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Claims  |
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What is claimed is:
1. A method for organizing and presenting user feedback, where the feedback
includes a portrayal of a user comment about the user's experiences within
a user's context within a product, process, or service, and wherein the
feedback is to be evaluated by a reviewer who is interested in user
feedback, the feedback being arranged into a multiplicity of independent
feedback records, each feedback record being independent from the product,
process, or service and being arranged to contain information indicative
of the user's context within a product, process, or service and a
plurality of predefined attribute identifiers that identify the nature of
the feedback provided, wherein the attribute identifiers are arranged into
a plurality of predefined attribute categories, each category organizing a
plurality of the attribute identifiers into a related group to readily
describe and categorize the feedback entered by the user, such that a
plurality of said attribute identifiers are arranged as different options
for the user within each category, and wherein just one attribute
identifier in each category is stored in each of the multiplicity of
feedback records to describe the user's experiences as related to the
particular category of feedback in which that one attribute is included,
the method comprising the steps of:
identifying the reviewer's visualization preferences, wherein the
visualization preferences include indications of the predefined attribute
identifiers that the reviewer desires to review, wherein all of the
attribute identifiers in each of the associated attribute categories are
displayed to allow the reviewer to indicate at least some of said
preferences;
filtering the feedback records in accordance with the visualization
preferences to create a combined set of records that includes each of the
feedback records having predefined attribute identifiers in accordance
with the visualization preferences; and
displaying an indication of the number of feedback records in the combined
set so as to present the reviewer with a distribution of the feedback
records having desired attribute identifiers within the displayed
categories that may be readily ascertained and analyzed by the reviewer
with respect to each category.
2. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising the steps of:
receiving an indication of a change in the reviewer's visualization
preferences;
refiltering the feedback records in accordance with the changed
visualization preferences; and
displaying an indication of the number of records in the refiltered
combined set that include specific attribute identifiers.
3. A method as recited in claim 2 wherein the indication of the number of
records in the combined set is graphically displayed in bar chart form.
4. A method as recited in claim 2 wherein the indication of the number of
records in the combined set is graphically displayed in pie chart form.
5. A method as recited in claim 2 wherein the predefined attribute
categories include a situation category for describing a feedback
situation that the user wishes to enter feedback about, the situation
category including attribute identifiers labelled as question, idea,
problem, complaint, and disaster, and wherein just one attribute
identifier in the situation attribute category is selected by the user and
stored in a feedback record.
6. A method as recited in claim 5 wherein the preferences of the reveiwer
can include selections of a plurality of different displayed attribute
identifiers in each of said displayed attribute categories.
7. A method as recited in claim 6 further comprising a step of displaying
the number of feedback records having non-indicated predefined attribute
identifiers that are not in the combined set and not indicated by the
reviewer, said feedback records having non-indicated attribute identifiers
being displayed after said visualization preferences have been identified.
8. A method as recited in claim 5 wherein an attribute identifier in an
attribute category indicated a particular level in a sequential scale of
attribute identifiers organized in that attribute category, the scale of
attributes providing a range of responses between two extreme levels
within the attribute category.
9. A method as recited in claim 2 wherein:
the indication of the number of records in the combined set is graphically
displayed in bar graph form, wherein at least one of said attribute
categories is displayed such that all attribute identifiers in said
displayed attribute categories are also displayed, and wherein each
attribute identifier of each displayed category has an associated bar
graph that may be either selected or deselected, such that the
distribution of feedback records having attribute identifiers within the
displayed categories can be graphically ascertained and analyzed by the
reviewer with respect to each category; and
the step of receiving an indication of a change in the reviewer's
visualization preferences includes determining when the selection status
of the bar graph associated with a particular attribute identifier is
changed, wherein when a bar graph associated with a particular attribute
identifier is deselected, records that include that particular attribute
identifier are eliminated from the combined set as is graphically
displayed to the reviewer, and wherein when a bar graph associated with a
particular attribute identifier is selected, records that meet all of the
other criteria indicated by the visualization preferences and include the
selected attribute identifier are added to the combined set and
graphically displayed to the reviewer.
