System to quantify consumer preferences

• US 7,698,161 B2
• Filed: 01/04/2001
• Issued: 04/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Truechoice IP Holding Incorporated
• Original Assignee: True Chemical Solutions, LLC.
• Inventors: Keil, Sev K. H., Wittink, Dick R., van der Scheer, Hiek Roelof, Binn, Joel S., Condo, G. Adam
• Primary Examiner(s): Sterrett; Jonathan G
• Application Number:
  US09/754,612
• Publication Number:
  US 20020087388A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,386 Days
• Field of Search: 705/10
• US Class Current: 705/7.32
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0202 Market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0203 Market surveys; Market polls

Abstract

A system to determine preference information of part worth values associated with a consumer and a product includes determination of a plurality of attributes of the product, each of the plurality of attributes associated with a plurality of attribute levels, determination of a plurality of piles of attributes based on a first indication of the consumer, each of the plurality of piles comprising one or more of the plurality of attributes, determination of a ranked order of a plurality of attributes of one of the plurality of piles, determination of a relative importance of one or more of the plurality of attributes of the one of the plurality of piles based on a second indication of the consumer, determination of a scale value of one or more attribute levels of the one or more of the plurality of attributes of the one of the plurality of piles based on a third indication of the consumer, and determination of a part worth value associated with an attribute level of one of the plurality of attributes of the one of the plurality of piles based on a determined scale value of the attribute level and a determined relative importance of the one of the plurality of attributes.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for surveying a consumer and quantifying preferences of the consumer based on responses by the consumer to the survey, the method being performed as a consequence of execution of computer readable code by one or more processors of one or more corresponding computer systems, the method comprising:

accessing a computer memory storage system that stores information related to attributes that are characteristic of a type of product;

based on accessing the computer memory storage system, identifying, using at least one of the processors, attributes that are characteristic of the product from the computer memory storage system, each of the attributes identified from the computer memory storage system having different attribute levels that reflect different possible values for the attribute;

causing, using at least one of the processors, a display of a graphical user interface that presents to a user indications of multiple of the identified attributes that are characteristic of the product as well as selectable indications of multiple different attribute levels for each of the multiple attributes;

for each of the multiple attributes presented in the graphical user interface, receiving, as a result of user interaction with the selectable indications of attribute levels presented in the graphical user interface and using at least one of the processors, an indication of attribute levels designated by the user as being acceptable for the attribute;

causing, using at least one of the processors, the graphical user interface to present to the user indications of each of the multiple attributes as well as corresponding selectable indications of the attribute levels designated as being acceptable for each of the multiple attributes;

for each of the multiple attributes, determining, as a result of user interaction with the selectable indications of attributes levels designated as being acceptable for the attributes and using at least one of the processors, an indication of an attribute level designated by the user as being the user'"'"'s least preferred attribute level for the attribute and an indication of an attribute level designated by the user as being the user'"'"'s most preferred attribute level for the attribute;

causing, using at least one of the processors, the graphical user interface to request the user to identify, from among the multiple attributes, a group of attributes that represents attributes that are important to the user relative to other of the multiple attributes;

receiving, as a result of user interaction with the graphical user interface and using at least one of the processors, indications of attributes, from among the multiple attributes, that the user identified as belonging to the group of attributes that are important to the user relative to other of the multiple attributes;

based on receiving the indications of attributes that the user identified as belonging to the group of attributes that are important to the user relative to other of the multiple attributes, sorting, using at least one of the processors, the multiple attributes into at least two different piles of attributes, the different piles being disjoint and a particular one of the piles including the attributes that the user identified as belonging to the group of attributes that are important to the user relative to other of the multiple attributes;

causing, using at least one of the processors, the graphical user interface to present to the user indications of the attributes belonging to the particular pile that includes the attributes that the user identified as belonging to the group of attributes that are important to the user relative to other of the multiple attributes and to request the user to provide a ranked order of the attributes belonging to the particular pile;

receiving, as a result of user interaction with the graphical user interface and using at least one of the processors, an indication of a ranked order of the attributes belonging to the particular pile that includes the attributes that the user identified as belonging to the group of attributes that are important to the user relative to other of the multiple attributes;

based on receiving the indication of the ranked order of the attributes belonging to the particular pile that includes the attributes that the user identified as belonging to the group of attributes that are important to the user relative to other of the multiple attributes, identifying, using at least one of the processors, a particular attribute as an attribute that is most important to the user;

