Seesaw balances the dilemma of daily decisions

To get coffee from Starbucks, Frothy Monkey or Bongo Java?

Study in Sevier or Centennial park?

To spend a weekend in East Tennessee or Northern Alabama?

Whether your decision is a big one, like which car to buy, or a $5 gamble of where to get your morning coffee, Seesaw is ready to help.

The Seesaw app, released Feb. 7, offers second opinions for dilemmas of all shapes and sizes.

Like the seesaw we sat on as kids, the app balances on the give and take of friends.

The corporation believes that, like most things, “decisions are better with friends.”

“In a place like Nashville, there are always new things to try. It would be awesome to know what I’m getting into beforehand,” said sophomore, Kelsey King who appreciates input on which restaurants and coffee shops are worth a visit.

Seesaw focuses on the opinions of people you value most. It allows you to share poll-style posts with selected friends via text, Twitter, or Facebook. The app also offers the option to post publically to get a larger amount of feedback from the Seesaw community.

The app is free and available for iPhone users. The company is hoping for an Android version before the end of the year, according to Aaron Gotwalt, CEO and cofounder. In the meantime, you can use the Seesaw website to make decisions and use the bookmarklet to pull decisions from websites like Amazon.

“It’s a quick and easy way to get mass input on a certain situation instead of having to go through my phone and add contacts to a message. It’s also much easier to collect the results,” said sophomore, Corinne Williams who has used it for late night ice cream decisions.

These results could be used to smooth over social gatherings by polling guests for a favorite take-out food or movie genre before they arrive.

“There’s a big discrepancy between the Rom-Com lovers and those who prefer The Ring. It’s better to know what I’m dealing with before they show up,” said King.

As class registration for the fall semester approaches, the app could also assist students in academic decisions like which class to sign up for.

“Ratemyprofessors.com can be a little dicey, so I’d rather have answers from people I know and trust,” said King.

Seesaw hopes to provide just that.

“We won’t rest until everyone feels better about the decisions they’re making,” writes Gotwalt on the company’s blog. Gotwalt seemed pleased with the response to the app’s recent release.

“It’s been really great. We’ve gotten a steady stream of user and activity growth with a bump coinciding with each coverage event,” said Gotwalt.

Gotwalt and his wife have used the app for their own decisions from a new compact car to Valentine’s Day chocolates.

“Sometimes it’s very useful for making actual decisions like those, and sometimes people just want validation,” said Gotwalt.

According to recent user, sophomore, Jocelyn Young, the “endless possibilities” presented within the app, and the ability to weigh in on other’s decisions makes Seesaw more addicting than Instagram.

“You don’t just watch people’s lives, but you help them live them,” said Young. “I might not know anything about you, but I would love to choose tonight’s shoes or tomorrow’s movie.”