Just About Right (JAR) questions: How, when and where to use them
JAR scales are used often in product assessment. Below is a typical JAR scale question. The optimal point is in the center of the scale and the two extremes are polar opposites. The scale is sometimes termed a bi-polar scale.
1
Much Too Weak
2
Somewhat Too Weak
3
Just About Right
4
Somewhat Too Strong
5
Much Too Strong
Below are typical data from a JAR scale question. Assume it is asked for three different coffee products. 100 people rated the coffee product for intensity of coffee flavor.
If we summarize these results with the mean rating we get the following:
It would be tempting to conclude that since all three have the same mean, anyone one of them can be selected to commercialize. But if you look at the raw responses, that is not the case.
