Proactive form guidance for interacting with electronic forms

• US 10,657,200 B2
• Filed: 01/05/2016
• Issued: 05/19/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adobe Inc.
• Original Assignee: Adobe Inc.
• Inventors: Gaither, Shawn, Treitman, Richard, Parmenter, David, Behzadi, Arian, Yeom, Kyeung sub, Alisago, James, Thevenet, Frederic, Gonzalez, Andres, Matveief, Anatole
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsui, Wilson W
• Application Number:
  US14/988,044
• Publication Number:
  US 20170192949A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,596 Days
• Field of Search: 715224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/174 Form filling; Merging

Abstract

Techniques for guiding an interaction with an electronic form via a computing device are described. For example, a form guidance engine is initiated. The form guidance engine maintains a state of the electronic form. The form guidance engine also maintains user information in, for example, a user profile. The user information is associated with a user of the computing device and relates to how the user interacts with the electronic form. Based on the user information, the form guidance engine anticipates a potential interaction with the electronic form given the state. Accordingly and prior to a user request for information about the electronic form, the form guidance engine generates a presentation configured to guide the user to perform the potential interaction with the electronic form via a computing device. A user response to the presentation is received. The form guidance engine performs an action associated with the electronic form and updates the state of the electronic form.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for proactively guiding user interactions with electronic forms via a computing device, the computer-implemented method comprising:

storing, by a form guidance engine, user information comprising a preference of a user that indicates a time period in which changes to a target state are to be completed for electronic forms;

verifying that an electronic form is available on a data source accessible to the form guidance engine;

storing, by the form guidance engine, state information for the electronic form, the state information identifying a current state of the electronic form, the current state corresponding to at least one of (a) an import of the electronic form into a storage location in which the electronic form is editable by the computing device associated with user, (b) a degree of completion of the electronic form, (c) a validation of the electronic form, or (d) an export of the electronic form from the computing device to a target device;

detecting, by the form guidance engine and from the stored state information of the electronic form, a triggering event for a potential interaction of the user with the electronic form via the computing device, the triggering event comprising that (a) a current time is within the time period from the preference in the user information and (b) a change in state to the target state has not occurred within the time period as of the current time;

based on detecting the triggering event;

identifying, by the form guidance engine, an action that updates content of the electronic form and thereby causes a change from the current state to the target state of the electronic form, and

initiating, by the form guidance engine, a presentation of a guided interaction interface that is separate from the electronic form and that is configured to guide the user to perform the action via the computing device; and

updating, by the form guidance engine and based on a user response to the presentation, the state information of the electronic form to identify the target state.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

setting, in response to verifying that the electronic form is available on the data source accessible to the form guidance engine, the current state of the electronic form to a value indicating that the electronic form is an available for importing to the computing device, wherein the presentation of the guided interaction interface comprises a prompt to import the electronic form;

receiving, responsive to the prompt to import the electronic form, a command to import the electronic form;

importing, by the form guidance engine, the electronic form from the data source based on receiving the command to import the electronic form; and

updating the current state of the electronic form to an imported state.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising performing, by the form guidance engine, additional operations comprising:

receiving, prior to setting the current state of the electronic form is set to an available state, an electronic communication having a link to the electronic form; and

determining that the electronic form is not stored on the computing device, wherein the prompt to import the electronic form is included in the presentation of the guided interaction interface based on the electronic form not being stored on the computing device.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the preference that indicates the time period in which changes to the target state are to be completed comprises a user preference associated with electronic form completion, wherein storing the state information comprises detecting that at least a portion of the electronic form has not been filled out and setting the current state to an incomplete state, wherein detecting the triggering event comprises determining that the portion of the electronic form should be filled out within the time period, and wherein the presentation of the guided interaction interface comprises a prompt to fill out the portion of the electronic form.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein the user response indicates that the portion of the electronic form should be filled out, and further comprising:

providing, by the form guidance engine to the computing device, a step-by-step guidance to fill out the portion of the electronic form.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the preference that indicates the time period in which changes to the target state are to be completed comprises a user preference associated with electronic form validation, wherein storing the state information comprises detecting that the electronic form has not been validated and setting the current state to a non-validated state, wherein detecting the triggering event comprises determining that the electronic form should be validated within the time period, and wherein the presentation of the guided interaction interface comprises a prompt to validate the electronic form.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

storing the state information comprises detecting that the electronic form has not been exported and setting the current state to a value indicating that the electronic form has not been exported,

detecting the triggering event comprises determining that the electronic form should be exported within the time period,

the presentation of the guided interaction interface comprises a prompt to export the electronic form, and

the computer-implemented method further comprises performing, by the by the form guidance engine, operations comprising;

receiving, as at least a portion of the user response, a command to export the electronic form,

implementing the command to export the electronic form by transmitting the electronic form to an electronic address associated with one or more of a different user or a different computing device.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, further comprising performing, by the form guidance engine, additional operations comprising:

identifying the electronic address by analyzing an electronic communication having a link to the data source;

including, in the presentation of the guided interaction interface, a prompt to confirm that the electronic address as a destination for exporting the electronic form; and

receiving, as at least an additional portion of the user response, a confirmation of the electronic address as the destination for exporting the electronic form, wherein the electronic form is transmitted to the electronic address based on receiving the confirmation.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein a touch-free modality is used for the presentation and the user response, wherein the touch-free modality provides the presentation via audible requests and interprets a voice response of the user using voice recognition.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising performing, by the form guidance engine and prior to storing the user information, additional operations comprising:

accessing a history of user interactions with other electronic forms;

determining, from the history of user interactions, times of completion of the other electronic forms;

computing the preference of the user from the times of completion of the other electronic forms; and

adding the computed preference to the user information.

