How to use Tier Ranker: make a tier list and rank anything with friends

Making your first tier list

1. Name your list. Click the title to change it: “Best Breakfast Foods”, “Every Pixar Film”, “Snacks, Ranked Forever”.
2. Add your items. Type a name to add a text item, or add a picture (see below). New items wait in the pool under the tiers.
3. Drag items into tiers. Works with a mouse or a finger. Drag an item between tiers or within one to change its order.
4. Fix as you go. Double-click a text item to edit it. Drag an item onto the trash bin, which appears while you drag, to delete it.

Everything saves in your browser as you go. Close the tab and your list is there next time on the same device.

Adding pictures

Pictures make a tier list much more fun to look at, especially on a TV. There are several ways to add them:

• Search images: search Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons from inside the app and click a result to add it. Great for famous people, places, animals and foods.
• Upload an image from your device.
• Paste an image you've copied, or an image link.
• Drag and drop an image file straight onto the page.

Images are shrunk and stored in your browser, so they load fast and nothing is uploaded anywhere. Searching sends only your search words to Wikimedia.

Customising the tiers

The S to D scale is a classic, but it's yours to change. Click a tier's name to rename it, change its colour, move it up or down, or delete it. You can have up to 10 tiers.

Some alternatives that work well:

• Yes / Maybe / No for planning a trip or picking a restaurant.
• Love it / Like it / Fine / Never again for food.
• Would / Wouldn't for quick-fire questions.
• Mon to Sun: rank things by which day of the week they are. It makes no sense and that's the point.

Running a tier list game night

Tier Ranker is a “one drives, everyone shouts” game. One person controls the screen; everyone else gets a voice.

• Put it on the big screen. A TV or projector is ideal. On a video call, share your screen.
• Prepare the items, not the order. Add twenty or so items before people arrive, then rank them live together. The arguing is the game.
• One item at a time. Pull each item out of the pool, let everyone make their case, then drag it. Take a quick vote when you're split.
• Make people defend their picks. Anyone who wants to move something up or down a tier has to convince the room.
• Rotate the driver. Give each person a category, so everyone gets to be the one who makes the final call once.

Ideas for things to rank

• Snacks, cereals, pizza toppings, sandwiches, holiday foods.
• Every film in a series you all love, or every season of a long-running show.
• Video game characters, board games on your shelf, theme park rides.
• Animals by how well they'd do in a fight, or by how good they'd be as a roommate.
• Your own group: who'd survive longest in a zombie film, who'd win a talent show.

If a tier list on its own feels like too little drama, try Bracket Maker: same idea, but head to head, one match at a time, until there's a champion.

Questions