10. A method as recited in claim 9 wherein:
the feedback records are arranged to store an indication of the time when
the feedback records were created;
the visualization preferences further include a time range preference
selected from a plurality of selectable time range indicia that are
indicative of specific time ranges and are arranged so that just one time
range indicia may be selected at a time; and
when a particular time range preference is selected, records that were not
created within the time range indicated by the selected time range
preference are eliminated from the combined set and records that meet all
of the other criteria indicated by the visualization preferences and were
created within the time range indicated by the selected time range
preference are added to the combined set.
11. A method as recited in claim 9 wherein a selected bar graph is
displayed as a filled bar graph and a deselected bar graph is displayed as
an unfilled bar graph, where the unfilled bar graph represents the number
of feedback records which are to be added to the currently selected
combined set of records when the unfilled bar graph is selected.
12. A method as recited in claim 2 further comprising steps of:
for each displayed predefined attribute identifier in the combined set,
displaying the number of feedback records which include that predefined
attribute identifier; and
displaying an indication of the number of feedback records for each
predefined attribute identifier not indicated by the reviewer that would
be added to the combined set if the user indicated those predefined
attribute identifiers.
13. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the feedback records are
arranged to store an indication of the time when the feedback record was
made, wherein the visualization preferences further include an indication
of a time range of interest to the reviewer.
14. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the visualization preferences
further include an indication of the context in the product, process, or
service where the feedback was made that is of interest to the reviewer.
15. A method as recited in claim 14 wherein the feedback records are
arranged to store a user context describing the physical location where
the associated feedback was made by the user, wherein the visualization
preferences further include an indication of the physical location of
where the associated feedback was made that is of interest to the
reviewer.
16. A method as recited in claim 15 wherein said visualization preferences
include selections made by the reviewer on a displayed geographic map
representation to filter the feedback records according to physical
location, such that said reviewer is allowed to select areas on said
displayed map representation to include feedback records in the combined
set that originated from users in the selected areas.
17. A method as recited in claim 14 wherein the feedback records are
arranged to store a user context describing a position of the user within
an organizational hierarchy from which the associated feedback was made by
the user, wherein the visualization preferences further include an
indication of the organizational position of the user making the
associated feedback that is of interest to the reviewer, the visualization
preferences being made in a displayed organizational tree of positions,
wherein the organizational tree includes subpositions that are visibly
associated with other displayed positions in the tree.
18. A method as recited in claim 14 wherein the feedback records are
arranged to store a context of a user within a software program where the
associated feedback was made by the user, wherein the visualization
preferences further include an indication of the software context of the
user making the associated feedback that is of interest to the reviewer.
19. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising a step of selecting a
specific feedback record to display a message content that is directed to
said reviewer and is stored in the selected feedback record.
20. A method as recited in claim 19 further comprising the steps of:
providing an input area for the reviewer to input a response to said
displayed message content; and
sending the response to a user who inputted the message content of the
feedback record.
21. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the user comment includes at
least one question, suggestion, or remark made by the user about the
user's experiences within the user's context.
22. A method as recited in claim 21 wherein the user feedback is evaluated
by a reviewer to provide help to the user or to provide improvement for
the product, process, or service experienced by the user.
23. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein each feedback record is arranged
to store a description of the technical attributes of a computer system on
which the feedback record was created, said technical attributes including
a hardware platform of said computer system, components connected to said
computer system, and an operating system in use on said computer system,
and wherein the reviewer is allowed to input visualization preferences
pertaining to the technical attributes.
24. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein each feedback record is arranged
to store a description of the organizational attributes of the user who
initiated the feedback record, said organizational attributes including
the user's company, department, and title in a business organization, and
wherein the reviewer is allowed to input visualization preferences
pertaining to the organizational attributes.
25. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein each feedback record is arranged
to store a description of the personal attributes of a user who initiated
the feedback record, said personal attributes including the user's name
and mail address, and wherein the reviewer is allowed to input
visualization preferences pertaining to the personal attributes.
26. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the reviewer's preferences
include selecting to launch an application program to provide an exact
software context of a user who entered a selected feedback record, such
that said reviewer can directly experience said user's software context.
27. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein said step of identifying the
reviewer's visualization preferences includes identifying changes by the
reviewer to the attribute identifiers and attribute categories that are
displayed, said changes including adding to, changing, or removing at
least one of said attribute categories displayed on said display screen.
28. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising a step of retrieving
a subset of the feedback records from a database before the step of
identifying the reviewer's visualization preferences, wherein the subset
of feedback records is determined by a predetermined access identifier
associated with said particular reviewer, said access identifier
describing the subset to which the reviewer has access.
29. A feedback visualizer for organizing and presenting user feedback, the
feedback including a portrayal of a user cogent about the user's
experiences in the user's context within the product, process, or service,
where the feedback is to be evaluated by a reviewer who is interested in
user feedback so that the reviewer can provide help to a user or improve
the product, process, or service, the feedback being arranged into a
multiplicity of independent feedback records, each feedback record being
arranged to contain information indicative of a user's context within a
product, process, or service when the feedback associated therewith was
made and a plurality of predefined attribute identifiers that identify the
nature of the feedback made by the user, wherein the attribute identifiers
are arranged into a plurality of predefined attribute categories, each
category organizing a plurality of the attribute identifiers into a
related group to readily describe and categorize the feedback entered by
the user, such that a plurality of said attribute identifiers are arranged
as different options for the user within each category, and wherein just
one of each attribute identifier can be stored in each category in each
feedback record to describe the user's experiences as related to the
particular category of feedback in which each one attribute is included,
the feedback visualizer comprising:
means for retrieving the feedback records;
filter means for filtering the retrieved feedback records in accordance
with specified visualization preferences to create a combined set of
feedback records that includes each of the feedback records having each of
the characteristics required in the specified visualization preferences,
wherein the visualization preferences include selections of the predefined
attribute identifiers that the reviewer desires to review and the required
characteristics include the selected attribute identifiers;
means for displaying a visualization window that includes an indication of
the characteristics of the feedback records in the combined set, said
visualization window displaying the associated attribute categories for
the attribute identifiers indicated by the reviewer and all of the
attribute identifiers in each of the associated attribute categories such
that the distribution of feedback records having indicated attribute
identifiers within the displayed categories can be readily ascertained and
analyzed by the reviewer with respect to each category; and
means for receiving changes to the specified visualization preferences, the
means for receiving changes being arranged to cause the filter means to
update the combined set to reflect the new visualization preferences when
a change is received.
30. A feedback visualizer as recited in claim 29 wherein the specified
visualization preferences include selected attribute identifiers, wherein
a plurality of attribute categories and all attribute identifiers included
within each of the attribute categories are displayed by the means for
displaying, and wherein for each attribute identifier selected in the
visualization preferences, the means for displaying is arranged to display
an indication of the number of records in the combined set that include
that specific attribute identifier.
31. A feedback visualizer as recited in claim 30 wherein for each
deselected attribute identifier, the displaying means is further arranged
to display an indication of the number of records that would be added to
the combined set if that deselected attribute identifier were to be
selected.
32. A feedback visualizer as recited in claim 31 wherein:
the means for displaying graphically displays an indication of the number
of records in the combined set that include specific attribute identifiers
in each attribute category in bar chart form; and
the means for receiving changes in the specified visualization preferences
includes means for determining the selection/deselection of a bar in said
bar chart that is associated with a particular attribute identifier,
wherein when the status of a bar in said bar chart is toggled, the
visualization preferences are changed in accordance therewith.
33. A feedback visualizer as recited in claim 29 wherein:
the feedback records are arranged to store an indication of the time when
the feedback record was made;
the visualization preferences further include an indication of a time range
of interest to the reviewer;
the display means is arranged to display a plurality of selectable time
range indicia that are indicative of specific time ranges, where the time
range indicia are arranged so that just one time range indicia may be
selected at a time; and
when a particular time range indicia is selected, records that were not
created within the time range indicated by the selected time range indicia
are eliminated from the combined set and records that meet all of the
other criteria indicated by the visualization preferences and were created
within the time range indicated by the selected time range indicia are
added to the combined set.
34. A feedback visualizer as recited in claim 29 wherein the visualization
window includes a mechanism for altering the visualization preferences.
