Flexible Criteria Builder

PRO Feature – Requires BuddyPress Member Reviews Pro addon

What Is Flexible Criteria?

Flexible Criteria Builder lets you create custom rating dimensions beyond simple star ratings. Collect structured feedback across multiple categories with weighted importance scoring.

Beyond Basic Star Ratings

The free version provides a single overall rating. Pro adds:

• Multiple rating criteria per review
• Different input types (Stars, Thumbs, Text)
• Weighted importance per criterion
• Aggregate weighted ratings
• Category-specific feedback

This gives you richer data and helps reviewers provide more specific, actionable feedback.

Criteria Types

Stars (1-5 Rating)

Traditional 5-star rating scale for quantitative feedback.

Best for: Quality, professionalism, communication, skill level, value

Display: Interactive star selector with current rating highlighted

Thumbs (Up/Down)

Binary recommendation choice for simple yes/no questions.

Best for: “Would recommend”, “Would hire again”, “Met expectations”

Display: Two thumb buttons (up/down) with one selected

Text (Short Input)

Free-form text field for qualitative feedback.

Best for: “Biggest strength”, “Area for improvement”, “Project summary”

Display: Single-line text input field

Weighted Ratings

Assign importance weights to each criterion. Weights affect the calculated aggregate rating, letting you prioritize what matters most.

Weight Scale: 0.1 (least important) to 2.0 (most important)

Calculation:

Weighted Average = Σ(rating × weight) / Σ(weight)

Example:

• Communication: 5 stars, weight 1.5 = 7.5
• Timeliness: 3 stars, weight 0.5 = 1.5
• Quality: 4 stars, weight 2.0 = 8.0
• Total: (7.5 + 1.5 + 8.0) / (1.5 + 0.5 + 2.0) = 4.25 stars

Building Custom Criteria

Access the Builder

1. Go to Settings → Member Reviews → Pro
2. Scroll to Flexible Criteria section
3. Click Manage Criteria

Add a Criterion

1. Click Add Criterion
2. Fill in details:
3. Click Save Criterion

Reorder Criteria

Drag and drop criteria to change display order. Order affects both the review form and display.

Remove a Criterion

1. Hover over criterion
2. Click Delete icon
3. Confirm removal

Warning: Removing a criterion doesn’t delete existing data, but that criterion won’t appear in new reviews or display templates.

Example Configurations

Freelancer Platform

Goal: Evaluate project delivery and collaboration

Criteria:

• Quality of Work (Stars, weight 2.0, required)
• Communication (Stars, weight 1.5, required)
• Timeliness (Stars, weight 1.5, required)
• Would Hire Again (Thumbs, weight 1.0, required)
• Project Highlights (Text, weight 0, optional)

Professional Network

Goal: Capture endorsement specifics

Criteria:

• Expertise Level (Stars, weight 2.0, required)
• Reliability (Stars, weight 1.5, required)
• Team Collaboration (Stars, weight 1.0, optional)
• Recommend for (Text, weight 0, optional)

Course Platform

Goal: Evaluate instructor effectiveness

Criteria:

• Knowledge (Stars, weight 2.0, required)
• Teaching Clarity (Stars, weight 1.5, required)
• Responsiveness (Stars, weight 1.0, required)
• Would Recommend (Thumbs, weight 1.0, required)
• Most Valuable Lesson (Text, weight 0, optional)

Community Forum

Goal: Track helpfulness

Criteria:

• Helpfulness (Stars, weight 2.0, required)
• Friendliness (Stars, weight 1.0, required)
• Knowledge (Stars, weight 1.5, required)
• Thanks for (Text, weight 0, optional)

Criteria Sync & Backward Compatibility

When Pro Is Active

Reviews display using Pro’s custom criteria configuration. All criteria appear in the review form and on the frontend.

When Pro Is Deactivated

The free version takes over automatically:

• Custom criteria data is preserved in the database
• Free version displays only the overall rating
• Review form returns to simple 5-star input
• No data is lost

When Pro Is Reactivated

All custom criteria data returns immediately. Reviews show full criteria details again.

This ensures smooth transitions and prevents data loss if you change licensing.

Review Form Display

Frontend Edit Modal

When members create or edit reviews, custom criteria appear as form fields:

1. Overall rating (required)
2. Each custom criterion in configured order
3. Review text
4. Anonymous option

Star criteria show interactive star selectors. Thumbs criteria show up/down buttons. Text criteria show input fields.

Required Field Validation

If a criterion is marked required, members cannot submit the review without completing it. Validation messages appear inline.

Aggregate Rating Calculation

Weighted Average

The member’s aggregate rating uses the weighted average formula across all reviews:

1. For each review, calculate weighted score
2. Sum all weighted scores
3. Divide by sum of weights
4. Round to nearest 0.1

Display Locations

Weighted aggregate ratings appear:

• Member profile header
• Member directory cards
• Review widgets
• REST API responses

Hover Details

Hovering over aggregate ratings shows:

• Total review count
• Breakdown by criterion (if applicable)
• Verification count

Technical Details

• Criteria stored as plugin options
• Review criterion data stored as post meta
• Weight calculation uses PHP number precision
• Filterable via buprprocriteria_config hook
• AJAX validation for required fields

Support

Need help with flexible criteria?

• Check our Knowledge Base
• Contact support at support@wbcomdesigns.com