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Emoji Rating Face

The Emoji Rating Face maps a status or mood word to a friendly emoji face and a matching color, so feedback, health, or satisfaction reads at a glance rather than as plain text. It is built with a standard Microsoft List and a small piece of column-formatting JSON applied to a choice column. Positive shows a smiling green face, neutral an even amber face, and negative a frowning red one, with the word kept beside it.
Author
SharePoint Maven
Built with
Features
Choice Column, JSON, Single Line of Text Column
Category
Formatting

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Overview

  • Maps a mood or status word to an emoji face and color
  • Positive is a green smile, neutral an amber face, negative a red frown
  • Keeps the word beside the face for a clear, exact read
  • Reads far faster than a plain status word in a list
  • The words, faces, and colors are set in the JSON and easy to change
  • Applied as column-formatting JSON on a choice column, so it changes nothing about the underlying data

Common Use Cases

  • Survey or feedback sentiment
  • Customer or employee satisfaction
  • Health or morale on a check-in list
  • Review outcome on submissions
  • Mood or confidence on a pulse survey
  • Any short status word you want shown as a face

Details

  • Design Pattern: Status & Indicator Badges
  • Format Scope: Column

Required Columns

Display nameColumn typeInternal name
ResponseSingle line of text[Title]
SentimentChoice[Sentiment]

Prerequisites

  1. Build a list with a choice column before you paste the JSON.
  2. Then populate the list with sentiment values.
  3. The JSON keys off specific words (Positive, Neutral, Negative, Mixed); use these exact words in your choice column or edit the words in the JSON to match yours (a neutral face covers the rest).
  4. Apply the formatting to the sentiment column.

How to Apply JSON code

  1. On the Sentiment column, open the column header menu, choose Column settings, then Format this column.
  2. Switch to Advanced mode.
  3. Paste the JSON below and click Save.

JSON Code

{
  "$schema": "https://developer.microsoft.com/json-schemas/sp/v2/column-formatting.schema.json",
  "elmType": "div",
  "style": {
    "display": "inline-flex",
    "align-items": "center",
    "gap": "9px"
  },
  "children": [
    {
      "elmType": "span",
      "txtContent": "=if(@currentField == 'Positive', '😊', if(@currentField == 'Neutral', '😐', if(@currentField == 'Negative', '🙁', if(@currentField == 'Mixed', '😕', '💬'))))",
      "style": {
        "font-size": "22px",
        "line-height": "1"
      }
    },
    {
      "elmType": "span",
      "txtContent": "@currentField",
      "style": {
        "font-size": "15px",
        "font-weight": "700",
        "color": "=if(@currentField == 'Positive', '#007a5a', if(@currentField == 'Neutral', '#9a6f00', if(@currentField == 'Negative', '#d13438', '#4f4f4f')))"
      }
    }
  ]
}

Common Questions About the Emoji Rating Face

What is the Emoji Rating Face built with?

It is built with a standard Microsoft List (SharePoint list) and a small piece of column-formatting JSON. There is no custom development, no SPFx solution, and no third-party tools. It is the kind of clean, maintainable formatting Greg Zelfond builds for teams that want a status word that reads as an emoji face without ongoing development overhead.

What columns does it need?

It needs one Choice column that holds the sentiment word, where the JSON is applied, plus any label column such as the response name. The face is chosen from that word.

Does this design use any custom development or third-party tools?

No. It uses only out-of-the-box SharePoint column formatting, which Microsoft supports natively. That keeps it stable and easy to maintain, and nothing breaks when SharePoint is updated. Out-of-the-box is the only way Greg builds, so you can own and extend the design yourself for years.

If LookBook 365 is code-free and out-of-the-box, why does this example include JSON?

Because SharePoint formatting JSON is not custom code – it is a native configuration feature built into lists and libraries. It is declarative: it only describes how an existing column looks, and cannot run scripts, reach external services, or change your data. Nothing is deployed and nothing breaks when Microsoft updates SharePoint, and you can edit or remove it anytime. That is why LookBook 365 treats it as out-of-the-box and low risk.

Can I change the words or faces?

Yes. The words, the emoji faces, and the colors are all set in the JSON. Swap them to match your own status labels, and anything unmatched shows a neutral face.

Can Greg build a design like this for our lists?

Yes – this is exactly the kind of work Greg Zelfond does. As an independent SharePoint consultant and Microsoft MVP, he designs out-of-the-box list and library formatting like this so your team can read and maintain it without a developer. Reach out through the contact page to talk about your lists.