Obtaining user feedback on displayed items

• US 20040169678A1
• Filed: 11/26/2003
• Published: 09/02/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Oliver, Huw Edward
• Granted Patent: US 8,046,693 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/738
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

User feedback regarding a displayed item, such as a web page, is obtained by providing a first and second transport-control elements, such as back buttons, that have the same effect for moving within or between displayable items but which have different associated semantic information. Upon activation of one of the transport-control elements, not only is the required movement effected, but data is output or stored indicative of the semantic information associated with the activated transport-control element. Thus, for example, the semantic information associated with one transport-control element can relate to a good user experience of the currently-displayed item whilst the semantic information associated with the other transport-control element can relate to a bad user experience of the displayed item. Related server arrangements and page and program code are also envisaged.

Claims

1. A method of obtaining user feedback relating to items displayable on a device, the method comprising:

displaying on the device;

a view of a said displayable item,

a first activatable transport-control element with associated first semantic information, and

a second activatable transport-control element with associated second semantic information that is different from said first semantic information; and

responding to activation of a said transport-control element both by moving the displayed item view within or between displayable items and by storing or outputting data indicative of the semantic information associated with the activated element, the item-view move that is effected as a result of activation of a said transport-control element being the same whichever of said elements is activated.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein said displayable items are web pages, the computing entity running a web browser for viewing the web pages.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein the transport-control elements are displayed as part of the web browser interface, independently of a currently-displayed web page.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein the semantic information is provided from externally of the device.

5. A method according to claim 2, wherein the transport-control elements are displayed as part of a currently displayed web page.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein said semantic information comprises text data.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein said semantic information comprises a graphics information.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein said data comprises a first message type that is output every time said first transport-control element is activated, and a second message type that is output every time said second transport-control element is activated.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein:

said first semantic information comprises information describing a positive aspect; and

said second semantic information comprises information describing a negative aspect.

10. A method according to claim 9, further comprising displaying a third transport control element with associated third semantic information describing a neutral aspect.

12. A method according to claim 1, wherein a pair of said transport-control elements for effecting a transition between first and second page displays in a same direction, are each provided with a corresponding respective said associated information;

said first and second said associated information having a different semantic from each other.

11. A method of obtaining feedback data from a plurality of users of one or more on line services, said method comprising:

displaying a set of transport-control elements for transporting between display views comprising said online service; and

for each said transport-control element, presenting an associated information describing a type of experience which said user has encountered.

13. A user device arranged to obtain user feedback relating to items displayable by the device, the device comprising:

a display; and

a display control arrangement for displaying on the display;

a view of a said displayable item,

a first activatable transport-control element with associated first semantic information that is indicative of a user'"'"'s experience in respect of a displayed item, and

a second activatable transport-control element with associated second semantic information that is indicative of a user'"'"'s experience in respect of a displayed item and is different from said first semantic information;

the control arrangement being arranged to respond to user activation of a said transport-control element both by moving the displayed item view within or between displayable items and by storing or outputting data indicative of the semantic information associated with the activated element, the item-view move that is effected as a result of activation of a said transport-control element being the same whichever of said elements is activated.

14. A device according to claim 13, wherein said displayable items are web pages, the display control arrangement comprising a web browser for viewing the web pages.

15. A device according to claim 14, wherein the browser is arranged to display said transport-control elements as part of the web browser interface, independently of any currently-displayed web page.

16. A device according to claim 15, wherein the device is arranged to receive said semantic information from externally of the device.

17. A device according to claim 14, wherein the transport-control elements are part of a currently displayed web page.

18. A device according to claim 13, wherein said semantic information comprises text data.

19. A device according to claim 13, wherein said semantic information comprises a graphics information.

20. A device according to claim 13, wherein the control arrangement is arranged to output said data as a first message type every time said first transport-control element is activated, and as a second message type every time said second transport-control element is activated.

21. A device according to claim 13, wherein:

said first semantic information comprises information describing a positive user experience; and

said second semantic information comprises information describing a negative user experience.

