AUTOMATED FORM LAYOUT BASED UPON USAGE PATTERNS

• US 20110131479A1
• Filed: 12/02/2009
• Published: 06/02/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Rella, Sreedhar, Padgett, Samuel G., Speicher, Steven K., Tabb, Michael J.
• Granted Patent: US 9,275,029 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04895 Guidance during keyboard input operation, e.g. prompting
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/103 Formatting, i.e. changing of presentation of documents automatic justification G06F40/189; automatic line break hyphenation G06F40/191
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/174 Form filling; Merging

Abstract

Historical form usage information for a group of fields associated with a graphical user interface (GUI) form is analyzed with a computer processor. Usage characteristics for each of the group of fields associated with the GUI form is indentified within the historical form usage information. The GUI form is automatically changed based upon the identified usage characteristics for each of the group of fields. The changed GUI form is displayed on a display of the computing device.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

analyzing with a computer processor historical form usage information for a plurality of input fields associated with a graphical user interface (GUI) form;

identifying usage characteristics for each of the plurality of input fields associated with the GUI form within the historical form usage information;

automatically changing a GUI form based upon the identified usage characteristics for each of the plurality of input fields by partitioning a subset of the plurality of input fields identified with higher usage characteristics relative to another subset of the plurality of input fields into a tabbed portion of the GUI form; and

displaying the changed GUI form on a display of the computing device.

2. The method of claim 1, where analyzing with the computer processor the historical form usage information for the plurality of input fields associated with the GUI form comprises:

identifying information entry events associated with each of the plurality of input fields associated with the GUI form within the historical form usage information;

summing, for each of the plurality of input fields, the identified information entry events associated with that input field; and

where;

identifying the usage characteristics for each of the plurality of input fields associated with the GUI form within the historical form usage information comprises associating a rank with each of the plurality of input fields based upon a quantity of the summed information entry events associated with each of the plurality of input fields; and

automatically changing the GUI form based upon the identified usage characteristics for each of the plurality of input fields further comprises automatically changing the GUI form based upon the rank associated with each of the plurality of input fields.

3. The method of claim 1, where automatically changing the GUI form based upon the identified usage characteristics for each of the plurality of input fields further comprises at least one of:

changing a layout of the plurality of input fields within the GUI form based upon the identified usage characteristics for each of the plurality of input fields; and

graphically highlighting at least one of the plurality of input fields within the GUI form with the identified usage characteristics associated with the at least one of the plurality of input fields.

4. The method of claim 1, where automatically changing the GUI form based upon the identified usage characteristics for each of the plurality of input fields further comprises:

prioritizing the subset of the plurality of input fields with the higher usage characteristics within the GUI form;

repositioning a display location for the prioritized subset of the plurality of input fields within the GUI form; and

changing an order of input fields within the prioritized subset of the plurality of input fields based upon relative priorities of the input fields within the prioritized subset of the plurality of input fields.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising identifying a group of form users associated with the subset of the plurality of input fields associated with the GUI form and where prioritizing the subset of the plurality of input fields within the GUI form comprises prioritizing the subset of the plurality of input fields within the GUI form for the identified group of form users.

6. The method of claim 1, where automatically changing the GUI form based upon the identified usage characteristics for each of the plurality of input fields further comprises:

applying a form change rule to the identified usage characteristics for each of the plurality of input fields associated with the GUI form; and

automatically changing the GUI form based upon the applied form change rule.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

modifying one of a form definition and executable code associated with the GUI form to operate based upon the automatically changed GUI form; and

where automatically changing the GUI form based upon the identified usage characteristics for each of the plurality of input fields further comprises one of rendering the GUI form using the modified definition and executing the modified executable code associated with the GUI form.

8. (canceled)

9. A system, comprising:

a display; and

a processor programmed to;

analyze historical form usage information for a plurality of input fields associated with a graphical user interface (GUI) form;

identify usage characteristics for each of the plurality of input fields associated with the GUI form within the historical form usage information;

automatically change a GUI form based upon the identified usage characteristics for each of the plurality of input fields by partitioning a subset of the plurality of input fields identified with higher usage characteristics relative to another subset of the plurality of input fields into a tabbed portion of the GUI form; and

display the changed GUI form on the display.

10. The system of claim 9, where, in being programmed to analyze the historical form usage information for the plurality of input fields associated with the GUI form, the processor is programmed to:

identify information entry events associated with each of the plurality of input fields associated with the GUI form within the historical form usage information;

sum, for each of the plurality of input fields, the identified information entry events associated with that input field; and

where;

in being programmed to identify the usage characteristics for each of the plurality of input fields associated with the GUI form within the historical form usage information, the processor is programmed to associate a rank with each of the plurality of input fields based upon a quantity of the summed information entry events associated with each of the plurality of input fields; and

in being programmed to automatically change the GUI form based upon the identified usage characteristics for each of the plurality of input fields, the processor is further programmed to automatically change the GUI form based upon the rank associated with each of the plurality of input fields.

11. The system of claim 9, where, in being programmed to automatically change the GUI form based upon the identified usage characteristics for each of the plurality of input fields, the processor is further programmed to at least one of:

change a layout of the plurality of input fields within the GUI form based upon the identified usage characteristics for each of the plurality of input fields; and

graphically highlight at least one of the plurality of input fields within the GUI form with the identified usage characteristics associated with the at least one of the plurality of input fields.

