Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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RECEIVING AND REPORTING PAGE-SPECIFIC USER FEEDBACK
CONCERNING ONE OR MORE PARTICULAR WEB PAGES OF A WEBSITE
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates in general to communications and more particularly to
receiving and reporting page-specific user feedback concerning one or more
particular
web pages of a website.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Many website owners desire information concerning usage of their websites.
For example, an Internet website owner might use a third party service to
track the
number of users that visit its website, the number of "clicks" these users
collectively
perform (using their mouse pointers) while visiting the website, and how long
these
users stay at the website. Using this objective information, the website owner
may
determine that its website is not attracting a sufficient number of users or
has been
ineffective at keeping the interest of users once they arrive. The website
owner may
respond accordingly to improve its websites and, possibly, the success of its
associated business operations.
Previous techniques for obtaining information concerning usage of websites
often do not provide website owners with information about how users
subjectively
react to their websites, making the information of minimal value. Prior
techniques
that do solicit user feedback do so with respect to transactions carried out
using the
website, but not with respect to the website itself. These techniques give
website
owners little if any information concerning feedback from users concerning
particular
pages of their websites. Moreover, website owners are given little if any
information
about how users experience their websites as the users navigate through them,
moving
from page to page according to the topography of the websites. Even techniques
that
request users to provide feedback concerning transactions may be relatively
difficult
to use, obtrusive, unstandardized, or otherwise deficient in some manner that
causes
them to be seldom used and therefore ineffective. The information reported to
website owners may also be ineffective due to the format in which it is
provided, for
example, in reports that are difficult to interpret and do not allow useful
comparisons
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2
to be made. These and other disadvantages make prior techniques inadequate for
many
website owners.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Particular embodiments of the present invention may reduce or eliminate
problems and disadvantages associated with previous techniques for receiving
and
reporting user feedback concerning one or more particular web pages of a
website.
In one embodiment, the present invention provides a system for receiving page-
specific user feedback concerning a particular web page of a website displayed
at a
computer system of a user that has accessed the particular web page, the
system
comprising: a comment icon viewable on the particular web page for soliciting
one or
more page-specific open-ended comments concerning the particular web page from
the
user; and a feedback measurement tool associated with the comment icon and
operable to:
in response to the user selecting the comment icon, automatically communicate
a request
for a comment window to a remote computer system that is separate from a
computer
system hosting the website and also separate from the computer system of the
user;
receive the comment window from the remote computer system that is separate
from the
computer system hosting the website and also separate from the computer system
of the
user; present the comment window to the user at the computer system of the
user; and
receive the one or more page-specific open-ended comments concerning the
particular
web page from the user in the comment window for reporting to a website owner.
In another embodiment, the present invention provides a method for receiving
page-specific user feedback concerning a particular web page of a website
displayed at a
computer system of a user that has accessed the particular web page, the
method
comprising: presenting a comment icon viewable on the particular web page to
solicit one
or more page-specific open-ended comments concerning the particular web page
from the
user; and in response to the user selecting the comment icon, automatically
communicating a request for a comment window to a remote computer system that
is
separate from a computer system hosting the website and also separate from the
computer
system of the user, the comment window allowing the user to provide the one or
more
page-specific open-ended comments concerning the particular web page;
receiving, at the
computer system of the user, the comment window from the remote computer
system that
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2a
is separate from the computer system hosting the website and also separate
from the
computer system of the user; presenting the comment window to the user at the
computer
system of the user; and receiving the one or more or more page-specific open-
ended
comments concerning the particular web page from the user for reporting to a
website
owner, the one or more page-specific open-ended comments concerning the
particular
web page being provided using the comment window.
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3
Particular embodiments of the present invention may provide one or more
technical advantages. In particular embodiments, user feedback concerning
particular
pages of a website or an electronic mail (e-mail) message may be measured
using
software for measuring such feedback that may be readily identifiable (by one
or more
associated icons), easy to use, and unobtrusive. In particular embodiments,
for
example, a user need not separately download any software and open a new
window
in a browser of the user. As a result, valuable infonnation may be readily
compiled
(including feedback concerning particular pages and other data that may be
correlated
to such feedback) and the likelihood of users providing such information may
be
substantially high in comparison with previous techniques. Additionally,
software for
measuring user feedback may, in particular embodiments, be easily inco~porated
into
existing pages of a website or an e-mail message, which may reduce costs and
delays
typically associated with rewriting software code for the pages. These and
other
advantages may contribute to such feedback measurement software (and
associated
icons) becoming a standard across the entire community of Internet users.
