Patent Application
20090106312
The present invention relates to a method and associated system for monitoring computer user functions and providing feedback associated with the user functions.
Creating data objects typically comprises a complicated and inefficient process with little flexibility. A user creating data objects may view reading materials that specify how to help streamline the process. The reading materials are not associated with the user. Accordingly, there exists a need in the art to overcome at least some of the deficiencies and limitations described herein above.
The present invention provides a feedback method comprising:
enabling, by a computing system for a first user, access to said computing system, wherein said computing system comprises a memory system, wherein said memory system comprises a first plurality of profiles, a feedback software application, and a plurality of software applications, and wherein each profile of said first plurality of profiles is associated with said first user and various types of work to be performed by said first user;
enabling, by said computing system, said feedback software application;
enabling, by said computing system, access to a first software application of said plurality of software applications;
retrieving, by said computing system from said memory system, a first profile of said first plurality of profiles, said first profile associated with said first software application, said first user, and a first work type, said first work type being performed by said first user;
monitoring, by said feedback software application, first user functions associated with said first user, said first software application, and said first work type being performed by said first user;
analyzing, by said feedback software application, said first user functions with respect to said first profile;
generating in response to said analyzing said first user functions with respect to said first profile, by said feedback software application, a first analysis report comprising results of said analyzing said first user functions with respect to said first profile; and
presenting, by said computing system to said first user, said first analysis report.
The present invention provides a computing system comprising a processor coupled to a computer-readable memory unit, said memory unit comprising a first plurality of profiles, a feedback software application, a plurality of software applications, and instructions that when executed by the processor implement a feedback method, each profile of said first plurality of profiles associated with a first user and various types of work to be performed by said first user, said method comprising:
enabling, by said computing system for said first user, access to said computing system;
enabling, by said computing system, said feedback software application;
enabling, by said computing system, access to a first software application of said plurality of software applications;
retrieving, by said computing system from said memory system, a first profile of said first plurality of profiles, said first profile associated with said first software application, said first user, and a first work type, said first work type being performed by said first user;
monitoring, by said feedback software application, first user functions associated with said first user, said first software application, and said first work type being performed by said first user;
analyzing, by said feedback software application, said first user functions with respect to said first profile;
generating in response to said analyzing said first user functions with respect to said first profile, by said feedback software application, a first analysis report comprising results of said analyzing said first user functions with respect to said first profile; and
presenting, by said computing system to said first user, said first analysis report.
The present invention provides a computer program product, comprising a computer readable medium comprising a computer readable program code embodied therein, said computer readable program code adapted to implement a feedback method within a computing system, said method comprising:
enabling, by said computing system for a first user, access to said computing system, wherein said computing system comprises a memory system, wherein said memory system comprises a first plurality of profiles, a feedback software application, and a plurality of software applications, and wherein each profile of said first plurality of profiles is associated with said first user and various types of work to be performed by said first user;
enabling, by said computing system, said feedback software application;
enabling, by said computing system, access to a first software application of said plurality of software applications;
retrieving, by said computing system from said memory system, a first profile of said first plurality of profiles, said first profile associated with said first software application, said first user, and a first work type, said first work type being performed by said first user;
monitoring, by said feedback software application, first user functions associated with said first user, said first software application, and said first work type being performed by said first user;
analyzing, by said feedback software application, said first user functions with respect to said first profile;
generating in response to said analyzing said first user functions with respect to said first profile, by said feedback software application, a first analysis report comprising results of said analyzing said first user functions with respect to said first profile; and
presenting, by said computing system to said first user, said first analysis report.
The present invention provides a process for supporting computer infrastructure, said process comprising providing at least one support service for at least one of creating, integrating, hosting, maintaining, and deploying computer-readable code in a computing system, wherein the code in combination with the computing system is capable of performing a feedback method, said method comprising:
enabling, by said computing system for a first user, access to said computing system, wherein said computing system comprises a memory system, wherein said memory system comprises a first plurality of profiles, a feedback software application, and a plurality of software applications, and wherein each profile of said first plurality of profiles is associated with said first user and various types of work to be performed by said first user;
enabling, by said computing system, said feedback software application;
enabling, by said computing system, access to a first software application of said plurality of software applications;
retrieving, by said computing system from said memory system, a first profile of said first plurality of profiles, said first profile associated with said first software application, said first user, and a first work type, said first work type being performed by said first user;
monitoring, by said feedback software application, first user functions associated with said first user, said first software application, and said first work type being performed by said first user;
analyzing, by said feedback software application, said first user functions with respect to said first profile;
generating in response to said analyzing said first user functions with respect to said first profile, by said feedback software application, a first analysis report comprising results of said analyzing said first user functions with respect to said first profile; and presenting, by said computing system to said first user, said first analysis report.
