Leveraging navigation tab placement for in-product discovery

• US 8,914,741 B1
• Filed: 10/13/2011
• Issued: 12/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intuit, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intuit, Inc.
• Inventors: Akers, John W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Linh K
• Application Number:
  US13/273,010
• Time in Patent Office: 1,160 Days
• Field of Search: 715/777, 715/762, 715/744
• US Class Current: 715/777
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• 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 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/018 Certifying business or products
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements

Abstract

A method to assist a user of a software application. The method steps include displaying, in a user interface window, a first group of navigation tabs corresponding to an active set of features and a second group of navigation tabs corresponding to an inactive set of features, disposed at a first location and a second location, respectively, within the user interface window, and wherein the user is authorized to access the active set of features based on a user license and unauthorized to access the inactive set of features based on the user license, receiving a notification regarding a modification of the user license, wherein the user is authorized to access an activated feature of the inactive set of features based on the modification, and relocating a navigation tab of the second group to the first location.

Claims

1. A method to assist a user of a software application, comprising:

displaying, in a user interface window of the software application executing on a hardware processor, a first group of navigation tabs corresponding to an active set of features of the software application and a second group of navigation tabs corresponding to an inactive set of features of the software application,

wherein the first group is disposed at a first location within the user interface window and the second group is disposed at a second location within the user interface window, separate from the first location, and

wherein the user is authorized to access the active set of features based on a user license and unauthorized to access the inactive set of features based on the user license;

receiving a notification regarding a modification of the user license, wherein the user is authorized to access an activated feature of the inactive set of features based on the modification; and

modifying, by the hardware processor, the user interface window to relocate a navigation tab of the second group of navigation tabs corresponding to the activated feature from the second location to the first location, wherein the modification of the user license is based on a purchase by the user that activates an inactive feature in the inactive set of features into the activated feature.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from the user prior to receiving the notification, a selection of the navigation tab corresponding to the inactive feature; and

displaying, in the user interface window and in response to receiving the selection, information related to the inactive feature.

3. The method of claim 2,

wherein the information related to the inactive feature comprises at least one selected from a group consisting of a user interface menu, marketing information, and usage example, associated with the inactive feature.

4. The method of claim 2,

wherein the user decides to make the purchase in response to viewing the information related to the inactive feature in the user interface window.

5. The method of claim 1,

wherein the first location and the second location are left justified and right justified, respectively, in the user interface window.

6. The method of claim 1,

wherein the first location and the second location are top justified and bottom justified, respectively, in the user interface window.

7. A system to assist a user in using a software application, comprising:

a processor;

memory storing instructions when executed by the processor comprising functionalities to;

display, in a user interface window of the software application, a first group of navigation tabs corresponding to an active set of features of the software application and a second group of navigation tabs corresponding to an inactive set of features of the software application,

wherein the first group is disposed at a first location within the user interface window and the second group is disposed at a second location within the user interface window, separate from the first location, and

wherein the user is authorized to access the active set of features based on a user license and unauthorized to access the inactive set of features based on the user license;

receive a notification regarding a modification of the user license, wherein the user is authorized to access an activated feature of the inactive set of features based on the modification; and

modify the user interface window to relocate a navigation tab of the second group of navigation tabs corresponding to the activated feature from the second location to the first location; and

a license server coupled to the processor and configured to manage the user license, wherein the license server is further configured to;

process the modification of the user license based on a purchase by the user that activates an inactive feature in the inactive set of features into the activated feature; and

send the notification to the processor.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the instructions when executed by the processor further comprise functionalities to:

receive, from the user prior to receiving the notification, a selection of the navigation tab corresponding to the inactive feature; and

display, in the user interface window and in response to receiving the selection, information related to the inactive feature.

9. The system of claim 8,

wherein the information related to the inactive feature comprises at least one selected from a group consisting of a user interface menu, marketing information, and usage example, associated with the inactive feature.

10. The system of claim 8,

wherein the user decides to make the purchase in response to viewing the information related to the inactive feature in the user interface window.

11. The system of claim 7,

wherein the first location and the second location are left justified and right justified, respectively, in the user interface window.

12. The system of claim 7,

wherein the first location and the second location are top justified and bottom justified, respectively, in the user interface window.

13. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions to assist a user in using a software application, the instructions when executed by a computer comprising functionality to:

display, in a user interface window of the software application, a first group of navigation tabs corresponding to an active set of features of the software application and a second group of navigation tabs corresponding to an inactive set of features of the software application,

wherein the first group is disposed at a first location within the user interface window and the second group is disposed at a second location within the user interface window, separate from the first location, and

wherein the user is authorized to access the active set of features based on a user license and unauthorized to access the inactive set of features based on the user license;

receive a notification regarding a modification of the user license, wherein the user is authorized to access an activated feature of the inactive set of features based on the modification; and

modify the user interface window to relocate a navigation tab of the second group of navigation tabs corresponding to the activated feature from the second location to the first location, wherein the modification of the user license is based on a purchase by the user that activates an inactive feature in the inactive set of features into the activated feature.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the instructions when executed by the computer further comprise functionality to:

receive, from the user prior to receiving the notification, a selection of the navigation tab corresponding to the inactive feature; and

display, in the user interface window and in response to receiving the selection, information related to the inactive feature.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 14,

wherein the information related to the inactive feature comprises at least one selected from a group consisting of a user interface menu, marketing information, and usage example, associated with the inactive feature.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 14,

wherein the user decides to make the purchase in response to viewing the information related to the inactive feature in the user interface window.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13,

wherein the first location and the second location are left justified and right justified, respectively, in the user interface window.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13,

wherein the first location and the second location are top justified and bottom justified, respectively, in the user interface window.