SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MODIFYING LINKS WITHIN A WEB SITE

• US 20100293509A1
• Filed: 05/20/2010
• Published: 11/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ignite Enterprise Software Solutions LLC
• Original Assignee: ClickFox Inc.
• Inventors: Cohen, Tal, Harel, Nissim
• Granted Patent: US 8,769,441 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/854
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• 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 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/14 Digital output to display device ; Cooperation and interconnection of the display device with other functional units
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/134 Hyperlinking

Abstract

Methods for managing an interactive system, such as a web site, are disclosed. An interactive system can comprise a plurality of states, and a first structure of the interactive system can be defined by transitional links between those states. Session data can represent user navigation through the states, and a predetermined set of parameters for session data can be defined by the first structure of the interactive system. The method can include accessing a representation of the first structure of the interactive system, and analyzing the session data based on the predetermined set of parameters. A second structure for the interactive system can be determined when the first set of parameters are not met, such that as compared to the first structure, the second structure adds or removes a transitional link directly between the a first state of the interactive system and a second state of the interactive system.

Claims

1. A method for managing an interactive system, the method comprising:

accessing a representation of a first structure of the interactive system, the interactive system having a plurality of states, and the structure being defined by a plurality of transitional links between the states of the interactive system;

analyzing session data based on a predetermined set of parameters that are defined by the first structure of the interactive system, the session data representing actual user navigation between two or more of the states of the interactive system; and

determining, with a computer processor, a second structure for the interactive system when the session data fails to meet the set of parameters, wherein as compared to the first structure, the second structure has an additional transitional link directly between a first state of the interactive system and a second state of the interactive system.

2. The method of claim 1, the interactive system being a web site, and the states being contained within the web site.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising recommending the second structure for the interactive system as a replacement for the first structure if the second structure meets one or more predetermined criteria.

4. The method of claim 3, the predetermined criteria being reduction of an identified inefficiency by a predetermined threshold.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the additional transitional link of the second structure reduces an identified inefficiency in the first structure of the interactive system.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising modifying the interactive system to replace the first structure with the second structure.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein modifying the interactive system to replace the first structure with the second structure occurs automatically.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein modifying the interactive system to replace the first structure with the second structure influences future user navigation through the states of the interactive system.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein as compared to the first structure, the second structure is absent a removed transitional link present in the first structure, wherein removal of the removed transitional link reduces an identified inefficiency in the first structure of the interactive system.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising defining the set of parameters based on the first structure of the interactive system, the parameters indicating an expected usage pattern of the interactive system.

11. A method for managing an interactive system, the method comprising:

accessing a representation of a first structure of the interactive system, the interactive system having a plurality of states, and the structure being defined by a plurality of transitional links between the states of the interactive system;

analyzing session data based on a predetermined set of parameters that are defined by the first structure of the interactive system, the session data representing actual user navigation between two or more of the states of the interactive system; and

determining, with a computer processor, a second structure for the interactive system when the session data fails to meet the set of parameters, wherein as compared to the first structure, the second structure excludes a first transitional link directly between a first state of the interactive system and a second state of the interactive system.

12. The method of claim 11, the interactive system being a web site, and the states being contained within the web site.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising modifying the interactive system to replace the first structure with the second structure.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein modifying the interactive system to replace the first structure with the second structure influences future user navigation through the states of the interactive system.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising automatically modifying the interactive system to replace the first structure with the second structure if the second structure meets one or more predetermined criteria.

16. The method of claim 15, the predetermined criteria being reduction of an identified inefficiency by a predetermined threshold.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein exclusion of the first transitional link in the second structure reduces an identified inefficiency in the first structure of the interactive system.

18. The method of claim 11, the set of parameters indicating an expected usage pattern of the interactive system.

19. A computer program product embodied in a computer-readable medium, the computer program product comprising an algorithm adapted to effectuate a method for managing an interactive system, the method comprising:

identifying a first set of transitional links between a plurality of states of an interactive system;

analyzing user interaction data representing navigation of one or more users through the states of the interactive system;

identifying a first anomaly in the interactive system based on analysis of the user interaction data; and

determining a second set of transitional links to reduce the identified anomaly, wherein the second set of transitional links is modified from the first set of transitional links based on analysis of the user interaction data.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, the first anomaly being an unexpected usage pattern of the interactive system.

21. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein analyzing the user interaction data comprises testing the user interaction data against a predetermined set of potential anomalies, the first anomaly being selected from among the predetermined set of potential anomalies as applicable to the user interaction data.

22. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the second set of transitional links is modified from the first set of transitional links based on selection of the first anomaly.

23. The computer program product of claim 19, the method further comprising modifying the interactive system to include the second set of transitional links, instead of the first set of transitional links, between the states of the interactive system.

24. The computer program product of claim 23, wherein modifying the interactive system to include the second set of transitional links influences access to the states by future users.

25. The computer program product of claim 19, the interactive system being a web site, and the states being contained within the web site.