In particular embodiments, one or more comments, answers to explicit
questions, and subjective ratings concerning a particular page of a website or
an e-
mail message may be solicited from a user in any suitable combination. In
particular
embodiments, different questions may be associated with different web pages
across a
website including a number of web pages or an e-mail message including a
number of
pages. In particular embodiments, a user may be encouraged or even required to
provide one or more subjective ratings concerning a particular page to provide
one or
more comments concerning the page. Such page-specific subjective ratings may
make
such comments more useful to a website owner or e-mail sender. In particular
embodiments, background data reflecting one or more details of a coinputer
system of
a user, a web session of the user, or both may be obtained from the user in
connection
-with-the-user-providing-one-or-more page=specifrc comments concernirig a
particular
page. Such data may similarly make such comments more useful to a website
owner
or e-mail sender.
In particular embodiments, a user may provide one or more comments
concerning a page of a website or an e-mail message using a comment window
that is
generated by a computer system remote from the user and subsequently
communicated to a computer system of the user. This may allow a website owner
to
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customize the comment window without modifying the page. In particular
embodiments, a website owner or e-mail sender may customize a comment window
in
a number of ways, which may include specifying one or more explicit questions
presented to users in the comment window or making any other suitable
customizations. In particular embodiments, a website owner or e-mail sender
may test
a customized comment window before committing one or more customizations made
by the website owner or e-mail sender.
Particular embodiments may enable a website owner or researcher acting on
behalf of a website owner to conduct research related to one or more web pages
of one
or more websites. Particular embodiments may similarly enable law enforcement
or
regulatory personnel to conduct investigations concerning one or more owners
of one
or more websites. In particular embodiments, such research or investigations
may be
conducted without involving the owners of the websites and possibly without
such
owners even being made aware of such research or investigations.
Particular embodiments may provide reports to a website owner or e-mail
sender that reflect a wealth of previously unavailable information concerning
particular pages of a website or e-mail message and yet may be readily
interpreted to
allow useful comparisons among such pages. Moreover, particular embodiments
may
allows a website owner to access reports reflecting user feedback in much the
same
way a user might navigate from one page of a website to another page of the
website
according to the topography of the website. This may give the website owner
additional valuable information providing a basis for decisions concerning the
website. Particular embodiments may communicate to a particular e-mail address
at
particular times particular reports reflecting particular pages of a website
or e-mail
message. This may be useful, for example, where a website owner includes an
organization that includes a number of different people having different
responsibilities-concerning-a-website. In-particular-erriliodiinents, reports
communicated to a website owner or e-mail sender may be filtered according to
suitable filter criteria such that they reflect only particular user feedback,
which may
help the website owner or e-mail sender focus its attention to addressing
particular
feedback.
These and other advantages may make the system and method of the present
invention well suited for used in modem Internet and other environments in
which
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users access websites, receive e-mail, or both. Certain embodiments may
provide all,
some, or none of these technical advantages, and certain embodiments may
provide
one or more other technical advantages which may be readily apparent to those
skilled
in the art from the figures, descriptions, and claims included herein.
5
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
To provide a more complete understanding of the present invention and
features and advantages thereof, reference is made to the following
description, taken
in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIGURE 1 illustrates an example system for measuring and reporting user
feedback to particular web pages of a website;
FIGURE 2 illustrates an example web page incorporating a user feedback
measurement tool;
FIGURE 3 illustrates an example web page incorporating a general feedback
measurement tool;
FIGURE 4 illustrates another example general feedback measurement tool;
FIGURE 5 illustrates an example web page incorporating a specific feedback
measurement tool;
FIGURE 6 illustrates an example combined general feedback measurement
tool and specific feedback measurement tool;
FIGURE 7 illustrates an example web page for registering a user;
FIGURES 8A and 8B illustrate example site level reports;
FIGURE 9 illustrates an example page level report;
FIGURE 10 illustrates an example method of incorporating a user feedback
measurement tool into particular web pages of a website;
FIGURE 11 illustrates an example method of measuring a user's feedback to
partieular-web-pages-of-a website;-and-
FIGURE 12 illustrates an example method of reporting on user feedback to
particular web pages of a website.
DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS
FIGUR.E 1 illustrates an example system 10 for measuring and reporting on
user feedback concerning particular web pages associated with a website using
one or
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more feedback measurement tools that are incorporated into and viewable on the
pages. As described more fully below, in one embodiment, the feedback
measurement tools are standardized across some or all of the web pages, are
readily
identifiable by users of the pages, and are intuitive, predictable, and easy
for the users
to use in providing feedback concerning the pages. As a result, these
measurement
tools provide a number of important technical advantages over previous
techniques
for measuring user input, which may merely measure and report website usage
information or user feedback concerning transactions rather than user feedback
on a
page by page basis. Such systems are therefore incapable of providing
meaningful
feedback to website owners regarding the "topography" of their websites; that
is,
which of possibly numerous pages of a website have been rated particularly
successful
or unsuccessful in the eyes of users of the website as those users navigate
through the
pages of the website according their particular needs. The system and method
of the
present invention address these and other deficiencies.
Although the present invention is described primarily in connection with the
measurement and reporting of user feedback concerning one or more particular
pages
of one or more websites, the present invention may be similarly applied in
connection
with polling, surveying, product development research, market research,
usability
testing, business-to-consumer (B2C) commercial transactions, business-to-
business
(B2B) commercial transactions, or any other suitable activity for which the
measurement and reporting of user responses may be desirable. Those skilled in
the
art will readily appreciate the application of the present invention to such
activities
based on these figures, descriptions, and claims.
System 10 includes a website owner 12, a web server 14, one or more website
users 16, and a reporting server 18 coupled to one another using network 20,
which
may be any suitable local area network (LAN), metropolitan area network (MAN),
wide-area-network-(WAN); a global-communications network such as the Internet,-
or
any other suitable network. Although owner 12, server 14, users 16, and server
18 are
described as coupled using a single network 20, the present invention
contemplates
multiple networks 12 of the same type or different types to couple these
components
to one another, according to particular needs. Owner 12 and users 16 may each
be
autonomous computer systems or may receive appropriate input from one or more
associated persons. Servers 14 and 18 may including software operating on one
or
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more computer systems 22 and 24, respectively, at one or more locations. Owner
12,
server 14, and server 18 may operate on at least one shared computer system.
The
computer systems associated with owner 12, user 16, server 14, and server 18
include
input devices, output devices, processors, memories, and other components
suitable
for the features and operation described below.
Web server 14 hosts or otherwise supports at least one website 26 including
one or more pages 28. Although pages 28 are described primarily as web pages
28
associated with a typical website 26, the present invention contemplates
measuring
and reporting user feedback concerning files, documents, or any other
formatted
information. Moreover, although a single website 26 for a single owner 12 is
described in detail, server 14 may support one or more websites 26 for each of
multiple owners 12. In general, using an associated web browser or other
software
component, the user 16 provides a uniform resource locator (URL) or other
electronic
address to establish a connection to server 14 and access a particular page 28
associated with website 26. Server 14 communicates the requested page 28 to
user 16
using network 20, user 16 receives page 28, and the user 16 views or otherwise
processes page 28 according to the user's particular needs. User 16 will
typically
provide one or more additional URLs during a single browser session to access
additional pages 28 associated with website 26, navigating through the
topography of
website 26 according to particular needs. Multiple users 16 may access a
single page
28 substantially simultaneously. The present invention contemplates one or
more
website users 16 accessing one or more pages 28 of website 26 in any suitable
manner
during one or more browser sessions.
Each user 16 may have an opinion, assessment, feeling, or other subjective
reaction to each page 28 communicated to the user 16, either in its entirety
or more
specifically to the format, content, design, or another characteristic
associated with
page 28- For--example only and-not-byywayof-limitation,--user-r5 rriay
consider -a
particular page 28 helpful, informative, understandable, humorous, or may
otherwise
have a positive or favorable reaction to page 28, generally or with respect to
one or
more specific aspects of page 28. Alternatively, for example and without
limitation,
user 16 may consider a particular page unhelpful, uninformative, confusing,
boring, or
may otherwise have a negative or unfavorable reaction to page 28, generally or
with
respect to one or more specific aspects of page 28. The strength of this
subjective
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reaction, whether positive or negative, may vary from mild to very strong.
