This document relates generally to brand messaging and more particularly to maintenance of a consistent brand image across multiple disparate application platforms.
The recognition and perception of a brand is highly influenced by its visual presentation. A brand's visual identity is the overall look of its communications. Effective visual brand identity is achieved by the consistent use of particular visual elements to create distinction, such as specific fonts, colors, and graphic elements.
In accordance with the teachings herein, systems and methods are provided for generating a plurality of applications of disparate types. A graphical user interface is provided for designing an interactive user experience, where a designed user experience includes an arrangement of experience elements, where the experience elements include a plurality interactive elements and decorative elements, and where each of the experience elements are configured for display according to one or more attributes. An identification of the experience elements and the attributes of the experience elements is received via the graphical user interface. An identification of a plurality of disparate types of applications to be generated based on the designed experience is received. The experience is translated for each of the disparate types of applications to generate the plurality of applications of disparate type.
As another example, a computer-implemented system for generating a plurality of applications of disparate types includes one or more data processors and a computer-readable medium encoded with instructions for commanding the one or more data processors to execute a method. In the method, a graphical user interface is provided for designing an interactive user experience, where a designed user experience includes an arrangement of experience elements, where the experience elements include a plurality interactive elements and decorative elements, and where each of the experience elements are configured for display according to one or more attributes. An identification of the experience elements and the attributes of the experience elements is received via the graphical user interface. An identification of a plurality of disparate types of applications to be generated based on the designed experience is received. The experience is translated for each of the disparate types of applications to generate the plurality of applications of disparate type.
As a further example, a computer-readable medium is encoded with instructions for commanding one or more data processors to execute a method for generating a plurality of applications of disparate types. In the method, a graphical user interface is provided for designing an interactive user experience, where a designed user experience includes an arrangement of experience elements, where the experience elements include a plurality interactive elements and decorative elements, and where each of the experience elements are configured for display according to one or more attributes. An identification of the experience elements and the attributes of the experience elements is received via the graphical user interface. An identification of a plurality of disparate types of applications to be generated based on the designed experience is received. The experience is translated for each of the disparate types of applications to generate the plurality of applications of disparate type.
Maintaining a consistent brand image is considered a high value operation, where millions of dollars are spent annually in marketing departments throughout the world, reviewing outgoing products and advertisements, as well as the operations of related entities (e.g., the behaviors of franchisees) to ensure that the brand images are used consistently and appropriately in all settings. However, at times, strategic decisions may be made to alter, change, or completely rehash a brand image (e.g., the current brand image does not evoke the desired consumer feeling, an accident or scandal has tarnished the current brand image). When such a change is warranted, it is highly desirable to implement the change in a wholesale manner across all avenues with which consumers will encounter the brand image. Such a wholesale change, where all changes to the brand image are made at the same time across all mediums, is beneficial, as it minimizes brand confusion that will result from consumers encountering differing brand images (while some consumer confusion is likely in a switch-over, that confusion is prolonged during periods where multiple, conflicting brand images are provided to consumers).
The wholesale transition of brand image can provide technical challenges that can make such transitions difficult, highly expensive, or impossible to achieve simultaneously. For example, brand images need to be changed on all products that bear a brand image (packaging colors, patterns, logos) and advertising that includes the brand image at the same time. Thus, in some examples, changes need to be made simultaneously across multiple different pipelines (product packaging, television advertising, digital advertising, terrestrial mail advertising).
Such an issue is highly present in companies that make significant use of online portal applications. Online portal applications (e.g., webpages, iPHONE/iPAD applications, Android applications, ROKU applications, gaming system applications) provide interfaces for users to interact with online company content. Such content may be provided for a variety of purposes, such as for entertaining consumers (e.g., smart device games), providing tangible goods shopping experiences, and providing access to content (e.g., video download, streaming video, a physical video copy, an audio download, streaming audio, a physical audio copy, an image, a game, a physical book, or an electronic book). This content may be provided for free (e.g., to build brand loyalty, brand recognition) or may be provided for a fee (e.g., fees are paid to download audio or streaming video).
The fast pace of technological development makes each of the many available portal platforms a viable avenue for attracting consumers, where neglecting one of those platforms can result in significant lost revenues. Thus, many companies will want to offer a presence on each of several portal platforms. This requires multiple applications, one for each of the platforms, that require separate programming for compatibility with the different platforms, while maintaining a consistent brand image across the several different platform applications.
When a decision to make a brand image change is made, that change needs to be propagated to all of the different portal applications. For example,
As noted above, it is desirable to maintain a consistent brand image across different online portal applications provided for different platforms.
As discussed above, a company may at times decide to modify its brand image. Modifications may be small (e.g., a change in hue of coloring on a product package) or more significant (e.g., using a completely new logo).
Having made the decision to implement the brand image changes noted in
Propagating the brand image changes to the several platform applications can be expensive and time consuming.
With reference back to
Alternatively, the designing user 802 may be provided with a user interface that displays a template of the interactive user experience for design. Following manipulation of the template, the consistent application generation engine 804 may translate the experience for each of the disparate types of applications 806 to be generated.
The template editor 1006 enables creation and editing of brand focused user experiences. The template editor 1006 may direct that the designed interactive user experience that includes designing user edits 1008 be stored at 1010 for subsequent access, use, and updating. The template editor 1006 may also accept input regarding for which platforms applications should be translated.
