Patent Application
20200349514
Aspects of the disclosure are related to the field of software applications, and in particular, dynamic contacts in applications.
Collaboration tools in software applications and services have continued to improve the ability of users to work in groups on shared content items, such as word processing documents, spreadsheets, and presentations. Such tools not only allow users to work on the same documents, but also allow them to communicate within the context of the application which they are using to edit a document.
Outside of the context of the application, users may receive email updates from a collaboration service regarding the editing activities of others in their collaboration groups while they were away from a document. Users may also communicate directly with each other out of band with respect to the application, to keep each other apprised of their progress on a document.
These and other solutions unfortunately share the same characteristic of being time delayed with respect to the activity of users in a collaboration group. Unless a given user is active in the context of a collaboration group and application, the user only becomes aware of the activity of others after the fact and, even then, only via limited channels (e.g. email). Once a user is made aware of the activity, the authoring session has likely ended and the opportunity for real-time collaboration has passed.
Technology is disclosed herein for enhancing the ability of users to collaborate in real-time. In an implementation, a contact that identifies a person is displayed in a user interface to an application. A determination is made whether the person is in a collaboration group with a user of the application. If so, a further determination is made whether that person is presently active in a content item in a context other than the present context of the user. When such conditions are satisfied, an indication is surfaced in the user interface that the person is active in the content item.
This Overview is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Technical Disclosure. It may be understood that this Overview is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.
Many aspects of the disclosure may be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present disclosure. Moreover, like reference numerals in the drawings designate corresponding parts throughout the several views. While several embodiments are described in connection with these drawings, the disclosure is not limited to the embodiments disclosed herein. On the contrary, the intent is to cover all alternatives, modifications, and equivalents.
Technology disclosed herein reduces friction in the collaboration process by making users aware, in their present context, of the activity of others outside of their context. In this manner, a user in a collaboration group is enabled to join others in real-time who are presently working on a shared content item.
In various examples, a user may be working in one application context such as a user interface to an email application, a calendar application, a file system, a spreadsheet application, a contacts application, a word processing application, or an operating system feature. As the user belongs to one or more collaboration groups, the user may be interested in knowing when other members of the group are working in documents associated with the groups. Rather than being notified after-the-fact by email or when the user next engages with the shared item, the user is instead notified in real-time in the user's present context of another person's activity.
In one example, a user may be viewing or editing an email within the context of an email application. A contact in the email, such as a person identified in an address field of the email, may be active in a collaboration item. When the user provides an indication of interest with respect to the contact, the status of the person as working in the shared content item is surfaced, thereby providing the user with an opportunity to collaborate.
In another example, a user may be working in a spreadsheet that includes a list of contacts in its cells. A person identified by one of the contacts who is in a collaboration group with the user may be presently active in a shared content item. The user may select, hover over, or otherwise provide an indication of interest with respect to the contact, which triggers the active status of the person to be surfaced in the user interface to the spreadsheet.
In many other examples, users operating in one context are made aware of the active status of other people in other contexts, thereby encouraging the users to collaborate with members of their collaboration groups in real-time. The users may be active in a variety of contexts, such as note taking applications, gaming applications, business intelligence applications, or any other application in which a contact for another person may be displayed. If the other person is in a collaboration group with the user and is active in an associated content item, then the user may be conveniently notified in their present context, which increases the likelihood that productive, real-time collaboration will occur.
Referring now to the drawings,
Online service 101 may be implemented on one or more computing devices 103 having an architecture as illustrated with respect to computing device 1001 in
Computing devices 111, 115, and 117 each include one or more applications capable of interfacing with online service 101 with respect to the various application services provided by online service 101. Examples of the applications include, but are not limited to, email applications, calendar applications, productivity applications, gaming applications, social networking applications, search applications, and the like. The applications may be natively installed and executed applications, browser-based applications, mobile applications (or “apps”), streamed or streaming applications, or any combination or variation thereof.
Each of computing devices 111, 115, and 117 may also have a computing architecture as illustrated with respect to computing device 1001 in
To begin, the program instructions direct the computing system(s) to display a contact in a user interface to an application (step 201). The contact in this step identifies a person other than a user of the application and may be, for example, a name, phone number, email address, service handle, or other such information that identifies a person. In some scenarios, the contact may identify an entity other than a person, such as a conversational bot. The contact is displayed within the context of the user application such as in a contact card, a field or the content of an email, the content of a document, a field or the content of a calendar item, a cell in a spreadsheet, or the properties of an element in a file system.
