Decisions need to be based on measurable accurate data obtained; not voting, a dart board, human feelings, etc.
Our team works very hard to develop QFD (QUality Functional Development) in the first days so that we have a "metric" to compare all designs to and thus by measuring the designs back to the QFD, we can develop a ranking of the solutions. If possible, we combine best attributes from multiple designs and that in turn yields a better overall design.
Since there is no emotion involved, then we reduce hurt feelings and focus more on the design. Remember, you want the most impact with the littlest possible amount of effort.
http://www.theflyingtoasters.org/#!_...ces/vstc79=qfd
This year we are adding a component called Probably Scoring Rate as part of the QFD.