Many current computer applications have the ability to receive information from the user concerning the operation of the application. This typically takes the form of an automatic error detection and transmission by the application to the application development organization, a survey from the application development organization, an instant messaging system connecting the application user to the application development organization, or an email message, generally via the application vendor's customer support web site. This means that there is no standard way to communicate user information to a development organization. This lack-of-consistency problem is only exacerbated with the advent of web- and cloud-based applications. Furthermore, other than the possibility of having a particular bug fixed, there is no incentive for application users to send anything but bug reports to the software development organization. Thus, new application ideas generated by users of an application are generally not available from within the application itself.
Previous automatic error detection and transmission systems are not amenable to a general solution as they require that the source-code be modified such that error conditions can be detected. This means that every instance of error detection requires intimate knowledge of the underlying code. Surveys and emails are time-consuming to the user and offer little opportunity for the user to quickly and easily describe their idea or concern. Instant messaging systems require the user to input tedious descriptions of their ideas which decreases the number of people willing to create such descriptions.
The presently disclosed methods extend the ideas of social networking to include a software application's user community. A method is disclosed for quickly and easily capturing ideas from, and concerns of, an application's user, while simultaneously providing the incentives needed to motivate the user community to participate in the present change recommendation system.
The present method and system comprises novel information capture models including Internet browser toolbar and environment toolbar embodiments, which comprise methods for capturing both ‘bug’ (error) and non-bug software application information from an application's user base, and for tracking the originators of the application information. These models provide incentives for the application's user base to provide a development organization with a variety of types of information concerning applications developed by the organization.
More specifically, a system and method is disclosed for capturing information related to a software application, and the subsequent storage, discussions about, and/or analytics performed on such captured information. Initially, a current browser display screen, or a non-browser-based application, is copied into a browser-based application. The browser display screen is then displayed as a new window or a popup window including an editing window comprising selectable text and graphics editing options. Text and graphics editing options are provided to annotate the popup window with application information. User (annotator) information including user name and email address is received, and the application information and associated user information is stored in a database for later display of information including user names associated with respective applications that were annotated. Thus, annotated applications can be correlated with their respective development organization as well as with the contributor of a particular annotated application.
Database 102 is a network data storage device, for example, which is used for storing a development organization list 110, developer applications 112 (only one of which is shown), application information list 130, and user/application list 140. Development organization list 110 contains electronic addresses (URLs or other locating indicia) of development organization computer systems (e.g., computer 160) or websites. List 110 provides a correspondence between the development organization addresses and the applications 112 developed by the organizations. Application information list 130 correlates application information 131 (contributions by users) with respective applications and the names and addresses of the contributors. Thus, annotated applications can be correlated with their respective development organization as well as with the contributor of a particular annotation.
Message repository 122 provides a storage area for user comments and application annotations for a given web site, as well as a place where such annotation can be discussed. In one embodiment, any user may comment on any other's annotations or further annotate a particular contribution.
At step 205, selection of MB button 301 causes the current display screen 303 to be copied into a browser-based application 112 and displayed on computer 103 as a popup (or other) window 400, as shown in
Multiple web pages can be annotated with the selection of a Continue button 403 which returns control back to the web-browser based application 112. The copied page still exists as a separate web-page. If an additional web page is to be annotated, then the annotation is accomplished within a tab 510 of the original (previous) display. Selection of Submit button 402 on any tab 510 causes all annotated displays to be submitted to the receiving web-site 165. Message repository 122 provides an additional mechanism for annotating/commenting on the organization and layout and attributes or general usability of web sites.
The present system allows for acknowledgement of annotator information input contributions. At step 225, selection of a Contributors button 404 generates display 430 (shown in
The environment toolbar embodiment operates in basically the same manner as the browser toolbar embodiment, with the significant exception being that the MB button software 190 is placed within the application 112 itself (which is displayed to make the MB button 301 available), as indicated at step 201 in
For cloud-based software development and deployment platforms, application users in the present development environment ‘know’ the developing organization (via access to the organizations' URLs which are stored in Development Organization List 110), and therefore user application-related input can be sent directly to the appropriate application development organization 160. Furthermore, the application development organization can offer further incentives for users to send suggestions. For example, in a software-as-a-service environment the application development organization can offer some number of free uses of an application that is annotated or some use of another application developed by that organization within the same development/deployment environment.
Having described the invention in detail and by reference to specific embodiments thereof, it will be apparent that modifications and variations are possible without departing from the scope of the invention defined in the appended claims. More specifically, it is contemplated that the present system is not limited to the specifically-disclosed aspects thereof.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61695126 | Aug 2012 | US |