Next, the program instructions direct the computing system(s) to determine that the person is in one or more collaboration groups with the user (step 203). The one or more collaboration groups may be associated with one or more content items. For instance, an exemplary collaboration group may include a group of people authorized to edit one or more shared documents, spreadsheets, notebooks, or other such content items associated with the group. The determination that the person is in a collaboration group with the user may be made by querying a database (e.g. database 105) that stores the identity of collaboration groups and their respective users. In another example, the determination may be made by querying a service that maintains such data. The users may be identified by various contact information, such as their names, phone numbers, email addresses, service handles, or other suitable contact information.
Having determined that the person is in a collaboration group with the user, the program instructions direct the computing system(s) to determine whether the person is active in a collaborative content item, but in a context other than the context of the user (step 205). For example, if the user is working on one document, then the person identified by the contact may be active in a different document. In another example, if the user is drafting an email within the context of an email application, the person may be active in a document in the context of a word processing application. In still another example, if the user is navigating a file system, the person may be active in one of the documents identified by the file system.
The program instructions then direct the computing system(s) to surface an indication that the person identified by the contact is active in the content item in the other context (step 207). Surfacing the indication means causing the indication to be displayed in the foreground of the user interface. In some implementations, causing the indication to be displayed may include rendering the indication to the display screen. In other implementations, causing the indication to be displayed may include requesting an operating system component(s), element(s) or layer(s) to render the indication. Surfacing the indication may be accomplished by, for example, displaying information proximate to the contact indicative of the person's active status in the content item. The person's status may be displayed in a contact card, in an informational bubble, in a side bar, or in any other manner within the active context of the user. They user may thus choose to communicate with the contact, switch to the collaborative content item, or otherwise take action in response to learning that the other person is active in the content item, outside of the user's present context.
Referring back to
User A proceeds to supply user input 111 comprising an indication of interest with respect to the contact for user S. User input 111 may be, for instance, a hover action over the contact, a mouse click on the contact, a touch gesture made with respect to the contact, or a voice command directed to the contact. In response, the status of user S is surfaced in user interface 112. The status is indicated in a contact card 114 for user S in this example, although the status information could be displayed on a variety of different surfaces.
In this example, contact card 114 includes status information that indicates that user S is active in document x. Since user A is part of a collaboration group to which document x belongs, such information may prompt the user to open the document and join the collaboration session with user S and any other users that may be in the document.
In the meantime, user A is engaged in a different application context than user H and user S. For instance, user A may be drafting an email, working in a spreadsheet, or searching for files in a file system, rather than editing the shared document in the context of a word processing application. While user A is working, a contact is surfaced in the user interface to the application user A is using. The contact is for user H and may identify her by one or more of a name, email address, telephone number, service handle, or other such identifiers. The contact may be surfaced because, for example, user A is drafting or viewing an email that includes user A, viewing a list of contacts that includes user A, or entering contacts into a spreadsheet workbook.
In response to user input or automatically, the application being used by user A sends a status request for the activity status of the person associated with the contact that was surfaced. The request is sent to online service and may identify the person by their name, alias, email address, phone number, service handle, or other such identifying information drawn from the contact. Online service 101 receives the request and, after determining that the person is in a collaboration group with user A, returns the status of the person. The application on computing device 111 receives the status and surfaces information about the other user's activity in the user interface being used by user A.
In this example, the activity information that is surfaced indicates to user A that user H is presently editing a document associated with a collaboration group to which user A belongs. User A is therefore prompted to open the document himself and proceeds to engage in collaborative editing with user H and user S. Their respective edits to the document are persisted and synchronized across their respective copies.
Field 405 includes one contact for another user. The contact is an email address hnr@contoso.com, which may be assumed for exemplary purposes to belong to user H. User A proceeds to provide user input 408, which comprises an indication of interest in the contact in the recipient field. User input 408 may be, for instance, a hover action, a mouse click, a touch gesture, a spoken command, or the like.
In response to user input 408, a contact card 409 is surfaced in the user interface. Contact card 409 includes identifying information for user H, such as her name and a photo. Contact card 409 also includes information indicative of her active status, which is editing document x. User A may thus be prompted to open document x since he will see that it would be a good opportunity to engage with others who are presently in the document.
User interface 501 includes various contacts in a call history, represented by contact 503, contact 505, and contact 507. User H supplies user input 508 which comprises a selection of contact 505. Next, a contact card 509 for the person in contact 505 is surfaced in user interface 501. Contact card 509 identifies user A and his present activity status, which comprises editing document x in context 119. This activity status is shown to user H because user H belongs to the same collaboration group associated with document x.