12. The system of claim 9, where, in being programmed to automatically change the GUI form based upon the identified usage characteristics for each of the plurality of input fields, the processor is further programmed to:

prioritize the subset of the plurality of input fields with the higher usage characteristics within the GUI form;

reposition a display location for the prioritized subset of the plurality of input fields within the GUI form; and

change an order of input fields within the prioritized subset of the plurality of input fields based upon relative priorities of the input fields within the prioritized subset of the plurality of input fields.

13. The system of claim 12, where the processor is further programmed to identify a group of form users associated with the subset of the plurality of input fields associated with the GUI form and where, in being programmed to prioritize the subset of the plurality of input fields within the GUI form, the processor is programmed to prioritize the subset of the plurality of input fields within the GUI form for the identified group of form users.

14. The system of claim 9, where, in being programmed to automatically change the GUI form based upon the identified usage characteristics for each of the plurality of input fields, the processor is further programmed to:

apply a form change rule to the identified usage characteristics for each of the plurality of input fields associated with the GUI form; and

automatically change the GUI form based upon the applied form change rule.

15. The system of claim 9, where the processor is further programmed to:

modify one of a form definition and executable code associated with the GUI form to operate based upon the automatically changed GUI form; and

where, in being programmed to automatically change the GUI form based upon the identified usage characteristics for each of the plurality of input fields, the processor is further programmed to one of render the GUI form using the modified definition and execute the modified executable code associated with the GUI form.

16. (canceled)

17. A computer program product comprising:

a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code stored therewith, the computer readable program code comprising;

computer readable program code configured to, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to;

analyze historical form usage information for a plurality of input fields associated with a graphical user interface (GUI) form;

identify usage characteristics for each of the plurality of input fields associated with the GUI form within the historical form usage information;

automatically change a GUI form based upon the identified usage characteristics for each of the plurality of input fields by partitioning a subset of the plurality of input fields identified with higher usage characteristics relative to another subset of the plurality of input fields into a tabbed portion of the GUI form; and

display the changed GUI form on a display of the computing device.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, where the computer readable program code configured to, when executed by the computer, cause the computer to analyze the historical form usage information for the plurality of input fields associated with the GUI form comprises:

computer readable program code configured to cause the computer to identify information entry events associated with each of the plurality of input fields associated with the GUI form within the historical form usage information;

computer readable program code configured to cause the computer to sum, for each of the plurality of input fields, the identified information entry events associated with that input field; and

where;

the computer readable program code configured to, when executed by the computer, cause the computer to identify the usage characteristics for each of the plurality of input fields associated with the GUI form within the historical form usage information comprises computer readable program code configured to cause the computer to associate a rank with each of the plurality of input fields based upon a quantity of the summed information entry events associated with each of the plurality of input fields; and

the computer readable program code configured to, when executed by the computer, cause the computer to automatically change the GUI form based upon the identified usage characteristics for each of the plurality of input fields further comprises computer readable program code configured to cause the computer to automatically change the GUI form based upon the rank associated with each of the plurality of input fields.

19. The computer program product of claim 17, where the computer readable program code configured to, when executed by the computer, cause the computer to automatically change the GUI form based upon the identified usage characteristics for each of the plurality of input fields further comprises at least one of:

computer readable program code configured to cause the computer to change a layout of the plurality of input fields within the GUI form based upon the identified usage characteristics for each of the plurality of input fields; and

computer readable program code configured to cause the computer to graphically highlight at least one of the plurality of input fields within the GUI form with the identified usage characteristics associated with the at least one of the plurality of input fields.

20. The computer program product of claim 17, where the computer readable program code configured to, when executed by the computer, cause the computer to automatically change the GUI form based upon the identified usage characteristics for each of the plurality of input fields further comprises:

computer readable program code configured to cause the computer to prioritize the subset of the plurality of input fields with the higher usage characteristics within the GUI form;

computer readable program code configured to cause the computer to reposition a display location for the prioritized subset of the plurality of input fields within the GUI form; and

computer readable program code configured to cause the computer to change an order of input fields within the prioritized subset of the plurality of input fields based upon relative priorities of the input fields within the prioritized subset of the plurality of input fields.

21. The computer program product of claim 20, further comprising computer readable program code configured to, when executed by the computer, cause the computer to identify a group of form users associated with the subset of the plurality of input fields associated with the GUI form and where the computer readable program code configured to, when executed by the computer, cause the computer to prioritize the subset of the plurality of input fields within the GUI form comprises computer readable program code configured to cause the computer to prioritize the subset of the plurality of input fields within the GUI form for the identified group of form users.

22. The computer program product of claim 17, where the computer readable program code configured to, when executed by the computer, cause the computer to automatically change the GUI form based upon the identified usage characteristics for each of the plurality of input fields further comprises:

computer readable program code configured to cause the computer to apply a form change rule to the identified usage characteristics for each of the plurality of input fields associated with the GUI form; and

computer readable program code configured to cause the computer to automatically change the GUI form based upon the applied form change rule.

23. The computer program product of claim 17, further comprising:

computer readable program code configured to, when executed by the computer, cause the computer to modify one of a form definition and executable code associated with the GUI form to operate based upon the automatically changed GUI form; and

where the computer readable program code configured to, when executed by the computer, cause the computer to automatically change the GUI form based upon the identified usage characteristics for each of the plurality of input fields further comprises computer readable program code configured to cause the computer to one of render the GUI form using the modified definition and execute the modified executable code associated with the GUI form.

24. (canceled)