Adaptable user interface for business software

• US 20060200771A1
• Filed: 09/23/2005
• Published: 09/07/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Lowe, Nicholas Justin, Rohwer, Cary Lane, Mark, Hans Roed, Glaeske, Brian, Honeyman, Kevin, de Booij, Arne, Holm-Petersen, Morten, Nielsen, Jakob
• Granted Patent: US 7,900,152 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/738
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

An adaptable user interface is formed based on a role assumed by a user and the identification of tasks in a process that need to be performed. For each role assumed by the user, a set of tasks assigned to the role is identified. Each task is evaluated to determine if it is an active task that needs to be performed in one or more processes. For each active task, an element is added to the user interface.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a request to display a user interface for a user;

identifying at least one role assigned to the user;

identifying at least one task assigned to the role;

determining whether the task is active based on progress through a process; and

determining whether to display an element in the user interface based on whether the task is active.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

identifying a plurality of roles assigned to the user;

for each role, determining whether at least one task is active; and

adding an element in the user interface for each role that has at least one active task.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

identifying a plurality of tasks assigned to a role;

determining which of the tasks are active based on progress through a process; and

adding an element to the user interface for each task that is active.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein adding an element comprises adding a link to a page where the task may be performed.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein adding an element comprises adding data associated with performing a task.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining that a task assigned to a role that is assigned to the user is not to be performed by the user and not adding an element in the user interface for the task.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising identifying an additional task that the user performs that is not assigned to the roles that are assigned to the user and adding the additional task.

8. A tangible computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing steps comprising:

identifying active tasks in a process that need to be performed;

constructing a user interface based on a role assumed by a user and the identified active tasks.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 8 wherein identifying active tasks and constructing a user interface comprises:

identifying all roles assumed by the user;

identifying tasks associated with the roles; and

determining which of the identified tasks are active.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 9 wherein constructing a user interface further comprises adding an element to the user interface for each role assumed by the user that has an active task.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 9 wherein constructing a user interface further comprises identifying an additional active task that is not assigned to a role assumed by the user and adding an element to the user interface for the additional task.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 8 wherein constructing a user interface based on a role comprises adding an element to the user interface for each active task assigned to the role.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 8 wherein constructing a user interface based on a role comprises:

identifying tasks associated with the role to form a task list;

removing tasks from the task list that the user does not perform to form a modified task list;

adding an element to the user interface for each active task in the modified task list.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein adding an element comprises adding a link to a page where the active task may be performed.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein adding an element comprises adding an element that conveys information associated with a task.

16. A computer-implemented method comprising:

identifying a set of tasks associated with a user;

forming a smaller set of tasks by identifying tasks in the set of tasks that are due to be performed by the user; and

displaying a user interface based on the smaller set of tasks.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein identifying a set of tasks associated with a user comprises identifying a role assumed by the user, and identifying tasks associated with the role.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein forming a smaller set of tasks comprises identifying tasks associated with the role that are not performed by the user and keeping those tasks out of the smaller set of tasks.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein forming a smaller set of tasks comprises determining which tasks in the set of tasks are due to be performed based on progress through a process.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein displaying a user interface comprises displaying a user interface element for each of a plurality of roles that have at least one task in the smaller set of tasks.