User H supplies another user input 511, but with respect to a link to the shared document. Selecting the link causes the document to download. The document opens in a new user interface 513 to a word processing application. User H may now edit, review, or otherwise consume the same document that user A is working in.
User interface 601 includes various meetings scheduled throughout the week. The meetings show by different fill patterns whether they involve a person who is in a collaborative group with user A and who is presently active in a shared document. For example, the meetings on Tuesday and Thursday do not include any overlapping contacts, whereas the meeting block on Wednesday does.
User A navigates to the highlighted meeting block accordingly and supplies user input 606 as an indication of interest with respect to the meeting block. In response, a contact card 609 for at least one of the attendees at the meeting is surfaced. Contact card 609 identifies the name and status of user H because she is in a collaborative group with user A and because she is presently editing a shared document.
The contact card 609 also includes a link at the bottom-right corner that indicates that a second attendee is also in a collaboration group with user A and is also active in a document. User A supplies user input 608 comprising a selection of the link, in response to which contact card 610 is surfaced. Contact card 610 includes the name of user S as well as her present status as working in the document.
In user experience 700 in
User experience 700 includes a user interface 701 to the word processing document with which user A edits document z. User interface 701 includes a document canvas 702 on which the user may input content and otherwise interact with the document.
It is assumed for exemplary purposes that document z is a shared document associated with a collaboration group that includes user A, user H, user S, and user W. Accordingly, user interface 701 includes contacts for those users (H, S, and W). In addition, the contacts have an appearance indicative of the state of the person represented by a given contact. For instance, the contact for user H indicates that she is active in a context different from user A (e.g. she is editing document x as opposed to document z). The contact for user S has a shading that indicates that she is active in the same context as user A. Finally, the contact for user W indicates that he is neither active in the same nor a different context.
User A proceeds to supply user input 708 with respect to the contact for user H. In response, contact card 709 is surfaced in user interface 701. User A may decide to click on the link for document x, thereby bringing him into the same context as user H.
Document X may be assumed for exemplary purposes to correspond to file icon 807. That is, file icon 807 is the file icon for document x, meaning that clicking on or otherwise selecting file icon 807 leads to the document opening. Here, the icons may take on different appearances depending upon whether the documents are associated with a collaboration group and whether any members of the group are presently active in the document.
As noted, user H and user S are both active in the document associated with file icon 807, while no others are active in file icon 809. Accordingly, the appearance of file icon 807 is shaded to indicate to user A that one or more people may be active in the document in a context other than the file system context of computing device 111.
In a next step, user A supplies user input 808 to indicate interest in file icon 807. User input 808 may be, for instance, a hover action, a mouse-click, a touch gesture, a spoken command, or any other suitable user input. In response to user input 808, contact cards for one or more people active in the document are surfaced. Contact card 811 in this example presents the name and status of user S, while contact card 813 presents the name and status of user H. User A may thus be motivated to contact one or both of the other users in order to collaborate with them on the shared document in real-time.
In user experience 900 in
User experience 900 includes a user interface 901 to the word processing document with which user A edits document z. User interface 901 includes a document canvas 902 on which the user may input content and otherwise interact with the document. User interface 901 also includes a most recently used (MRU) list 903. MRU list 903 is a list of documents most recently used by user A. In this example, file icon 905 corresponding to document x is included in the list, as is file icon 907 corresponding to document y.
It is assumed for exemplary purposes that document x and document y are shared documents associated with collaboration groups that include user A. Accordingly, MRU list 903 also includes contacts for user H and user S displayed in association with the file icons or document x and document y. The contacts are present because the users are presently active in their respective documents. User A may supply user input 908 to one or the other of the contacts to see the active status of the corresponding person. For example, contact card 909 is surfaced in user interface 901 displaying contact information for user H and her status as presently editing document x.
Various technical effects may be appreciated from the foregoing discussion of dynamic contact technology. The user experience is improved and simplified by making users aware of the status of others outside of the present status of a given user. In this manner, the user need not switch between contexts in order to ascertain the status of another person. This may increase the opportunity for users in collaboration groups to work together in real-time. This may also have the added benefit of reducing the time to complete a project and increasing the efficiency of the project which, in the aggregate, accrue as a savings of processing cycles, power consumption, and other such tangible benefits.
Computing system 1001 may be implemented as a single apparatus, system, or device or may be implemented in a distributed manner as multiple apparatuses, systems, or devices. Computing system 1001 includes, but is not limited to, processing system 1002, storage system 1003, software 1005, communication interface system 1007, and user interface system 1009 (optional). Processing system 1002 is operatively coupled with storage system 1003, communication interface system 1007, and user interface system 1009.
