SIMPLIFIED: "What is a Decision Matrix?"

Link to article: https://asq.org/quality-resources/decision-matrix?srsltid=AfmBOoqAO9-C5jY26FiacdghO50e73nCxGBtr8qsIxzaa4NxLNYhsX25 

Note: The image above was taken from the original article.

The article linked above talks about decision matrixes! These are very important when you need to pick one choice out of many possible choices, and they can be set up in a lot of different ways. 

You specifically use a decision matrix when you have many possible designs but you don’t know what to pick. This matrix lets you compare the advantages and disadvantages with the other designs. Here are some things you might put into a decision matrix: cost, complexity of design, time it will take to create, durability, weight, and scalability. Then, you score each of your designs under these categories, then add up to get a total. Look at the image associated with this article (meaning scroll up to the top for an example decision matrix). You would be able to see which design has the highest number of points, and chances are, that is the design you want to do. 

Here is a quick example: you want to design a desktop organizer. You can either make a large rectangular one, a circular one that is more vertically tall, or a cool dragon themed one. In the decision matrix, the large rectangular one will likely take the least amount of time to build than the other two designs, but if you are ranking how cool the design looks, then the dragon themed one will have the highest score. Ultimately, you need to come up with a list of things that are important to you (like cost, time to build, etc.) then score each design. Add up the total, and you’ll see which design you should probably explore. Assigning or ranking a score to the design can be as simple as just picking a number between 1-5 by the way, with 1 being the worst and 5 being the best.