The present invention advantageously provides a simple method and associated system capable of helping a user to create data objects.
For example, system 2 could be used to monitor user keystrokes (i.e., on a keyboard) in order to recommend efficient options for using a software application (e.g., a word processor program). The following series of steps illustrate an example for monitoring user keystrokes on a keyboard:
System 2 of
As an alternative, each of I/O devices 5A . . . 5D could each comprise a memory apparatus 14 comprising a feedback software application 18, profiles 27, software applications 28, and feedback reports 30, thereby eliminating a need for network 7 and computing system 10. The aforementioned configuration causes each of I/O devices to be independent from each other.
Software applications 28 may comprise any type of software applications including, inter alia, word processor programs, spreadsheet programs, Web based programs, etc. Each of profiles 27 comprises information associated with one of software applications 28, a specific user, and a type of work (e.g., general office computer input work, computer programming, database configuration, etc) being performed by the specific user.
Feedback software application 18 allows for the following functionality with respect to generating feedback reports:
Upon activation, feedback software application 18 identifies a user (i.e., using one of software applications 28 via one of I/O devices) and presents a few basic questions to the user. The questions may be associated with a type of document to be generated, a specific presentation for the document in terms of complexity, and a projected time frame for completion of work. Feedback software application 18 may request that the user provide a first signal if the work is being interrupted and a second signal when the interrupted work is being resumed. Feedback software application 18 generates a file comprising time stamped keystrokes. Using a preloaded dictionary (or a web accessed dictionary), feedback software application 18 may associate different patterns to different sequences (i.e., for the keystrokes). The associations allow for analysis by software application in order to find unnecessary or inefficient keystrokes sequences. Keystroke combinations may be analyzed for replacement by existing macros or newly created macros to replace the unnecessary or inefficient keystrokes sequences. Feedback software application 18 may optionally, create this macro and recommend a keystroke sequence to activate this macro. If many attempts at a particular action were attempted and deleted, feedback software application 18 may recommend manuals and/or education in this particular subject. If the user inputted particular manual(s) as part of profiling questions, feedback software application 18 may point to pages in these manual(s) which would help the user in this particular area. Feedback software application 18 may also monitor existing user options. For example, if feedback software application 18 determines that a spelling dictionary (e.g., in a word processing program) was activated but the user made very infrequent mistakes, feedback software application 18 may recommend that computer resources devoted to the spell checker be freed up by running one spell check at the very end. Feedback software application 18 may additionally recommend that a voice recognition program be used for very slow typing users. After a session has been formally ended by the user, feedback software application 18 may perform a self standing analysis or do an on-line analysis. This analysis may compare previous sessions to the current session and profile the current session in terms of:
As a result of the analysis, feedback software application 18 may:
The following description illustrates a feedback report generation process. Once a user enables (i.e., starts up) an office software application (e.g., word processing software, spreadsheet software, project plan software, presentation software, etc), feedback software application 18 performs a search for a profile for the user. A listing of available profiles is presented to the user. The listing of available profiles may comprise a short description for each profile or an option to create a new profile. Table 1 illustrates an example of a list of profiles.
If a profile doesn't exist (i.e., is not listed), then the user is prompted to generate a new profile comprising the following attributes:
The user may be prompted to use available profiles already in existence or to modify an existing profile. For example, a slower typist performing legal input work might modify/personalize an existing legal profile or an existing user profile to substitute a legal dictionary, legal form size, legal format, etc. The user continues generating a document type corresponding to the software application in use. Additionally, session specific changes may be made to the profile. Session specific changes may include, inter alia, using or adding a different dictionary (US vs. UK, legal, medical, etc.), toggling certain profile features for this session only, etc.