Processing system 1002 loads and executes software 1005 from storage system 1003. Software 1005 includes and implements process 1006, which is representative of the dynamic contact technology discussed with respect to the preceding Figures. When executed by processing system 1002 to provide dynamic contacts, software 1005 directs processing system 1002 to operate as described herein for at least the various processes, operational scenarios, and sequences discussed in the foregoing implementations. Computing system 1001 may optionally include additional devices, features, or functionality not discussed for purposes of brevity.
Referring still to
Storage system 1003 may comprise any computer readable storage media readable by processing system 1002 and capable of storing software 1005. Storage system 1003 may include volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information, such as computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data. Examples of storage media include random access memory, read only memory, magnetic disks, optical disks, optical media, flash memory, virtual memory and non-virtual memory, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other suitable storage media. In no case is the computer readable storage media a propagated signal.
In addition to computer readable storage media, in some implementations storage system 1003 may also include computer readable communication media over which at least some of software 1005 may be communicated internally or externally. Storage system 1003 may be implemented as a single storage device but may also be implemented across multiple storage devices or sub-systems co-located or distributed relative to each other. Storage system 1003 may comprise additional elements, such as a controller, capable of communicating with processing system 1002 or possibly other systems.
Software 1005 (including process 1006) may be implemented in program instructions and among other functions may, when executed by processing system 1002, direct processing system 1002 to operate as described with respect to the various operational scenarios, sequences, and processes illustrated herein. For example, software 1005 may include program instructions for implementing dynamic contacts as described herein.
In particular, the program instructions may include various components or modules that cooperate or otherwise interact to carry out the various processes and operational scenarios described herein. The various components or modules may be embodied in compiled or interpreted instructions, or in some other variation or combination of instructions. The various components or modules may be executed in a synchronous or asynchronous manner, serially or in parallel, in a single threaded environment or multi-threaded, or in accordance with any other suitable execution paradigm, variation, or combination thereof. Software 1005 may include additional processes, programs, or components, such as operating system software, virtualization software, or other application software. Software 1005 may also comprise firmware or some other form of machine-readable processing instructions executable by processing system 1002.
In general, software 1005 may, when loaded into processing system 1002 and executed, transform a suitable apparatus, system, or device (of which computing system 1001 is representative) overall from a general-purpose computing system into a special-purpose computing system customized to provide dynamic contacts as described herein. Indeed, encoding software 1005 on storage system 1003 may transform the physical structure of storage system 1003. The specific transformation of the physical structure may depend on various factors in different implementations of this description. Examples of such factors may include, but are not limited to, the technology used to implement the storage media of storage system 1003 and whether the computer-storage media are characterized as primary or secondary storage, as well as other factors.
For example, if the computer readable storage media are implemented as semiconductor-based memory, software 1005 may transform the physical state of the semiconductor memory when the program instructions are encoded therein, such as by transforming the state of transistors, capacitors, or other discrete circuit elements constituting the semiconductor memory. A similar transformation may occur with respect to magnetic or optical media. Other transformations of physical media are possible without departing from the scope of the present description, with the foregoing examples provided only to facilitate the present discussion.
Communication interface system 1007 may include communication connections and devices that allow for communication with other computing systems (not shown) over communication networks (not shown). Examples of connections and devices that together allow for inter-system communication may include network interface cards, antennas, power amplifiers, RF circuitry, transceivers, and other communication circuitry. The connections and devices may communicate over communication media to exchange communications with other computing systems or networks of systems, such as metal, glass, air, or any other suitable communication media. The aforementioned media, connections, and devices are well known and need not be discussed at length here.
Communication between computing system 1001 and other computing systems (not shown), may occur over a communication network or networks and in accordance with various communication protocols, combinations of protocols, or variations thereof. Examples include intranets, internets, the Internet, local area networks, wide area networks, wireless networks, wired networks, virtual networks, software defined networks, data center buses and backplanes, or any other type of network, combination of network, or variation thereof. The aforementioned communication networks and protocols are well known and need not be discussed at length here.
The included descriptions and figures depict specific embodiments to teach those skilled in the art how to make and use the best mode. For the purpose of teaching inventive principles, some conventional aspects have been simplified or omitted. Those skilled in the art will appreciate variations from these embodiments that fall within the scope of the disclosure. Those skilled in the art will also appreciate that the features described above may be combined in various ways to form multiple embodiments. As a result, the invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above, but only by the claims and their equivalents.
