Feedback system for visual content

• US 7,788,336 B2
• Filed: 07/01/2004
• Issued: 08/31/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Samson, Frederic E., Heinrich, Michael, Mann, Steven, Schweizer, Bernhard, Kimbell, Ian J., Yusuf, Zia, Ebert, Peter S., Kumar, Janaki P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vaughn, Jr.; William C
• Assistant Examiner(s): RICHARDSON, THOMAS W
• Application Number:
  US10/880,512
• Publication Number:
  US 20050192853A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,252 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 715/731, 715/246
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

A feedback system for visual content is described that allows individual users to obtain feedback regarding selected visual content. A user of the system uploads any desired visual content, and associates the content with a feedback campaign having user-defined characteristics. The user also may associate feedback elements with the visual content, such as comments regarding the visual content or the type of feedback that is desired. The feedback system provides the visual content and feedback elements to selected other users, perhaps by sending a link to the other users via email. In this way, the receiving users may provide feedback regarding the visual content. In particular, the receiving users may generate a virtual note to be placed on a selected portion of the visual content, so as to provide comment specific to the selected portion. As a result, individual users are enabled to create and manage multiple feedback campaigns.

Claims

1. A system comprising a storage medium, an input device, and

a feedback service operable to:

receive a user interface screen from a first user,

receive campaign characteristics from the first user,

define, from the campaign characteristics, a feedback campaign to obtain feedback regarding the user interface from targeted users during a predefined period, the targeted users being users selected, based on the campaign characteristics, from among a group of users,

associate the user interface screen and the first user with the feedback campaign,

create a window that includes a feedback section and a visual representation of the user interface screen, the feedback section including feedback elements configured to receive feedback regarding the user interface screen from the targeted users during the predefined period, and the feedback elements including a virtual note operable to be freely placed, by a second user included among the targeted users, at a location anywhere within or around a portion of the user interface screen such that, after placement, the virtual note provides the location of the virtual note relative to the user interface screen and provides feedback specific to the portion of the user interface screen, wherein the location of the virtual note comprises (x,y) coordinates of the location of the virtual note relative to the user interface screen,

distribute, after the feedback campaign is defined, the window to the targeted users according to the defined feedback campaign, the feedback elements and the user interface screen being concurrently presented in the window upon initial presentation of the window; and

an administration service comprising a storage medium and operable to;

provide the user interface screen and feedback elements to the targeted users as part of the feedback campaign,

receive the feedback regarding the user interface screen input into the feedback elements during the feedback campaign,

store the user interface screen and the feedback in association with the feedback campaign and the first user in the storage medium,

associate the received feedback with the first user, the user interface screen, the feedback campaign, and the location of the virtual note; and

display and analyze the associated feedback based on the location of the virtual note.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the administration service is operable to register the first user according to a unique user identifier, so as to store the user interface screen and the feedback in association with the feedback campaign and the first user, according to the unique identifier.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the feedback service is operable to receive the user interface screen by providing an upload screen to the first user with which the first user identifies an image file containing the user interface screen.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the feedback service is operable to receive the user interface screen by way of a screen capture tool activated by the first user while the user interface screen is being locally displayed to the first user.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the feedback elements include comments from the first user regarding the user interface screen or a type of desired feedback.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the feedback elements comprise a ranking scale for allowing the second user to rank the user interface screen or portion thereof according to criteria defined by the first user.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the feedback elements include ranking results compiled from the feedback received from the targeted users and related to a first user interface screen, while the targeted users view a second user interface screen that is different from the first user interface screen.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the administration service is operable to distribute the user interface screen and the feedback elements to the targeted users by generating a link to the feedback campaign to be sent to the targeted users in an email to the targeted users.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the administration service is operable to distribute the user interface screen and the feedback elements to the targeted users by including the user interface screen and the feedback elements within an email to the targeted users.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the administration service includes a results manager operable to compile results of the feedback campaign according to criteria selected by the first user.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the virtual note comprises one or more of a drop-down menu, a textbox for entering textual comments, or a visual indicator associated with a particular type of feedback.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein the virtual note is configured to receive textual comments regarding the portion of the user interface screen.