35. A feedback visualizer as recited in claim 29 wherein said means for
receiving changes includes means for defining a subset of feedback records
to be included in the combined set according to properties of the feedback
records, wherein said categories of feedback records are displayed.
36. A feedback visualizer as recited in claim 35 wherein said means for
defining a subset includes means for displaying an organizational tree of
contexts, wherein the organizational tree includes subcontexts that are
displayed so as to be visibly associated with other displayed tree
contexts in which the subcontexts are included, and wherein said reviewer
can select a context or subcontext to include feedback records in the
combined set that have the selected context or subcontext.
37. A feedback visualizer as recited in claim 36 wherein the properties of
the feedback records include a time when said feedback record was created
by the user.
38. A feedback visualizer as recited in claim 35 wherein said means for
defining a subset includes means for selecting subject categories
displayed as a hierarchy of fields in said visualization window, said
subject categories defining a subject context of feedback records which
the reviewer desires to review such that the combined set will include
feedback records having the selected subject context.
39. A feedback visualizer as recited in claim 29 wherein an attribute
identifier in an attribute category indicates a particular level in a
sequential scale of attributes organized in that attribute category, the
scale of attributes providing a range of possible responses for the user
between two extreme levels of the scale within the attribute category.
40. A method for implementing a feedback system in a computer environment,
wherein said feedback system is used by at least one user using a software
program in said computer environment and at least one reviewer, said
method comprising the steps of:
collecting a feedback item from a user while said user is interfacing with
said computer environment on a first computer system, said feedback item
being collected from said user after said user inputs an enter feedback
command in a displayed feedback interface on said first computer system,
wherein said feedback item includes a portrayal of a user comment about
the user's experiences in a product, process, or service, said comment
including attributes selected by said user from lists of provided
predefined attributes, and a context identifier indicative of the context
of said user within said product, process, or service, wherein the
attribute identifiers are arranged into a plurality of attribute
categories such that said user can assign only one attribute from each
category to the feedback item to describe the user's experiences as
related to the particular category of feedback in which each one attribute
is included, each of said categories organizing a plurality of the
attribute identifiers into a related group to readily describe and
categorize the feedback entered by the user;
providing said feedback item to a reviewer using a feedback visualization
interface separate from said software program on a second computer system;
and
presenting said feedback item to said reviewer on said second computer
system when said feedback item is included in preferences of said reviewer
by displaying a viewing interface for said reviewer on said second
computer system, said preferences including designated attributes, wherein
said feedback item is organized and displayed within an appropriate
feedback category displayed on said second computer system among a
plurality of other feedback items displayed within said categories to
provide a visual and organized distribution of said feedback items to said
reviewer, wherein said feedback item is presented independently of said
product, process or service, and wherein said feedback items are evaluated
by said reviewer to improve said reviewer's knowledge of help required by
the user or improvement required within said product, process, or service.
41. A method as recited in claim 40 wherein said step of collecting said
feedback item includes recording said feedback item in a feedback record.
42. A method as recited in claim wherein said attribute categories for said
feedback item include categories of who is eligible to receive the
feedback item, what type of feedback in included in the feedback item, and
when the user wishes a response to the feedback item from the reviewer.
43. A method as recited in claim 42 wherein said viewing interface for said
reviewer includes a viewing window that includes sections for said
reviewer to select a desired subject context of feedback records, to
select a desired time range that specifies feedback records that were
entered by said user within the time range, and to select said attributes
within said categories.
44. A method as recited in claim 43 wherein said step of presenting said
feedback item to said reviewer includes presenting message content
included in said feedback item when said reviewer selects said feedback
item.
45. A method as recited in claim 43 wherein said preferences selected by
said reviewer include attribute identifiers such that feedback records
having said selected attribute identifiers are viewed by said reviewer.
46. A method as recited in claim 42 wherein said attribute categories
include a situation attribute category for providing a feedback item with
information indicating the type of experience of the user within the
product, process, or service, wherein said user can assign one attribute
in said situation attribute category form the group of displayed
attributes consisting of question, idea, problem, complaint, and disaster.
47. A method as recited in claim 41 wherein said step of collecting said
feedback item includes recording an inputted message from said user in
said feedback record.
