System and method for providing user help tips

• US 7,979,798 B2
• Filed: 05/08/2006
• Issued: 07/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Wadhwa, Gaurav
• Primary Examiner(s): Pesin; Boris
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hur; Ece
• Application Number:
  US11/429,226
• Publication Number:
  US 20070174150A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,891 Days
• Field of Search: 715/705, 715/711, 345/711
• US Class Current: 715/705
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

In a system and method for providing user help tips, the system may determine a relevance to a user of a plurality of tips, may assign priority categories to the tips based on the relevance and may determine which tip to output based on the priority categories of the tips.

Claims

1. A method for providing user help tips to a user of a computer system, comprising:

determining, based on a user history, a relevance of a particular one of a plurality of tips to a user; and

assigning to the particular tip a priority category in accordance with the relevance;

wherein;

a program provides for accomplishing a task via alternative routes;

a first system element is usable for a first one of the alternatives and not for a second one of the alternatives;

a second system element is usable for the second one of the alternatives and not usable for the first one of the alternatives; and

the method further comprises;

determining based on the user history that, for accomplishing the task, the user implemented the first system element a number of times more than a second system element, the number exceeding a predefined threshold value; and

based on the determination that the user implemented the first system element the number of times more than the second system element, outputting a tip regarding the second system element.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a plurality of tips for the user over time so that a frequency at which tips of a first category are output and a frequency at which tips of a second category are output meet a predetermined ratio.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the relevance is determined based on a recorded implementation number of a system element with which the particular tip is associated.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the system element is one of a program, a program feature, a task, and a sub-task.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein, for a lapse of a predetermined amount of time since a last implementation of the system element, the relevance is diminished.

6. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

determining a range of values of implementation numbers of a plurality of system elements;

dividing the range into a plurality of value intervals;

assigning each value interval to a corresponding priority category; and

assigning the system element to the priority category to which a value interval in which the system element'"'"'s recorded implementation number falls;

wherein the relevance is determined based on the priority category of the system element.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

based on priority categories of the plurality of tips, outputting for the user tips relating to a first system element more frequently than tips relating to a second system element where the user implements the first system element more often than the second system element.

10. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions adapted to be executed by a processor, the instructions which, when executed, cause the processor to perform the method of claim 1.

8. A method for providing user help tips to a user of a computer system, wherein a program provides for accomplishing a task via alternative routes, a first system element is usable for a first one of the alternative routes and not for a second one of the alternative routes, and a second system element is usable for the second one of the alternative routes and not usable for the first one of the alternative routes, the method comprising:

determining, based on a user history, that, for accomplishing the task, the user implemented the first system element a number of times more than the second system element, the number exceeding a predefined threshold value; and

based on the determination that the user implemented the first system element the number of times more than the second system element, outputting a tip regarding the second system element.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the task is to select a supplier, the first system element is one or more program steps for choosing from a list of suppliers, and the second system element is one or more program steps for using a supplier designated as a default supplier.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein, for a user:

at least one of a plurality of system elements is automatically prioritized based on a user history;

at least one of a plurality of tips is prioritized based on an association of the tip with a prioritized system element; and

a tip is output according to its prioritization.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one system element is prioritized based on at least one of a number of times it has been implemented, a recorded role of the user, a timestamp of one or more of its implementations, and its association with another system element.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the plurality of system elements include at least one of a program, a program feature, a task, and a sub-task.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the prioritization of the at least one tip is further based on a comparison of a number of times the system element with which the at least one tip is associated is implemented with a number of times another system element is implemented.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein, if the number of times the system element with which the at least one tip is associated is implemented is less than the number of times the another system element is implemented, a priority of the at least one tip is heightened.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the priority of the at least one tip is heightened based on the number of times the system element with which the at least one tip is associated is implemented being less than the number of times the another system element is implemented upon a condition that an amount by which it is less exceeds one of a predetermined threshold amount and a predetermined threshold ratio.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein:

a priority of a system element is heightened in accordance with a number of steps by which the system element is removed from a source system element having a higher priority; and

the number of steps by which it is removed is determined based on a predefined interrelationship of the plurality of system elements, the more intervening system elements via which the system element is related to the source element, the greater the number of steps by which the system element is considered removed from the source system element.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

based on a user role recorded in the user history, determining whether the user has access to a particular system element;

wherein, for the user, a tip associated with the particular system element is output upon a condition that the user has access to the particular system element.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein, based on the prioritization of the tips, tips relating to a first system element are output for the user more frequently than tips relating to a second system element where the user implements the first system element more often than the second system element.

24. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions adapted to be executed by a processor, the instructions which, when executed, cause the processor to perform the method of claim 8.

20. A computer system for providing user help tips to a user, comprising:

a hardware memory device for storing;

a program that provides for accomplishing a task via alternative routes, and that provides a plurality of system elements including (a) a first system element usable for a first one of the alternative routes and not for a second one of the alternative routes and (b) a second system element usable for the second one of the alternative routes and not for the first one of the alternative routes;

a plurality of tips, each tip associated with at least one of the plurality of system elements; and

a user history including information regarding a user'"'"'s use of the system elements;

a first arrangement configured to determine, based on the user history, that for accomplishing the task, the user implemented the first system element a number of times more than the second system element, the number exceeding a predefined threshold value; and

a second arrangement for, based on the determination that the user implemented the first system element the number of times more than the second system element, outputting a tip regarding the second system element.

21. The computer system of claim 20, wherein:

a priority of at least one tip is determined based on a use of a first system element with which the at least one tip is directly associated and a use of a second system element with which the at least one tip is indirectly associated; and

the indirect association is defined by an association of the first system element with which the at least one tip is associated with the second system element with which the at least one tip is associated.

22. The computer system of claim 20, wherein an increase in a use of a system element with which a particular tip is directly associated causes a decrease in the particular tip'"'"'s priority.

23. The computer system of claim 20, wherein the user history further includes an identification of a role assigned to the user, and the system bases a priority of at least one of the tips on the user'"'"'s indicated role.