacianoM I think that it is like encapsulating too much a perception that is based on feelings. You can have a horrible parking experience in a place that is not in immaculate conditions but you had the meal of your life and the waiter was the best, you will rate it 5 stars instead of the inconvinients surrounding it, that's why comments let's you give an opinion without influencing the ratings. 

In the way you standarized it, Notre Dame wouldn't have more than a star.

Maybe in a specific kind of commercial places your idea will have sense, but as a check mark, not rating.

That's  my humble opinion.

[ShafiulB]

@TacianoM hi 

Thanks for this Solution  ..

It will help other city local guides to improve their rating system .

[KhanArifRahman]

 Thanks. 

[Phellipect]

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@TacianoM, cheers from Brazil! haha

So... currently i'm using the following system:

I rate (and make comments) from 1 to 5 the following topics:  Food, environment, price and customer service.

Then I use the average for my Star rating. (I so wish google would let me give a 2.5 star rating...)

But I'll combine what i'm using with what you're suggesting.

I think it'll come as something like this:

Example:

Taciano's Restaurant:

5* - Parking

Parking was really easy. They had a vallet service at the restaurant, and almost no waiting line at all. 

Really great.

2,5* - Environment

Simple place, simple decorations. Nothing much to look at, so it didn't really leave any impression.

4* - Price

The price was good. Not something you could do on a daily basis, but fair enough based on the quality of the food and service.

4* - Food/Product

The food was really good. I ordered a bruschetta and a pizza. The bruschetta was simply out of this world, i really recommend it. The pizza was ok, maybe i expected too much based on the bruschetta. It was not bad, but also not that good. I also recommend the house wine!

2 - Service

The service was poor and slow. The waiters were very much like robots. They were not impolite per se, but i felt no effort in customer service at all.

All and all, it's a good place to go, have a meal and drink with friends and family. 

*(photo of the place, possibly)*

With those numbers, i usually take an average (in this case (5+2,5+4+4+2)/5 = 3,5 Stars) and give my rating. 

I would reeeeally like if google made it possible to give   1/2 ratings....  Because in this case it ended with 3.5, making my life hell.

So i'll combine with yours and make the following:

For all 5 criterias:

<= 2,5 stars = No star

> 2,5 stars = Star

So with the example I gave it will be used like this:

+1 Star - 5* - Parking

No star - 2,5* - Environment

+ 1 Star - 4* - Price

+1 Star - 4* - Food/Product

No star - 2 - Service

So my rating for this place will be 3 Stars.

I really wish google would make it possible to give 1/2 stars though...

So.... what do you guys think?

[rayhenry]

Thanks.

I think this is one of good approach. 

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[Kweden]

Looking at this, i begin to understand the high star ratings on maps.

I thought stars were for outsanding things.

Why do self serve gas stations have 5 stars-it is just a gas station.

Why do simple shopping centers have 5 stars? It is just a center, are all the businesses that fantastic?

Star ratings are also a holistic system of the overall experience-- 5 stars are for experiences that would make one overtip, and ho out of their way to go back.

Alas, in this region, 4-5 stars is par rating for almost every business and place in existence, even jails.

Think, if your experience at a place was the same as jail...they get 5 stars???

[Phellipect]

Unfortunately there are a lot of people who just don't give a s**t and go around giving rates to every single place just for lvling.

Google has made a good platform for us to rate places, but they should make a way for us to flag and ban those bad users and make a better community.

So for now we are going to continue seeing 5 Star jails and malls and squares, etc, etc, etc...

[VictorBana]

I think that every place has it's "sensations". In a restaurant your review will have on count: Food, waiters attitude, decoration, and even the looks and attitude of the other customers in the same place and parking. In a Jail it is not supposed you are going to be pampered, because actually you are not their customer, you are not paying for their services (don't talk about taxes), and you will review: Installations, parking access, and in any case how you were treated by jail personnel.  In any case different kind of experiences gives different feedbacks. Car garages use to have worst rating because people goes there usually with a problem that cost money differently from a jewlery on wich people goes there because they want to spend most of the times in their own reward. Sansations are WAY different.

[Kweden]

Could this be the reason for the no account name bug?