After the profile is selected modified, or generated, software application 18 performs an analysis. If the spell check feature is enabled in the software application being used, then spelling mistakes including auto corrections are counted. Depending on a threshold (i.e., from the profile) for the type of user, feedback software application 18 may suggest that the auto spellchecker be turned off if fewer mistakes are found or conversely, turned on if more mistakes are made as input is generated. Feedback software application 18 measures words per minute (WPM) (counting words and timing the count) and displays the current WPM in a window on a monitor. Audible tones may be set and generated depending on WPM. Additionally, feedback software application 18 may measure spelling mistales per words typed and compare the measurement to a threshold in the profile. If the threshold is exceeded by a given percentage (e.g., 10%), a popup window could appear to suggest turning the spellchecker on or off depending on which way the threshold was exceeded. The popup window could be set to disappear after a given amount of time (e.g., 5 seconds). Similarly, software application 18 could measure a predetermined number of keystrokes/inputs (e.g., 5) that were not letters or punctuation. For example, a manual table creation with a specified number of rows and columns. If this was repeated more than 2 times in a session, software application 18 would combine the keystrokes and store this as a potential macro.
After a work session is completed (e.g., signaled by the user that the session analysis should begin), feedback software application 18 may ask the user if an analysis session should be started. The analysis session could comprise the following:
The following description (steps) illustrates an example of implementation for monitoring computer user functions for a user and providing feedback associated with the user functions:
Janice, (i.e., a user) logs on to her computing system in order to perform work using a word inputting (processing) program. She selects the word inputting program and is prompted to select a profile from her previously saved profiles, system defined profiles, or creation of a new profile. Additionally, Janice is prompted as to whether previous statistics/history should be loaded for processing during/after her present session. Janis selects a profile (e.g., Janice from chart 1) which describes her as an intermediate user. As result of the profile, a standard and supplemental dictionary and spell and grammar checking are loaded. Various defaults of margins and print options are additionally loaded. Janice request that a profiling analysis be turned on. Janis generates and completes a first document, modifies a second document, etc. Upon signaling (i.e., by Janis) that a session is complete, feedback software application 18 notes that although Janis preloaded the spell checker feature, she only made one spelling mistake. Feedback software application 18 suggests that the profile should be changed so that the spell checker feature will not be loaded in future sessions and that Janis should merely check (i.e., for spelling) the document when she has completed it. Additionally, any typing statistics (words/minute, spelling mistakes, grammar mistakes, etc) would be updated in the profile. Any hesitancy in typing (such as numbers) is noted and recommendations are made to practice these characters. Additionally, any repetitive actions, (e.g., invoking the table creation program, indexing, table of contents creation, etc) within this is stated and Janice is prompted to have these repetitive actions added to the profile.
If in step 52, it is determined that the requested profile is not available then in step 57 a profile generation process is performed as described with reference to
If in step 52, it is determined that the requested profile is available then in step 54 the requested profile is retrieved from memory system 14. In step 60, a current feedback session is initialized for the user. In step 64, a software application to be used by the user (e.g., a word processing software application) is initialized. In step 68, feedback software application 18 monitors user input and functions as described with reference to
If in step 70, it is determined that the user input analyzed in step 69 does not require suggestions for performing functions efficiently then step 68 is repeated.
If in step 70, it is determined that the user input analyzed in step 69 does require suggestions for performing functions efficiently then in step 71 suggestions are formatted and a feedback report is generated. In step 72, the feedback report is presented to the user. In step 73, feedback software application monitors user response to the suggestions and the process terminates in step 74.
Still yet, any of the components of the present invention could be created, integrated, hosted, maintained, deployed, managed, serviced, etc. by a service provider who offers to monitor computer user functions for a user and provide feedback associated with the user functions. Thus the present invention discloses a process for deploying, creating, integrating, hosting, maintaining, and/or integrating computing infrastructure, comprising integrating computer-readable code into the computer system 90, wherein the code in combination with the computer system 90 is capable of performing a method for monitoring computer user functions for a user and providing feedback associated with the user functions. In another embodiment, the invention provides a business method that performs the process steps of the invention on a subscription, advertising, and/or fee basis. That is, a service provider, such as a Solution Integrator, could offer to monitor computer user functions for a user and provide feedback associated with the user functions. In this case, the service provider can create, maintain, support, etc. a computer infrastructure that performs the process steps of the invention for one or more customers. In return, the service provider can receive payment from the customer(s) under a subscription and/or fee agreement and/or the service provider can receive payment from the sale of advertising content to one or more third parties.
While
While embodiments of the present invention have been described herein for purposes of illustration, many modifications and changes will become apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the appended claims are intended to encompass all such modifications and changes as fall within the true spirit and scope of this invention.
