How Ratings work.
A huge database of tutorial ratings. The white paper on how to design efficiently.
Ratings
What is the rating system?
The system was built to study how efficient/inefficient design techniques are. Tutorials are compared, analysed & graded professionally to provide the best possible tool for designers.
Creating such database allows for a more analytical approach to a creative process.
How Does the rating system Work?
The “Design Rating System”(DRS) has 4 pillar mechanics: Practice(time), Difficulty, Scalability & Functionality. The tutorials are graded from 0-5. An Average is eventually calculated.
| Article | Practice | Scalability | Difficulty | Functionality | Average Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Selection Tools 101 – Complete Guide to Affinity Photo IPad | 4 | 5 | 2.5 | 5 | 4.125 |
| The Pen Tool in Affinity Photo iPad | How to (2023) | 4.5 | 5 | 3.5 | 5 | 4.5 |
| Exploring Personas | An Affinity Photo iPad Tutorial | 4.5 | 5 | 3.5 | 5 | 4.5 |
| Smoke (Dispersion) Effect – Affinity Photo iPad Tutorial (2023) | 3 | 2 | 4 | 2.5 | 2.875 |
| How to Recolour in Affinity Photo iPad: The Ultimate Guide | 4 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 4.25 |
| How to Setup & Resize Document | Affinity Photo iPad (2023) | 1 | 3.5 | 1 | 3.5 | 2.25 |
| How to Crop in Affinity Photo iPad: The Ultimate Guide | 1.5 | 3 | 1.5 | 4.5 | 2.625 |
| How to Remove Objects in Affinity Photo iPad | 2.5 | 5 | 2.5 | 5 | 3.75 |
| Blend Ranges (blend if) – Affinity Photo iPad Tutorial | 2.5 | 4 | 2.5 | 4 | 3.25 |
| Adding Borders and Frames in Affinity Photo iPad | Easy Steps! | 3 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 3.25 |
| Masking A-Z in Affinity Photo iPad | Complete Guide (2023) | 4 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 4.25 |
| Affinity Photo Tools: A Complete Guide | 5 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 4.5 |
| How to Create Mockups in Affinity Photo: The Ultimate Guide | 1.5 | 4 | 1.5 | 5 | 3 |
| How to Resize the Canvas in Affinity Photo | A Complete Guide | 1 | 3.5 | 1 | 3.5 | 2.25 |
| Affinity Photo Essential Keyboard Shortcuts | 5 | 5 | 3.5 | 5 | 4.625 |
| Transform, Move & More | Affinity Photo Tutorial (2023) | 3.5 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 3.875 |
| How to Use Photoshop Plugins in Affinity Photo | Ultimate Guide (2023) | 3.5 | 1 | 5 | 1.5 | 2.75 |
| How to Export in Affinity Photo | Deep Dive (2023) | 2.5 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 3.625 |
| Selection Tools 101 | A Complete Affinity Photo Guide | 4 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4.5 |
| Shadows and Highlights in Affinity Photo | Masterclass (2023) | 4 | 4 | 3.5 | 5 | 4.125 |
| Adjustment Layers 101 | How they work in Affinity Photo | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4.75 |
| Adding Frames and Borders in Affinity Photo (2023) | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3.5 |
| How to Remove Background in Affinity Photo | Complete Guide (2023) | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
| Blending Modes in Affinity Photo (Desktop & iPad) | Complete Guide (2023) | 3 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4.25 |
| High Pass Filter in Affinity Photo | A Comprehensive Guide | 2 | 2.5 | 2 | 4 | 2.625 |
| Text in Affinity Photo: Tips and Tools | 3.5 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 3.875 |
| Drawing Lines and Shapes in Affinity Photo (2022) | 2 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 3.25 |
| Layers in Affinity Photo | Explained (2022) | 4 | 5 | 1.5 | 5 | 3.875 |
| Recolour in Affinity Photo | Complete Guide (2022) | 4 | 5 | 2.5 | 5 | 4.125 |
| Masking in Affinity Photo | A Complete Guide (2022) | 4 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 4.25 |
| How to Blur in Affinity Photo | Comprehensive Guide (2023) | 3.5 | 4.5 | 2.5 | 5 | 3.875 |
| Remove Noise in Affinity Photo | Ultimate Guide (2022) | 1 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 2.25 |
| Remove Anything In Affinity Photo! (Backgrounds, Objects & More) | 3 | 1.5 | 2.5 | 5 | 3 |
| Using the Pen Tool in Affinity Photo (2022) | 4.5 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 4.125 |
| Live Filter Layers In Affinity Photo (2023) | 2 | 5 | 1.5 | 5 | 3.375 |
| Five Personas of Affinity Photo | A Comprehensive Guide (2023) | 2 | 5 | 2.5 | 5 | 3.625 |
Optimal Design Range (ODR)
What powers all the system? What is the logic behind it?
Since our study was done to analyse techniques & (in)efficiencies in design, we found the following:
Practice ≡ Difficulty
Practice is usually equivalent to Difficulty
After studying the techniques day in day out, we found that the more difficult techniques are the more time consuming.
From the outside looking in, this might look obvious, however, there are instances where this statement wouldn’t apply.
Functional ≡ Scalability
Functional is equivalent to Scalability
The most functional techniques are the ones which would be repeatedly used . This means, that the most functional are the most scalable.
Same as before, there are some techniques which aren’t in congruence with this statement. However, the overwhelming majority falls within this category.
Optimal Design Range is:
2.25-4.25
Research Results
ODR
Optimal Design Range (ODR): 2.25-4.25
The results give us a decent view of what’s going on. The optimal design range is 2-4.25. This range is the balance that the technique/tutorial would offer. Lets go to the results:
