SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONTEXT AND COMMUNITY BASED CUSTOMIZATION FOR A USER EXPERIENCE
A system and method for context and community based customization for a user experience is disclosed. The apparatus in an example embodiment includes a user experience customizer to gather context information, automatically produce user experience customization selections based on the context information, collect user activity feedback from a community of users, and use the user activity feedback to adjust the user experience customizer to automatically produce user experience customization selections likely favored by a user based on a correlation of the user activity feedback with the context information.
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This application is a Continuation of U.S. Non-Provisional patent application Ser. No. 12/126,309, filed May 23, 2008, which application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
COPYRIGHT NOTICEA portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever. The following notice applies to the software and data as described below and in the drawings that form a part of this document: Copyright 2007-2008, eBay Inc., All Rights Reserved.
BACKGROUND1. Technical Field
This disclosure relates to methods and systems supporting computing and data processing systems. More particularly, a system and method for context and community based customization for a user experience is described.
2. Related Art
Conventional systems, like Amazon.com, can use a buyer's previously purchased product or product category/genre to suggest new products in a same or similar category/genre for the user. However, these prior systems are typically one-dimensional. That is, one-dimensional input (e.g. product category/genre) leads to one-dimensional output (e.g. new products in a same or similar category/genre). These conventional systems cannot provide multi-dimensional context analysis to provide a multi-dimensional output based on (customized from) a collection of activity from a community of users gathered over time.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,981,040 describes a method for providing automatic, personalized information services to a computer user including the following steps: transparently monitoring user interactions with data during normal use of the computer; updating user-specific data files including a set of user-related documents; estimating parameters of a learning machine that define a User Model specific to the user, using the user-specific data files; analyzing a document to identify its properties; estimating the probability that the user is interested in the document by applying the document properties to the parameters of the User Model; and providing personalized services based on the estimated probability. Personalized services include personalized searches that return only documents of interest to the user, personalized crawling for maintaining an index of documents of interest to the user; and personalized navigation that recommends interesting documents that are hyperlinked to documents currently being viewed.
U.S. Published Patent Application No. 2007/0100867 describes a method for providing advertising content for display in a page over a network. A plurality of advertisements are determined that are qualified for display at a location in the page. When an advertiser has stores located at a plurality of geographic sites, only one advertisement for a store located at a first geographic site may be displayed. Thereafter, the advertisement for a store located at a second geographic site different from the first geographic site may be displayed.
U.S. Published Patent Application No. 2007/0208724 describes a system and method to facilitate expansion, disambiguation, and optimization of search queries over a network wherein an original query received from a user is parsed to obtain at least one query term. A plurality of keywords related contextually to one or more query terms are further retrieved from a database. Finally, a set of modified queries is generated, each modified query further comprising at least one query term and at least one retrieved keyword.
Thus, a system and method for context and community based customization for a user experience are needed.
Embodiments illustrated by way of example and not limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which:
In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of some example embodiments. It will be evident, however, to one of ordinary skill in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details.
As described further below, according to various example embodiments of the disclosed subject matter described and claimed herein, there is provided a system and method for context and community based customization for a user experience. The user experience includes a computer-implemented user interface and functionality supporting the processing capabilities provided for a computer user. Various embodiments are described below in connection with the figures provided herein.
In an example embodiment, an automated, community-driven, self-learning system uses collected user activity feedback to customize the serving of web page content to users in a context-sensitive manner. The system uses context input, including the user's search query/keywords, a related product or service category, a user/segment profile, site identifier (ID), domain, etc., and user activity feedback to perform the following customization operations:
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- 1. choose among a variety of page types given the context input. The page types can include any type of webpage, window, frame, dialog box, user interface screen, textual or image display, or the like. Particular examples of such page types include, an all matching items (AMI) type, a dynamic landing page (DLP) type, a registration page, etc. It will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art the other page types can be similarly defined;
- 2. on the selected page type, populate a likely relevant set of widgets/modules (e.g. advertisements, links, selection lists, information blocks, etc.) for display on the page given the context input; and
- 3. for one or more widgets/modules, set a configuration for the widgets/modules (e.g. a sorting of the data) given the context input.
In various embodiments described herein, the automated, community-driven, self-learning system uses multi-dimensional input (context input) to produce multi-dimensional output (selections of page type, widget set, and/or configuration) all based on (customized from) a collection of activity feedback from a community of users gathered over time. As described herein, a widget (or module) is an interface element with which a computer user interacts, such as a window, frame, or a text box. The defining characteristic of a widget is to provide a single interaction point for the direct manipulation of a given kind of data. Widgets are visual basic building blocks which, when combined in an application, hold all the data processed by the application and the available interactions on this data.