When design of the interactive user experience is complete, a translation engine 1012 generates applications of disparate types, as directed by the designing user instructions. The translation engine 1012 may access platform translation data 1014 for parameters for performing the translations, such as appropriate syntaxes required for the different platforms, different screen sizes/resolutions supported by the different platforms, as well as other hardware supported by the different platforms (e.g., the translation engine 1012 may not include HD-quality images into a platform application where the associated platform does not support HD quality displays, saving on application size and bandwidth costs). An output interface 1016 receives and outputs the generated output applications for eventual access by users. In the example of
In addition to providing consistent applications across a plurality of platforms, a consistent application generation engine can be used as part of a white label solution for a service provider. A service provider may provide backend services, while enabling other companies to market and utilize those backend services under the other companies brand images. For example, a service provider may provide media access backend services, where content providers can upload content for access by users (e.g., for a fee). The service provider may provide services such as storage space for content, distribution mechanisms for content (e.g., download servers), and payment processing services.
A content provider may contract with the service provider to utilize the backend services, while using the content provider's brand image, such that, to the user, it appears that the interactive user experience is being provided by the content provider (i.e., the user is unable to discern the role of the service provider). In this arrangement, the content provider is able to utilize the backend services without detailed knowledge of the function and operation of those services (e.g., using a backend services API), and the service provider can concentrate on its technical area of expertise in providing the backend services without need for marketing and other advertising efforts.
When a designing user 1208 associated with the content provider desires to make changes to application 1204 layouts, the designing user 1208 accesses a consistent application generation engine 1210. The consistent application generation engine 1210 may be provided by the service provider 1202, such as via a portal where content providers can interact with the service provider 1202 to view and modify settings related to their applications 1204 and backend services. The designing user 1208 creates/edits an interactive user experience, such as by editing a template (e.g., a template provided by the service provider) or by programming an application for one of the platforms. The consistent application generation engine 1210 translates the designing user edits to generate the plurality of applications 1204 of disparate type and transmits those applications 1204 to the appropriate application repositories 1206. The consistent application generation engine 1210 may automatically include instructions for interacting with the backend services of the service provider into the generated applications 1204. This automatic inclusion of backend service instructions and incorporation with the design edits of the designing user 1208 may alleviate the designing user 1208 from needing an in depth understanding of the functionality of the service provider backend functions. By providing edits that appropriately interact with the backend services' programming interface, working applications are generated by the consistent application generation engine 1210 for the plurality of desired platforms.
This specification describes the invention in terms of examples. It should be understood that an interactive user experience, as described herein, can include a wide range of experiences including dynamic applications that accept user input and respond accordingly, static webpages, and others.
A disk controller 1460 interfaces one or more optional disk drives to the system bus 1452. These disk drives may be external or internal floppy disk drives such as 1462, external or internal CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW or DVD drives such as 1464, or external or internal hard drives 1466. As indicated previously, these various disk drives and disk controllers are optional devices.
Each of the element managers, real-time data buffer, conveyors, file input processor, database index shared access memory loader, reference data buffer and data managers may include a software application stored in one or more of the disk drives connected to the disk controller 1460, the ROM 1456 and/or the RAM 1458. Preferably, the processor 1454 may access each component as required.
A display interface 1468 may permit information from the bus 1452 to be displayed on a display 1470 in audio, graphic, or alphanumeric format. Communication with external devices may optionally occur using various communication ports 1472.
In addition to the standard computer-type components, the hardware may also include data input devices, such as a keyboard 1473, or other input device 1474, such as a microphone, remote control, pointer, mouse and/or joystick.
Additionally, the methods and systems described herein may be implemented on many different types of processing devices by program code comprising program instructions that are executable by the device processing subsystem. The software program instructions may include source code, object code, machine code, or any other stored data that is operable to cause a processing system to perform the methods and operations described herein and may be provided in any suitable language such as C, C++, JAVA, for example, or any other suitable programming language. Other implementations may also be used, however, such as firmware or even appropriately designed hardware configured to carry out the methods and systems described herein.
The systems' and methods' data (e.g., associations, mappings, data input, data output, intermediate data results, final data results, etc.) may be stored and implemented in one or more different types of computer-implemented data stores, such as different types of storage devices and programming constructs (e.g., RAM, ROM, Flash memory, flat files, databases, programming data structures, programming variables, IF-THEN (or similar type) statement constructs, etc.). It is noted that data structures describe formats for use in organizing and storing data in databases, programs, memory, or other computer-readable media for use by a computer program.
The computer components, software modules, functions, data stores and data structures described herein may be connected directly or indirectly to each other in order to allow the flow of data needed for their operations. It is also noted that a module or processor includes but is not limited to a unit of code that performs a software operation, and can be implemented for example as a subroutine unit of code, or as a software function unit of code, or as an object (as in an object-oriented paradigm), or as an applet, or in a computer script language, or as another type of computer code. The software components and/or functionality may be located on a single computer or distributed across multiple computers depending upon the situation at hand.
It should be understood that as used in the description herein and throughout the claims that follow, the meaning of “a,” “an,” and “the” includes plural reference unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Also, as used in the description herein and throughout the claims that follow, the meaning of “in” includes “in” and “on” unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Further, as used in the description herein and throughout the claims that follow, the meaning of “each” does not require “each and every” unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Finally, as used in the description herein and throughout the claims that follow, the meanings of “and” and “or” include both the conjunctive and disjunctive and may be used interchangeably unless the context expressly dictates otherwise; the phrase “exclusive or” may be used to indicate situation where only the disjunctive meaning may apply.
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/614,808, filed on Jun. 6, 2017, and entitled “Computer-Implemented Systems and Methods for Providing Consistent Application Generation,” which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/847,476, filed on Sep. 8, 2015, and entitled “Computer-Implemented Systems and Methods for Providing Consistent Application Generation,” which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/693,198, filed on Dec. 4, 2012, and entitled “Computer-Implemented Systems and Methods for Providing Consistent Application Generation,” the entireties of which are herein incorporated by reference. This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/570,057, filed Dec. 13, 2011, and entitled “Computer-Implemented Systems and Methods for Providing Consistent Application Generation,” the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference.
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