Rather
than having a positive or negative reaction, user 16 may have a neutral
reaction to
page 28. Moreover, the subjective reaction of user 16 to page 28, generally or
as to
specific aspects, may be different from the subjective reaction of user 16 to
other
pages 28 or to website 26 in its entirety. Feedback from a user 16 concerning
a page
28 may reflect one or more reactions of user 16 to page 28 and may, where
appropriate, include ratings, comments (which may include qualitative
statements
concerning page 28), answers to explicit questions (whether or not the subject
of the
question is related in some manner to page 28), or any other suitable general
or
specific user feedback concerning page 28.
According to the present invention, feedback from users 16 concerning one or
more particular pages 28 of website 26 are measured and compiled to allow
system 10
to provide valuable information to owner 12 concerning the topography of
website 26;
that is, particular pages 28 and specific aspects of those particular pages 28
that have
been successful or unsuccessful in the eyes of users 16 as users 16 navigate
through
pages 28 of the website 26. In one embodiment, server 14 supports a user
feedback
measurement tool 30 that is incorporated into pages 28 and may be communicated
to
user 16 with page 28 in response to user 16 requesting page 28.
As described below with reference to FIGURES 2 through 6, the tool 30 is
preferably incorporated into page 28, both as a viewable icon and as suitable
software
components, in a manner that does not conflict with the existing design or
coding of
page 28. In a particular embodiment, too130 includes software code
incorporated into
the Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), Extensible Markup Language (XML), or
other software code of page 28. Tool 30 also includes one or more JAVASCRIPTS,
or other suitable scripts, that may be stored in a dedicated or other suitable
directory.
In the particular embodiinent, the software code incorporated into page 28
calls the
script in-response-to the user 16-selecting-an-icon-associated-with too1-30-to-
provide
feedback. Tool 30 may be incorporated into one or more pages 28 of website 26,
directly or indirectly such as through a call to a script within a dedicated
directory, in
any appropriate manner without departing from the intended scope of the
present
invention. In response to user 16 accessing the associated page 28, the
incorporated
software code and the directory containing the script are communicated with
page 28
to user 16. Unless otherwise specified or appropriate, a reference to too130
is meant
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9
to include reference to the viewable icon, the script and its directory, the
call to the
script incorporated into the code of page 28, and any other components of tool
30,
singly or in any combination. In one embodiment, the too130 continues to
execute on
the computer system of user 16, with associated page 28, until user 16
provides
feedback or closes the user's web browser.
As described more fully below with reference to FIGURES 2 through 6, tool
30 may include a general feedback measurement tool 32 for measuring general
feedback from user 16 concerning the associated page 28, for example only and
not by
way of limitation, according to a multi-level or another suitable subjective
rating
scale. Also as described more fully below with reference to FIGURES 2 througli
6,
instead of or in addition to general feedback measurement tool 32, tool 30 may
include a specific feedback measurement too134 for measuring feedback from
user 16
concerning one or more selected aspects of page 28, according to the same or a
different subjective rating scale as for tool 32. For example and without
limitation,
tool 34 may measure feedback from user 16 concerning the content, design,
usability,
or any other suitable aspect of page 28, singly or in any combination.