In general, various embodiments use context input, including user and query information and user activity feedback to automatically generate and display the most relevant or most likely user-favored next page for that context using a predictive model. User information can include explicitly or implicitly obtained demographic information, explicitly or implicitly obtained user profile information, user transaction history, user activity history, and/or any other information explicitly or implicitly obtained that may indicate user preferences. Additionally, a perturbation engine is used to include, for some users, a slightly sub-optimal selection of page type, widget set, and/or configuration to cause the system to re-affirm the optimal selections and to introduce new selections that may have otherwise not been considered or selected. The perturbation engine enables a particular user or set of users to be exposed to a selection of page type, widget set, and/or configuration to which the user/users may not have otherwise been exposed. In some cases, a particular user or set of users can be exposed to a sub-optimal or under-performing selection of page type, widget set, and/or configuration.
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Once the user experience customizer 100 produces and displays output page 110, the system of a particular embodiment shown in
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The output produced by the user experience customizer 100 can include multi-dimensional output, such as selections of page type 261, module/widget set 262, configuration 263, and/or other selections 264) all based on (customized from) a collection of user activity feedback from a community of users gathered over time. In general, various embodiments use context input, including user and query information and user activity feedback to automatically generate and display the most relevant next page for that context using a predictive model.
The example computer system 700 includes a processor 702 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), or both), a main memory 704 and a static memory 706, which communicate with each other via a bus 708. The computer system 700 may further include a video display unit 710 (e.g. a liquid crystal display (LCD) or a cathode ray tube (CRT)). The computer system 700 also includes an input device 712 (e.g., a keyboard), a cursor control device 714 (e.g., a mouse), a disk drive unit 716, a signal generation device 718 (e.g., a speaker) and a network interface device 720.
The disk drive unit 716 includes a machine-readable medium 722 on which is stored one or more sets of instructions (e.g., software 724) embodying any one or more of the methodologies or functions described herein. The instructions 724 may also reside, completely or at least partially, within the main memory 704, the static memory 706, and/or within the processor 702 during execution thereof by the computer system 700. The main memory 704 and the processor 702 also may constitute machine-readable media. The instructions 724 may further be transmitted or received over a network 726 via the network interface device 720.
Applications that may include the apparatus and systems of various embodiments broadly include a variety of electronic and computer systems. Some embodiments implement functions in two or more specific interconnected hardware modules or devices with related control and data signals communicated between and through the modules, or as portions of an application-specific integrated circuit. Thus, the example system is applicable to software, firmware, and hardware implementations. In example embodiments, a computer system (e.g., a standalone, client or server computer system) configured by an application may constitute a “module” that is configured and operates to perform certain operations as described herein. In other embodiments, the “module” may be implemented mechanically or electronically. For example, a module may comprise dedicated circuitry or logic that is permanently configured (e.g., within a special-purpose processor) to perform certain operations. A module may also comprise programmable logic or circuitry (e.g., as encompassed within a general-purpose processor or other programmable processor) that is temporarily configured by software to perform certain operations. It will be appreciated that the decision to implement a module mechanically, in the dedicated and permanently configured circuitry, or in temporarily configured circuitry (e.g. configured by software) may be driven by cost and time considerations. Accordingly, the term “module” should be understood to encompass a tangible entity, be that an entity that is physically constructed, permanently configured (e.g., hardwired) or temporarily configured (e.g., programmed) to operate in a certain manner and/or to perform certain operations described herein. While the machine-readable medium 722 is shown in an example embodiment to be a single medium, the term “machine-readable medium” should be taken to include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed database, and/or associated caches and servers) that store the one or more sets of instructions. The term “machine-readable medium” shall also be taken to include any medium that is capable of storing, encoding or carrying a set of instructions for execution by the machine and that cause the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologies of the present description. The term “machine-readable medium” shall accordingly be taken to include, but not be limited to, solid-state memories, optical and magnetic media, and carrier wave signals. As noted, the software may be transmitted over a network using a transmission medium. The term “transmission medium” shall be taken to include any medium that is capable of storing, encoding or carrying instructions for transmission to and execution by the machine, and includes digital or analog communications signal or other intangible medium to facilitate transmission and communication of such software.
The illustrations of embodiments described herein are intended to provide a general understanding of the structure of various embodiments, and they are not intended to serve as a complete description of all the elements and features of apparatus and systems that might make use of the structures described herein. Many other embodiments will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reviewing the above description. Other embodiments may be utilized and derived therefrom, such that structural and logical substitutions and changes may be made without departing from the scope of this disclosure. The figures provided herein are merely representational and may not be drawn to scale. Certain proportions thereof may be exaggerated, while others may be minimized. Accordingly, the specification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense.
Thus, a system and method for context and community based customization for a user experience are disclosed. While the present invention has been described in terms of several example embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described, but can be practiced with modification and alteration within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. The description herein is thus to be regarded as illustrative instead of limiting.