21. The system of claim 1, wherein the virtual note is operable to be freely placed within or around a visual content of the user interface screen.

11. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, at a feedback system, a user interface screen from a first user;

receiving, at the feedback system, campaign characteristics from the first user;

defining, at the feedback system, from the campaign characteristics, a feedback campaign to obtain feedback regarding the user interface from targeted users during a predefined period, the targeted users being users selected, based on the campaign characteristics, from among a group of users;

associating, at the feedback system, the user interface screen and the first user with the feedback campaign;

creating, at the feedback system, a window that includes a feedback section and a visual representation of the user interface screen, the feedback section including feedback elements configured to receive feedback regarding the user interface screen from the targeted users during the predefined period, the feedback elements including a virtual note operable to be freely placed, by a second user included among the targeted users, at a location anywhere within or around a portion of the user interface screen such that, after placement, the virtual note provides the location of the virtual note relative to the user interface screen and provides feedback specific to the portion of the user interface screen, wherein the location of the virtual note comprises (x,y) coordinates of the location of the virtual note relative to the user interface screen;

distributing, after defining the feedback campaign, the window to the targeted users according to the defined feedback campaign, the feedback elements and the user interface screen being concurrently presented in the window upon initial presentation of the window;

receiving, at the feedback system, the feedback regarding the user interface screen input into the feedback elements during the feedback campaign;

associating, at the feedback system, the received feedback with the first user, the user interface screen, the feedback campaign, and the location of the virtual note;

analyzing the associated feedback based on the location of the virtual note; and

displaying, at the feedback system, the analyzed feedback to the first user.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein receiving the user interface screen from the first user comprises registering the first user in association with a user identifier.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the campaign characteristics comprise a type of user interface screen to be provided during the feedback campaign.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein distributing the window to the targeted users comprises providing the window to a first group of users that have access to a private network and to a second group of users that do not have access to the private network.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein distributing the window to the targeted users comprises inviting the targeted users to participate in the feedback campaign by emailing a link associated with the user interface screen to the targeted users.

18. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

aggregating the associated received feedback with feedback received in a second feedback campaign occurring after the feedback campaign, the feedback received in the second feedback campaign being associated with the user interface screen, the second feedback campaign, and a location of a second virtual note placed at a second location in a second portion of the user interface screen during the second feedback campaign;

comparing the first location to the second location;

determining, from the comparison, that the second portion of the user interface screen is in the vicinity of the portion of the user interface screen of the feedback campaign; and

identifying the second portion as a problem portion based on the determination.

22. The method of claim 11, wherein the virtual note is operable to be freely placed within or around a visual content of the user interface screen.

13. An apparatus comprising a storage medium having instructions stored thereon, the instructions comprising one or more code segments configured to:

receive a user interface screen from a first user;

receive campaign characteristics from the first user;

define from the campaign characteristics, a feedback campaign to obtain feedback regarding the user interface from targeted users during a predefined period, the targeted users being users selected, based on the campaign characteristics, from among a group of users;

associate the user interface screen and the first user with the feedback campaign;

create a window that includes a feedback section and a visual representation of the user interface screen, the feedback section including feedback elements configured to receive feedback regarding the user interface screen from the targeted users during the predefined period, the feedback elements including a virtual note operable to be freely placed, by a second user included among the targeted users, at a location anywhere within or around a portion of the user interface screen such that, after placement, the virtual note provides the location of the virtual note relative to the user interface screen and provides feedback specific to the portion of the user interface screen, wherein the location of the virtual note comprises (x,y) coordinates of the location of the virtual note relative to the user interface screen;

distribute, after defining the feedback campaign, the window to the targeted users according to the defined feedback campaign, the feedback elements and the user interface screen being concurrently presented in the window upon initial presentation of the window;

receive the feedback regarding the user interface screen input into the feedback elements by the targeted users during the feedback campaign;

associate the received feedback with the first user, the user interface screen, the feedback campaign, and the location of the virtual note;

analyze the associated feedback based on the location of the virtual note; and

display the analyzed feedback to the first user.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the feedback elements include comments from the first user regarding the user interface screen or a type of desired feedback.

23. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the virtual note is operable to be freely placed within or around a visual content of the user interface screen.