CrossRoads User Manual Introduction

     CrossRoads is designed to take any Complex Decision and break it into tiny maneageable pieces. This application does the “Heavy Lifting” for you. While other apps only use simple weighted averages or “role-of-the-dice” random guessing, CrossRoads provides careful consideration to EACH and EVERY “Objective” and “Alternative” considered MOST important to YOU.


     Also, CrossRoads achieves this with a very simple and easy-to-use list of slider bars where you rate the relative importance between pairs of your Objectives & Alternatives.

     Simply enter the names of your Objectives & Alternatives, use the list of slider bars, and voila! – you are provided with you results.

The Instruction Manual

1. 1) FAQ’s:
1. a. What is an “Objective”?
1. An Objective describes part of the target outcome of your decision. For example, an Objective may be “Low Maintenance”, “Low Price”, and/or “Best Red Color”… of a number of automobile choices (the “Alternatives”).
2. Always enter your highest priority Objective first (Objective One). Followed by the others. This is only your initial “gut feeling”.
2. b. What is an “Alternative”?
1. An Alternative describes each choice you have from which to pick. For example, “Car A”, “Car B”, and/or “Car C”, etc.
2. Always enter your highest priority Alternative first (Alternative One). Followed by the others. This is only your initial “gut feeling”.
3. c. The Power of CrossRoads
1. After naming your “Objectives” and “Alternatives”, CrossRoads provides a list of slider bars that are colored yellow (on the left side) and blue (on the right side. The text boxes that display the names you provided are shaded with a gradient of color ranging from yellow to blue. The more yellow you allow to show with the slider bar, the more “weight” is being assigned to the name within the yellow shading of the text box (leaving the slider bar to display all blue indicates that they are exactly the same) Although this may seem counter-intuitive, recall that the initial "gut feeling" measured Obj/Alt One "better" than Obj/Alt Two. The increase in Yellow Color simply indicates by how much.
1. The slider bar is graduated with integer numbers from 1 to 9. Covering that number with the diamond-shaped slider thumb button will send that weight to the computer.
2. After making these tiny “Micro-Decisions”,  CrossRoads calculates a Score for each of your Alternatives. Of course, the Alternative with the highest Score is the Best Choice available to you based on the information you provided.
3. Tips on using CrossRoads

1. Cancelling the choice of Objective/Alternative Numer:
1. Do Not Use Android’s ‘Back’ button to go back to a previous screen while making an Objective/Alternative choice with the drop-down menu.
1. After cancelling a selection by using the “exit” button, make the choice that you originally intended when the drop-down menu reappears.
1. e. The Slider Bar:
1. The Slider Bar graphic enables the user to select integers ranging from 1 to 9. Please keep in mind that the integer selection number is recorded ONLY when that number is covered by the Slider Bar Thumb icon. (For example, if you intend to choose the number ‘8’, that number MUST be covered and you should only be able to see all of number ‘9’.
2. f. The ‘Exit’ Button:
1. Pressing this button will re-start the application from the first ‘Splash’ screen (Start screen).
1. By default, this cancells the choice previously made by the Objective/Alternative Number drop-down menu as discussed above.
3. g. Future Enhancements:
1. Depending on customer feedback, marketing, and other factors not yet apparent, this application will be continually improved.
1. 1. Please visit this blog for helpful tips and more information.