Claims
1. A method comprising:
- gathering context information;
- providing a user experience customizer to automatically produce user experience customization selections based on the context information;
- collecting user activity feedback from a community of users; and
- using the user activity feedback to adjust the user experience customizer to automatically produce user experience customization selections likely favored by a user based on a correlation of the user activity feedback with the context information.
2. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the context information is selected from the group: site identifier, buyer segmentation information, domain identifier, and keywords/queries.
3. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the context information is selected from dimensions in the group: site identifier, buyer segmentation information, domain identifier, and keywords/queries, and the method further includes progressively falling back to other sufficient and accurate dimensions in the group if a particular dimension does not provide sufficient or accurate information.
4. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the user experience customization selections are selected from the group: page type, modules, and configurations.
5. The method as claimed in claim 4 wherein the page type includes an all matching items page type.
6. The method as claimed in claim 4 wherein the configurations include a sort order selection.
7. The method as claimed in claim 1 including providing a perturbation engine to perturb the automatically produced user experience customization selections.
8. The method as claimed in claim 7 wherein the perturbation engine exposes a user to user experience customization selections to which the user would not have otherwise been exposed.
9. The method as claimed in claim 7 wherein the perturbation engine exposes a user to sub-optimal user experience customization selections.
10. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the user activity feedback includes clicking on items, bidding or buying activity, or explicitly provided user feedback.
11. A user experience customizer comprising:
- an input unit to gather context information;
- a predictive data unit to form correlations between the context data and a likely desirable structure and content provided in a corresponding user experience, the predictive data unit further to collect user activity feedback from a community of users and to adjust the user experience customizer based on the user activity feedback; and
- a decision unit to automatically produce user experience customization selections based on a correlation of the user activity feedback with the context information.
12. The user experience customizer as claimed in claim 11 wherein the context information is selected from the group: site identifier, buyer segmentation information, domain identifier, and keywords/queries.
13. The user experience customizer as claimed in claim 11 wherein the context information is selected from dimensions in the group: site identifier, buyer segmentation information, domain identifier, and keywords/queries, and the user experience customizer being further configured to progressively fall back to other sufficient and accurate dimensions in the group if a particular dimension does not provide sufficient or accurate information.
14. The user experience customizer as claimed in claim 11 wherein the user experience customization selections are selected from the group: page type, modules, and configurations.
15. The user experience customizer as claimed in claim 14 wherein the page type includes an all matching items page type.
16. The user experience customizer as claimed in claim 14 wherein the configurations include a sort order selection.
17. The user experience customizer as claimed in claim 11 being further configured to provide a perturbation engine to perturb the automatically produced user experience customization selections.
18. The user experience customizer as claimed in claim 17 wherein the perturbation engine exposes a user to user experience customization selections to which the user would not have otherwise been exposed.
19. The user experience customizer as claimed in claim 17 wherein the perturbation engine exposes a user to suboptimal user experience customization selections.
20. The user experience customizer as claimed in claim 11 wherein the predictive data unit being further configured to collect user activity feedback including clicking on items, bidding or buying activity, or explicitly provided user feedback.
21. An article of manufacture comprising a machine-readable storage medium having machine executable instructions embedded thereon, which when executed by a machine, cause the machine to:
- gather context information;
- provide a user experience customizer to automatically produce user experience customization selections based on the context information;
- collect user activity feedback from a community of users; and
- use the user activity feedback to adjust the user experience customizer to automatically produce user experience customization selections likely favored by a user based on a correlation of the user activity feedback with the context information.
22. The article of manufacture as claimed in claim 21 wherein the context information is selected from the group: site identifier, buyer segmentation information, domain identifier, and keywords/queries.
23. The article of manufacture as claimed in claim 21 wherein the context information is selected from dimensions in the group: site identifier, buyer segmentation information, domain identifier, and keywords/queries, and the article of manufacture being further configured to progressively fall back to other sufficient and accurate dimensions in the group if a particular dimension does not provide sufficient or accurate information.
24. The article of manufacture as claimed in claim 21 wherein the user experience customization selections are selected from the group: page type, modules, and configurations.
25. The article of manufacture as claimed in claim 24 wherein the page type includes an all matching items page type.
26. The article of manufacture as claimed in claim 24 wherein the configurations include a sort order selection.
Type: Application
Filed: Jan 21, 2013
Publication Date: May 23, 2013
Applicant: eBay Inc. (San Jose, CA)
Inventors: Vipul C. Dalal (Sunnyvale, CA), Eric Noel Billingsley (Campbell, CA), James Ladd (San Jose, CA), Sanjay Pundlkrao Ghatare (San Jose, CA), Randall Scott Shoup (San Francisco, CA), Suhail Ansari (Sunnyvale, CA), Gunshekar Cemballi (Cupertino, CA), Neelakantan Sundaresan (Mountain View, CA)
Application Number: 13/746,184
International Classification: G06F 3/0484 (20060101);