1. A computer-implemented method for input by a human operator of degrees of preference for a plurality of objects representing products, items or services, in a single swipe or gesture, comprising: a) providing a computing device having at least a processor, a memory, and a touch screen display; b) providing software loaded into said memory; c) providing instructions in said software for displaying a rating scale having a predetermined range of values representing said degrees of preference; d) providing said instructions in said software for displaying said plurality of said objects representing products, items or services; e) providing said instructions in said software for displaying said objects on graphical representations of rows or shelves, in an orientation relative to said rating scale; f) providing said instructions in said software for detecting and responding to gestures performed on said touch screen display; g) providing a pointer which said human operator may manipulate to perform said gestures on said touch screen display; h) displaying on said touch screen display said rating scale, and said rows or shelves in said orientation relative to said rating scale; i) displaying on said touch screen display said objects on said rows or shelves; j) detecting a contact of said pointer on said touch screen display; k) while said contact of said pointer on said touch screen display is continuously maintained, performing a series of operations implemented by one or more processors, comprising: l) detecting when location of said pointer on said touch screen display intersects one of said objects, and attaching said one of said objects to position of said contact of said pointer at said location; m) detecting movement of said pointer on said touch screen display, and moving said one of said objects along one of said rows or shelves, in accordance with said movement of said pointer; n) while said contact is maintained, detecting when said pointer passes over current one of said rows or shelves and into area of adjacent one of said rows or shelves, and said instructions in said software causing said one of said objects previously moved to be fixed in its current placement relative to said rating scale; o) detecting said current placement relative to said rating scale of said one of said objects previously moved, and said software assigning and recording a value according to degree of preference indicated by said current placement; p) while said contact is continuously maintained, for each subsequent said one of said objects currently displayed, repeating the following steps: q) detecting when said location of said pointer on said touch screen display intersects each said one of said objects, attaching said one of said objects to said position of said contact of said pointer at said location, and moving said one of said objects along said one of said rows or shelves, in accordance with said movement of said pointer; r) detecting when said pointer passes over said current one of said rows or shelves and into said area of said adjacent one of said rows or shelves, and said instructions in said software causing said one of said objects previously moved to be fixed in its said current placement relative to said rating scale; s) detecting said current placement relative to said rating scale of each of said one of said objects previously moved, and said software assigning and recording said value according to said degree of preference indicated by said placement; whereby said human operator may input said degrees of preference for said plurality of said objects in said single swipe or gesture on said touch screen display.