for each attribute among a subset of the attributes belonging to the particular pile that includes the attributes that the user identified as belonging to the group of attributes that are important to the user relative to other of the multiple attributes, the subset excluding the most important attribute to the user and one or more other attributes belonging to the particular pile that includes the attributes that the user identified as belonging to the group of attributes that are important to the user relative to other of the multiple attributes, causing, using at least one of the processors, the graphical user interface to request the user to rate the importance of the difference between the user'"'"'s least preferred attribute level for the attribute and the user'"'"'s most preferred attribute level for the attribute relative to the difference between the user'"'"'s least preferred attribute level for the most important attribute to the user and the user'"'"'s most preferred attribute level for the most important attribute level to the user;

for each attribute of the subset of attributes, receiving, as a result of user interaction with the graphical user interface and using at least one of the processors, an indication of the importance of the difference between the user'"'"'s least preferred attribute level for the attribute and the user'"'"'s most preferred attribute level for the attribute relative to the difference between the user'"'"'s least preferred attribute level for the most important attribute to the user and the user'"'"'s most preferred attribute level for the most important attribute to the user;

for each attribute of the subset of attributes, assigning, using at least one of the processors, a relative importance value to the attribute based on the received indication of the importance of the difference between the user'"'"'s least preferred attribute level for the attribute and the user'"'"'s most preferred attribute level for the attribute relative to the difference between the user'"'"'s least preferred attribute level for the most important attribute to the user and the user'"'"'s most preferred attribute level for the most important attribute to the user;

for each of at least two attributes that belong to the particular pile that includes the attributes that the user identified as belonging to the group of attributes that are important to the user relative to other of the multiple attributes but that are not included in the subset of attributes, assigning, using at least one of the processors, a relative importance value to the attribute based on the ranking of the attribute within the ranked order of the attributes;

for each of several attributes belonging to the particular pile that includes the attributes that the user identified as belonging to the group of attributes that are important to the user relative to other of the multiple attributes;

assigning, using at least one of the processors, a scale value to the user'"'"'s least preferred attribute level for the attribute,

assigning, using at least one of the processors, a scale value to the user'"'"'s most preferred attribute level for the attribute, and

causing, using at least one of the processors, the graphical user interface to request the user to assign a scale value to at least one acceptable attribute level other than the user'"'"'s least preferred attribute level for the attribute and the user'"'"'s most preferred attribute level for the attribute relative to the scale values assigned to the user'"'"'s least preferred attribute level for the attribute and the user'"'"'s most preferred attribute level for the attribute;

for each of several attributes belonging to the particular pile that includes the attributes that the user identified as belonging to the group of attributes that are important to the user relative to other of the multiple attributes, receiving, as a result of user interaction with the graphical user interface and using at least one of the processors, an indication of a scale value for at least one acceptable attribute level other than the user'"'"'s least preferred attribute level for the attribute and the user'"'"'s most preferred attribute level for the attribute, the received scale value indication for the attribute level being relative to the scale values assigned to the user'"'"'s least preferred attribute level and the user'"'"'s most preferred attribute level;

comparing, using at least one of the processors, received scale value indications to attribute levels designated by the user as being acceptable;

validating, using at least one of the processors, received scale value indications based on results of comparing received scale value indications to attribute levels designated by the user as being acceptable;

for each of several attribute levels for which an indication of a scale value was received, calculating, using at least one of the processors, a part worth value for the attribute level as a function of the received indication of the scale value of the attribute level and the relative importance value assigned to the attribute to which the attribute level corresponds; and

causing, using at least one of the processors, the graphical user interface to display at least one of the calculated part worth values.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein calculating a part worth value fort the attribute level as a function of the received indication of the scale value of the attribute level and the relative importance value assigned to the attribute to which the attribute level corresponds, comprises:

multiplying the received indication of the scale value of the attribute level by the relative importance value assigned to the attribute to which the attribute level corresponds.

3. A method according to claim 1, further comprising providing an offer to the consumer based on one or more of the calculated part worth values.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the offer is an offer to sell the product to the consumer.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein sorting the multiple attributes into at least two different piles of attributes further includes excluding attributes sorted into piles other than the particular pile from further consideration by the user during the survey.