PROVIDING USER INFORMATION TO INTROSPECTION

• US 20070300225A1
• Filed: 06/27/2006
• Published: 12/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Macbeth, Steven W., Fernandez, Roland L., Meyers, Brian R., Tan, Desney S., Robertson, George G., Oliver, Nuria M., Murillo, Oscar E., Pedersen, Elin R., Czerwinski, Mary P., Spence, Jeanine E.
• Application Number:
  US11/426,830
• Publication Number:
  US 20070300225A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 718/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3495 for systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

User introspection is provided to help users achieve goals (e.g., work goals, personal goals) and become more effective at performing tasks. Activities can be monitored, logged, and compared to a set of goals or tasks. Feedback can be provided if a user has deviated from a specified goal or task, in the form of a recommendation as to a next action, or based upon user-defined criteria. Feedback can also be provided based on a multitude of parameters that can include prioritized goal definition and refinement, task avoidance behavior detection, baseline activity analysis (e.g. historical data), base-line capacity (personal and/or comparison to others), task reacquisition, etc.

Claims

1. A system that facilitates user introspection, comprising:

a monitoring component that monitors a user activity; and

an introspection component that provides a feedback based at least in part on the monitored activity.

2. The system of claim 1, the introspection component provides a feedback based in part on at least one of a profile information and a defined goal.

3. The system of claim 2, the profile information is at least one of a user profile, an activity profile, an organizational profile, and a device profile.

4. The system of claim 1, the feedback comprising information about time spent on activities that are not related to a defined goal.

5. The system of claim 1, the feedback is at least one of a real-time feedback and a reporting mechanism.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising a behavior detection component that detects at least one of an avoidance of an activity and a thrashing behavior and notifies the introspection component of the avoided activity or thrashing behavior.

7. The system of claim 6, further comprising a ranking component that ranks a goal based in part on the avoidance of an activity or a thrashing behavior.

8. The system of claim 1, the introspection component receives user feedback and adjusts a ranking based on the received user feedback.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising an activity resumption component that provides information about at least one of task reacquisition and goal reminder.

10. The system of claim 9, the activity resumption component provides the user a recommended task to facilitate resumption of an activity

11. The system of claim 9, the activity resumption component reminds the user of at least one of a last task(s) completed, a time already spent on the activity, a time spent on each particular portion of the task, a context for the task, and a reason why the task is important.

12. A computer-implemented method of providing completion of user defined goals, comprising:

receiving a at least one defined goal;

monitoring activity of a user;

comparing the monitored activity to the defined goal; and

providing a recommendation to the user based in part on the comparison between the monitored activity and the defined goal.

13. The method of claim 12, the recommendation is at least one of a task reacquisition and a goal reminder.

14. The method of claim 12, the recommendation is provided based on a user query.

15. The method of claim 12, the recommendation is based on a task priority.

16. The method of claim 12, the recommendation is at least one of a best next action and a worst next action.

17. The method of claim 12, comparing the monitored activity to the defined goal further comprising utilizing a profile information to facilitate the comparison, the profile information is at least one of a user profile, an activity profile, an organizational profile, and a device profile.

18. A system that facilitates goal accomplishment through introspection, comprising

means for receiving at least one user-defined goal;

means for monitoring at least one activity;

means for determining if the at least one monitored activity is related to the at least one user-defined goal; and

means for providing the user with status of the at least one user-defined goal based in part on a relationship between the at least one monitored activity and the at least one user-defined goal.

19. The system of claim 18, further comprising means for recommending a next action based in part on the status of the at least one user-defined goal.

20. The system of claim 18, further comprising means for altering a priority of the at least one user-defined goal based in part on a pattern of activity avoidance.