11. A system comprising:

a processor;

a memory communicatively coupled to the processor and bearing instructions that, upon execution by the processor, cause the system to at least;

initiate a form guidance engine;

store, by the form guidance engine, user information comprising a preference of a user, wherein the preference indicates a time period in which changes to a target state are to be completed for electronic forms;

store, by the form guidance engine, state information for an electronic form, the state information identifying a current state of the electronic form;

detect, by the form guidance engine and from the stored state information of the electronic form, a triggering event for a potential interaction of the user with the electronic form via the system, the triggering event comprising that (a) a current time is within the time period from the preference and (b) a change in state to the target state has not occurred within the time period as of the current time;

based on a detection of the triggering event;

identifying, by the form guidance engine, an action that updates content of the electronic form and thereby causes a change from the current state to the target state of the electronic form,

initiating, by the form guidance engine, a presentation of a guided interaction interface that is separate from the electronic form and that is configured to guide the user to perform the action via the system, and

updating, by the form guidance engine and based on a user response to the presentation, the state information of the electronic form to identify the target state.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the state represents a set of actions to be completed to change the state to a next state, and wherein the instructions upon execution by the processor further cause the system to at least:

maintain a sub-state of the electronic form based on a state machine, wherein the sub-state indicates a progress towards completion of the set of actions of the state based on user responses, and wherein the user responses are provided as inputs to the state machine.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the instructions, upon execution by the processor, further cause the system to at least:

rank a plurality of electronic forms based on respective potential interactions with the electronic forms; and

schedule interactions with the electronic forms based on the ranking.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the instructions upon execution by the processor further cause the system to at least:

maintain states corresponding to electronic forms, respectively, wherein each state indicates whether a respective electronic form is active or inactive;

determine that the state of the electronic form is active; and

generate the presentation about the state of the electronic form based on the state being active, wherein the presentation of the guided interaction interface includes a prompt for a confirmation to interact with the electronic form via the system.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions of a form guidance engine that, when executed on a computing system, configure the computing system to perform operations comprising:

storing user information comprising a preference of a user that indicates a time period in which changes to a target state are to be completed for electronic forms;

storing, by the form guidance engine, state information identifying a current state of an electronic form;

detecting, by the form guidance engine and from the stored state information, a triggering event for a potential interaction of the user with the electronic form via a computing device associated with the user, the triggering event comprising that (a) a current time is within the time period from the preference in the user information and (b) the current state identified in the state information is different from the target state;

based on detecting the triggering event;

identifying, by the form guidance engine, an action that updates content of the electronic form and thereby causes a change from the current state to the target state of the electronic form, and

initiating, by the form guidance engine, a presentation of a guided interaction interface that is separate from the electronic form and that is configured to guide the user to perform the action via the computing device;

receiving a user response to the presentation; and

updating, by the form guidance engine and based on the user response to the presentation, the state information of the electronic form to identify the target state.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the current state corresponds to at least one of (a) an import of the electronic form into a storage location in which the electronic form is editable by a computing device associated with user, (b) a degree of completion of the electronic form, (c) a validation of the electronic form, or (d) an export of the electronic form from the computing device to a target device.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, the operations further comprising:

verifying that the electronic form is available on a data source accessible to the form guidance engine;

setting, in response to said verifying, the current state of the electronic form to a value indicating that the electronic form is an available for importing to the computing device, wherein the presentation of the guided interaction interface comprises a prompt to import the electronic form;

receiving, responsive to the prompt to import the electronic form, a command to import the electronic form;

importing, by the form guidance engine, the electronic form from the data source based on receiving the command to import the electronic form; and

updating the current state of the electronic form to an imported state.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, the operations further comprising:

detecting that the electronic form has not been exported;

setting the current state to a value indicating that the electronic form has not been exported, wherein the target state comprises an export of the electronic form;

identifying an electronic address by analyzing an electronic communication having a link to a data source at which the electronic form is available, the electronic address associated with one or more of a different user or a different computing device;

including, in the presentation of the guided interaction interface, a prompt to confirm that the electronic address as a destination for exporting the electronic form and a prompt to export the electronic form;

receiving, in the user response, a confirmation of the electronic address as the destination for exporting the electronic form and a command to export the electronic form;

implementing, based on receiving the confirmation, the command to export the electronic form by transmitting the electronic form to the electronic address.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, the operations further comprising:

identifying a deadline by analyzing an electronic communication having a link to a data source at which the electronic form is available;

causing the computing device to present a prompt to confirm the deadline;

receiving a confirmation of the deadline in response to the prompt;

storing, based on receiving the confirmation, the deadline in the state information; and

determining, from the time period stored in the state information, that the current time is within the time period.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein:

the preference that indicates the time period in which changes to the target state are to be completed comprises a user preference associated with electronic form completion,

storing the state information comprises detecting that at least a portion of the electronic form has not been filled out and setting the current state to an incomplete state,

detecting the triggering event comprises determining that the portion of the electronic form should be filled out within the time period,

the presentation of the guided interaction interface comprises a prompt to fill out the portion of the electronic form,

the user response indicates that the portion of the electronic form should be filled out, wherein the operations further comprise providing a step-by-step guidance to fill out the portion of the electronic form.