# Ten ideas in, one defensible winner out

Rank a short list of variants on digital respondents: an overall ranking, metric scores and the arguments behind each — in minutes.

## When you need this test

Twelve offer wordings survived the brainstorm. The team is split across four features for the release. The agency brought eight brand territories and the budget covers one. Familiar?

That choice is usually made by a vote, or by whoever is most persuasive in the room. Idea comparison replaces the argument with data: the audience ranks every variant on identical metrics, and you end up with a ranking and the reasoning — why the leader leads, and what the others risk.

## What you can compare

- Offer wordings and value propositions
- Product, feature and service ideas
- Campaign territories and directions
- Any short list that needs to become a top three

The format is text, with images where useful — JPG, PNG, PDF, up to 8 files per idea.

## How a test runs

1. **Pick the Idea comparison test type** — A questionnaire designed for ranking a longer list.
2. **Enter your variants** — A short, comparable statement of each idea.
3. **Define the audience segment** — Whoever should be doing the choosing: your buyers, your users, the decision makers.
4. **Read the report** — A ranking of every variant, with scores and arguments for each.

## What is in the report

- **Idea ranking** — A final score per variant, as Top-2-Box — the share of 4s and 5s on the scale.
- **Metric breakdown** — Interest, value, relevance, distinctiveness — showing what a variant wins on.
- **The audience's arguments** — Open-ended answers per idea, grouped by sentiment, with quotes.
- **Comparison table** — Every variant side by side, ready to drop into the decision deck.

The gap between the ranking and the reasoning is the point: sometimes the idea in third place is stronger than the leader once reworked, and only the open-ended answers show it.

## Frequently asked questions

**How is this different from concept testing?**

Concept testing goes deep on a handful of developed concepts. Idea comparison is the wider funnel: a longer list of short statements, ranked quickly to narrow the field. The working pair is comparison to pick a top three, concept testing to develop the finalists.

**The ideas are very different in format — is that a problem?**

Ranking is only fair when the variants are comparable. Describe them all at the same length and in the same logic. Comparing a feature idea against a campaign idea is better done as two separate tests.

**Is this really research in a day?**

Faster than that — the report is ready minutes after launch. The day goes on agreeing the list of ideas internally.

**What do I do with the result?**

The report is the argument for defending your decision: the ranking, the metrics and the audience's own voice. The choice stops being a matter of opinion and becomes a matter of what the audience picked, and why.

## Related

- [Concept testing](https://feedback-engine.ai/en/concept-testing) — Top three chosen — go deeper
- [Naming testing](https://feedback-engine.ai/en/naming-testing) — Choosing between names
- [Audience insights](https://feedback-engine.ai/en/audience-insights) — Work out what the audience wants first

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Start a test: https://my.feedback-engine.ai/auth?mode=register&lang=en