22. A device according to claim 21, wherein the control arrangement is further arranged to display a third transport control element with associated third semantic information describing a neutral user experience.

23. A device according to claim 13, wherein said information describing a user'"'"'s experience is selected from the set:

information determining whether a user found/did not find what-they wanted;

information describing whether a user had a good/bad experience;

information describing whether a user had a satisfactory/unsatisfactory experience.

24. A device according to claim 14, wherein the control arrangement is arranged to send said data to an address associated with a website that provided the currently displayed page.

25. A computer program product for causing a computing entity to operate to:

display on the computing entity;

a view of a displayable item,

a first activatable transport-control element with associated first semantic information, and

a second activatable transport-control element with associated second semantic information that is different from said first semantic information; and

respond to activation of a said transport-control element both by moving the displayed item view within or between displayable items and by storing or outputting data indicative of the semantic information associated with the activated element, the item-view move that is effected as a result of activation of a said transport-control element being the same whichever of said elements is activated.

26. A computer program product according to claim 25, wherein said semantic information comprises text data.

27. A computer program product according to claim 25, wherein said semantic information comprises a graphics information.

28. A computer program product according to claim 25 in the form of a web browser product for displaying web pages that constitute said items.

29. A computer program product according to claim 25, wherein said data comprises a first message type that is output every time said first transport-control element is activated, and a second message type that is output every time said second transport-control element is activated.

30. A computer program product according to claim 25, wherein:

said first semantic information comprises information describing a positive aspect; and

said second semantic information comprises information describing a negative aspect.

31. A computer program product according to claim 25, further comprising causing the computing entity to operate to display a third transport control element with associated third semantic information describing a neutral aspect.

32. A web page stored on a storage medium, the web page comprising:

page content data,

a first activatable transport-control element with associated first semantic information,

a second activatable transport-control element with associated second semantic information that is different from said first semantic information, the transport-control elements and their associated semantic information being intended for display by a browser along with said page content data; and

control script code for causing a browser, when displaying the web page, to respond to activation of a said transport-control element both by moving the displayed page view within or between web pages and by storing or outputting data indicative of the semantic information associated with the activated element, the page-view move that is effected as a result of activation of a said transport-control element being the same whichever of said elements is activated.

33. A web page according to claim 32, wherein said semantic information comprises text data.

34. A web page according to claim 32, wherein said semantic information comprises a graphics information.

35. A web page according to claim 32, wherein said script code is arranged to cause the browser to output, as said data, a first message type every time said first transport-control element is activated, and a second message type every time said second transport-control element is activated.

36. A web page according to claim 32, wherein:

said first semantic information comprises information describing a positive aspect; and

said second semantic information comprises information describing a negative aspect.

37. A web page according to claim 36, wherein the script code is further arranged to cause the browser to display a third transport control element with associated third semantic information describing a neutral aspect.

38. A web page according to claim 32, wherein said page is divided into at least a first frame containing said transport-control elements with their associated information, and a second frame containing said content data.

39. A web page according to claim 32, when stored on a web server.

40. A web server including processing means arranged to generate a web page according to claim 32.

41. A service provider computer entity adapted for providing an online accessible service, said computer entity comprising:

a web server application capable of serving website pages to a plurality of user browsers; and

a message generation component for causing the passing to a said browser requesting a website page, information items to be associated with respective ones of a plurality of transport-control elements of the browser, respective ones of said information items describing a positive aspect and a negative aspect of an experience of the website page served by said computer entity.

42. A computer entity according to claim 41, wherein said information comprises a text description of a positive information type and a text description of a negative information type.

43. A computer entity according to claim 41, wherein said information comprises a graphical representation of a positive type and a graphical representation of a negative type.

44. A computer entity according to claim 41, wherein said information comprises information selected from the set:

information constructed for eliciting an objective response;

information constructed for eliciting a subjective response.

45. A computer entity according to claim 41, wherein said web server application is arranged to provide the information generated by the a message generation component to the requesting browser in association with the requested web page.