48. A method as recited in claim 41 wherein said step of collecting said
feedback item includes storing said feedback record on a database.
49. A method as recited in claim 48 wherein said step of providing said
feedback item to a reviewer includes reading said feedback record and at
least one additional feedback record from said database.
50. A method as recited in claim 41 wherein a plurality of feedback records
are read from a database, each of said feedback records including the same
attribute categories, and wherein said step of presenting said feedback
item to said reviewer includes displaying bar charts, wherein each bar
chart indicates the number of feedback items having a particular attribute
in all of said attribute categories.
51. A method as recited in claim 50 further comprising the steps of:
reading preference selections input by said reviewer in said viewing
interface, said preference selections including selections of said
displayed attributes in said display attribute categories;
presenting said feedback item to said reviewer according to said preference
selections when said feedback item is included in said preference
selections.
52. A method as recited in claim 40 wherein said displayed feedback
interface includes a window that can be initially called by a user and
displayed by selecting a button displayed by said first computer system.
53. A method as recited in claim 40 wherein said feedback system is
implemented in an organizational environment, said organizational
environment including a business environment wherein said user is an
employee within said business environment, and wherein the context
identifier for a feedback item provided by said employee includes an
indication of said employee's department with the business environment.
54. A method as recited in claim 40 wherein said feedback system is
implemented in an organizational environment, said organizational
environment including an educational environment wherein said user is an
student within said educational environment, and wherein the context
identifier for a feedback item provided by said student includes an
indication of said student's position within the educational environment.
55. A method as recited in claim 40 wherein said feedback system is
implemented in an organizational environment, said organizational
environment including a testing environment wherein said user is testing a
product, process, or service for a provider of the product, process, or
service, and wherein the context identifier for a feedback item provided
by said tester includes an indication of said tester's identity within the
testing environment.
56. A method as recited in claim 40 wherein said step of collecting a
feedback item from a user includes automatically collecting system
discernable attributes.
57. A method as recited in claim 56 wherein said stepsystem discernable
attributes include technical attributes, organizational attributes, and
personal attributes.
58. A method as recited in claim 40 wherein said displayed feedback
interface on said first computer system includes a plurality of subject
context fields, wherein said user specifies a desired context by selecting
a subject for at least one of said fields from a list of subjects provided
for each of said fields, wherein said fields are provided in an order such
that each field more narrowly defines said context than fields provided
earlier in said order.
59. A method as recited in claim 40 wherein said step of providing said
feedback item to a reviewer includes converting a feedback record stored
on a database to a visualizer record stored in memory of said second
computer system to increase the speed of processing said feedback after
said reviewer inputs said preferences, said visualizer record including a
lesser amount of information than said feedback record stored on said
database.
60. A system for implementing user feedback used by at least one user and
at least one reviewer, the system comprising:
means for displaying a feedback interface in response to a received enter
feedback command;
means for collecting feedback data entered in said feedback interface by a
user, where said feedback data includes a context identifier identifying a
context of said user within a product, process, or service when said
feedback data is collected, and wherein said feedback data includes a
portrayal of a user comment about the user's experiences in said context
within said product, process, or service, said collecting means collecting
at least one feedback attribute selected by said user from predefined and
displayed lists of attributes, said collected attribute describing said
user's experiences in said context;
means for sending at least a portion of said feedback data to a viewing
interface;
means for organizing said at least a portion of feedback data according to
preferences of a reviewer after said at least a portion of feedback data
has been received by said viewing interface, said preferences of said
reviewer including the attributes by which the reviewer desires to
organize the feedback data and a context which is of interest to said
reviewer, said context being selected by said reviewer from a displayed
list of predetermined contexts;
means for displaying said organized feedback data in said viewing interface
independently of said product, process, or service when said feedback data
is included in said preferences of said reviewer, said feedback data being
displayed with reference to the same predefined feedback attributes as
provided in the feedback interface so that the reviewer can readily
analyze and ascertain a distribution of the displayed feedback data with
respect to the predefined attributes and with respect to the reviewer's
preferences, and wherein said feedback data is evaluated by the reviewer
who is interested in said feed | | |
