Priority values [closed]

Question

We are developing software, where the users have to assign priority numbers (integers) to jobs. Our basic question is if a high priority should be done with a high or low number (and vice-versa for low priority)? This is software to be used by other developers and we want to do what is most natural to the majority.

We have looked around and found both systems are being used and we also have different opinions internally.

What do you prefer?

Sorry if the tag is not good, but it is the best I could find.

Answer 1

It really depends on how you present the value to the user. If you present it as kind of a ranking, then 1 would be "better"/higher ranked than 2. But if you instead present it as a kind of "weight" then 2 would be "heavier" than 1. So it's more a matter of how you present it (be sure to be consistent with your choice).

Put personally, I have the feeling that the ranking system is more intuitive than a "weight" system. You normally think about the most important things, and you want to put them at the front, or handle them "first". Thus starting with 1 for high priorities and going to larger numbers for lower priorities seems more natural.

Answer 2

I think that DarkDust does a good job of capturing the ambiguity that causes why people do it differently. My advice is, for whichever convention you choose, annotate the word "priority" with an indication of the convention you chose. Say "priority rank" if lower values proceed first, and "priority weight" or "priority level" if higher values proceed first. Avoid "priority number", as you are implicitly talking about a quantity with a direction.