Guiding creation of an electronic survey

• US 10,706,735 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2016
• Issued: 07/07/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualtrics LLC (SAP SE)
• Original Assignee: Qualtrics LLC (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Smith, Jared, Kopikare, Milind, Pinkal, Daryl R, Hall, Oliver M, Lindhout, Daan
• Primary Examiner(s): McClellan, James S.
• Application Number:
  US15/339,169
• Publication Number:
  US 20180122256A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,345 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/174 Form filling; Merging
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/00 Electrically-operated teaching apparatus or devices working with questions and answers mechanically operated G09B3/00; computing arrangements G06F
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/02 of the type wherein the student is expected to construct an answer to the question which is presented or wherein the machine gives an answer to the question presented by a student
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/06 of the multiple-choice answer-type, i.e. where a given question is provided with a series of answers and a choice has to be made from the answers

Abstract

This disclosure generally covers systems and methods that provide guidance to create an electronic survey. In some embodiments, the systems and methods identify and provide a suggested survey topic—with a corresponding option to create an electronic survey—based on user input. In some embodiments, the systems and methods identify and provide one or more suggested electronic survey questions based on user input. In such embodiments, the systems and methods provide, for example, components of suggested electronic survey questions, previously composed and benchmarking electronic survey questions, or suggested revisions to electronic survey questions. In addition, the systems and methods can provide entire premade electronic surveys based on receiving user input from a survey administrator.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing, by one or more servers that support an electronic survey service, a graphical user interface to an administrator client device for creating one or more electronic surveys;

receiving, at the one or more servers, user input from the administrator client device entering an electronic survey question within an electronic survey template of the graphical user interface;

applying natural language processing to the electronic survey question to identify a compound question comprising one or more of;

clusters of subjects, verbs, and objects within the electronic survey question;

clusters of verbs and objects for a single subject within the electronic survey question;

or

clusters of objects of a single verb within the electronic survey question; and

based on identifying the compound question, providing, by the one or more servers for presentation within an updated graphical user interface, a suggested revision separating the electronic survey question into a first electronic survey question and a second electronic survey question.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the user input from the administrator client device comprises receiving input composing the electronic survey question within the electronic survey template or input importing the electronic survey question into the electronic survey template.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

applying natural language processing to the electronic survey question to identify at least two negative words within the electronic survey question; and

providing an additional suggested revision rephrasing the first electronic survey question or the second electronic survey question using positive words.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein applying natural language processing to the electronic survey question to identify the at least two negative words comprises detecting one or more of negative words or negative prefixes within the electronic survey question.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing, for presentation within the updated graphical user interface, a detection notice communicating that the electronic survey question includes the compound question.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing, to the administrator client device for presentation within the updated graphical user interface, a selectable option to accept the suggested revision separating the electronic survey question into the first electronic survey question and the second electronic survey question.

7. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing instructions thereon that, when executed by at least one processor, cause a computer system to:

provide a graphical user interface to an administrator client device for creating one or more electronic surveys;

receive user input from the administrator client device entering an electronic survey question within an electronic survey template of the graphical user interface;

apply natural language processing to the electronic survey question to identify a compound question comprising one or more of;

clusters of subjects, verbs, and objects within the electronic survey question;

clusters of verbs and objects for a single subject within the electronic survey question;

or

clusters of objects of a single verb within the electronic survey question; and

based on identifying the compound question, provide, for presentation within an updated graphical user interface, a suggested revision separating the electronic survey question into a first electronic survey question and a second electronic survey question.

8. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 7, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the computer system to receive the user input from the administrator client device by receiving input composing the electronic survey question within the electronic survey template or input importing the electronic survey question into the electronic survey template.

9. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 7, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the computer system to:

receive user input from the administrator client device entering an additional electronic survey question;

apply natural language processing to the additional electronic survey question to identify at least two negative words within the additional electronic survey question; and

provide, for presentation on the administrator client device, an additional suggested revision rephrasing the additional electronic survey question using positive words.

10. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 9, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the computer system to apply natural language processing to the additional electronic survey question to identify the at least two negative words by detecting one or more of negative words or negative prefixes within the additional electronic survey question.

11. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 7, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the computer system to:

apply natural language processing to the electronic survey question to identify the compound question by identifying the clusters of objects of the single verb within the electronic survey question; and

provide the suggested revision by providing the suggested revision separating the electronic survey question into;

the first electronic survey question comprising the single verb and a first object of the clusters of objects; and

the second electronic survey question comprising the single verb and a second object of the clusters of objects.

12. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 7, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the computer system to:

apply natural language processing to the electronic survey question to identify the compound question by identifying the clusters of verbs and objects for the single subject within the electronic survey question; and

provide the suggested revision by providing the suggested revision separating the electronic survey question into;

the first electronic survey question comprising the single subject, a first verb of the clusters of verbs and objects, and a first object of the clusters of verbs and objects; and

the second electronic survey question comprising the single subject, a second verb of the clusters of verbs and objects, and a second object of the clusters of verbs and objects.

13. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 7, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the computer system to provide, for display within the updated graphical user interface, a detection notice communicating that the electronic survey question includes the compound question.

14. A system comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to;

provide a graphical user interface to an administrator client device for creating one or more electronic surveys;

receive user input from the administrator client device entering an electronic survey question within an electronic survey template of the graphical user interface;

apply natural language processing to the electronic survey question to identify a compound question comprising one or more of;

clusters of subjects, verbs, and objects within the electronic survey question;

clusters of verbs and objects for a single subject within the electronic survey question;

or

clusters of objects of a single verb within the electronic survey question; and

based on identifying the compound question, provide, for presentation within an updated graphical user interface, a suggested revision separating the electronic survey question into a first electronic survey question and a second electronic survey question.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to:

apply natural language processing to the electronic survey question by identifying at least two negative words within the electronic survey question; and

provide an additional suggested revision rephrasing the first electronic survey question or the second electronic survey question using positive words.

16. The system of claim 15, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to apply natural language processing to the electronic survey question to identify the at least two negative words by detecting one or more of negative words or negative prefixes within the electronic survey question.

17. The system of claim 14, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to

apply natural language processing to the electronic survey question to identify the compound question by identifying the clusters of objects of the single verb within the electronic survey question.

18. The system of claim 14, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to provide, to the administrator client device for presentation within the updated graphical user interface, a selectable option to accept the suggested revision separating the electronic survey question into the first electronic survey question and the second electronic survey question.

19. The system of claim 14, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to receive the user input from the administrator client device by receiving input composing the electronic survey question within the electronic survey template or input importing the electronic survey question into the electronic survey template.

20. The system of claim 14, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to provide, for presentation within the updated graphical user interface, a detection notice communicating that the electronic survey question includes the compound question.