Feedback
measured using tool 30, 32, or 34 may include responses to one or more
explicit
questions posed to user 16 concerning page 28, concerning one or more visual,
audible, or other elements of page 28, concerning one or more items with which
page
28 is logically associated, or conceming any other suitable subject. As
described more
fully below, tools 30, 32, and 34 may allow a user 16 to provide comments or
access
additional infonnation concerning the rating scale, tool 30, 32, or 34,
website 26,
owner 12, or any other appropriate aspect of system 10. Feedback and related
input
received from users 16 may be stored temporarily on the computer system of
user 16,
within tool 30, or at another suitable location before being communicated to
server 18
for storage within database 36, which may include one or more data storage
locations
integr-al-to-or-separate-from-computer-system 24.-
In one embodiment, feedback measurement tool 30 includes registration
module 38 for collecting appropriate demographic or any other suitable
information
associated with user 16. Using such demographic information, feedback from
user 16
concerning pages 28 may be categorized and analyzed to obtain further
information
that may be valuable to owner 12 or to others. Not only can demographic
information
be correlated to user feedback, but the linking between demographic
information and
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user feedback may be used to determine additional information about the
correlation
between user feedback and other metrics. For example, system 10 or another
system
may collect website traffic data, along with demographic information requested
from
website visitors, such that the traffic data may be correlated with the
demographic
5 data. System 10 may collect user feedback data, along with demographic
information
requested from users 16, such that the user feedback data may be correlated
with the
demographic data. Since in this example both the website traffic data and the
user
feedback data are correlated with demographic information, the traffic data
and user
feedback data may be correlated with one another to provide owner 12 or others
with
10 potentially valuable information. It may also be desirable to present the
traffic data
and user feedback data together in an integrated fashion, with or without the
linking
demographic information, using a single "dashboard" or other suitable visual
display.
Any set of two or more metrics may be correlated in an analogous manner, using
a
common link to demographic or other suitable compiled information, and
presented
together using a single visual display.
As described more fully below with reference to FIGURE 7, the registration
module 38 may be implemented using a registration page or pop-up window that
is
presented to a user 16 at least the first time the user 16 selects tool 30 to
provide
feedback concerning a page 28 of website 26. The demographic information
received
from users 16 is communicated to server 18 for storage in database 40, which
may
include one or more data storage locations integral to or separate from
database 36
and computer system 24. This demographic information may be accessible to
users
16, witli appropriate password protection, to allow the users 16 to add to,
delete, or
modify some or all of their associated demographic information, as
appropriate.
Alternatively, users 16 might communicate appropriate modifications, using e-
mail
for example, to a person responsible for implementing such modifications.
Although
-a-particularregistration procedure is described,-user 16 may register in any
appropri-aT6--
manner, for example, by facsimile, regular mail, or telephone (possibly using
an
interactive voice response (IVR) system).
In general, website owner 12 is any entity responsible for at least one aspect
associated with website 26, for example only, fmancing, creation, editing,
approval,
review, implementation, administration, or any other suitable aspect
associated with
website 26. Owner 12 interacts with servers 14 and 18 as appropriate to set up
and
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administer one or more websites 26 hosted or otherwise supported on server 14,
including incorporating tool 30 into pages 28 and accessing any reporting
information
on feedback from users 16 concerning pages 28. Before allowing owner 12 to
incorporate tool 30 and the associated software components into pages 28,
server 18
may require that owner 12 provide appropriate identification, billing, and
other
information; may notify owner 12 that website 26 may be "crawled" to identify
and
gather data pertaining to pages 28; may provide owner 12 with a license
agreement or
other information concerning services being provided to owner 12; and may
cormnunicate any other appropriate information with owner 12. Server 18 may
store
some or all of the registration and setup information described above in one
or more
appropriate storage locations (not explicitly shown) according to particular
needs.
Server 18 may also assign owner 12 an identifier and password for use in
accessing
reports concerning one or more particular pages 28,of website 26, as described
more
,:~----~.
fully below. ' Although server 18 is described as handling the registration of
owner 12,
owner 12 may register in any appropriate manner, such as by facsimile, by
regular
mail, or by telephone (possibly using an interactive voice response (IVR)
system).
After appropriate information has been communicated between owner 12 and
server 18 and, if desirable, verified in some appropriate manner, owner 12 may
use a
wizard or other software component to download or otherwise communicate one or
more pages 28 (or preferably copies of pages 28) of the website 26 from server
14 to
the computer system of owner 12. Pages 28 may be communicated to owner 12
using
File Transfer Protocol (FTP) or in any other suitable manner, singly or as a
group.
Owner 12 may specify, for each page 28, the type of viewable icon the owner 12
wants to appear on page 28, the color of the icon, or any other suitable
characteristic
of the icon. In one embodiment, characteristics of the icon may include one or
more
explicit questions concerning page 28, concerning one or more visual, audible,
or
=- -
ot er e es of page 2-8; or concernig one or more items with which page 28 is
logically associated. Where appropriate, the characteristics of the icon may
include
any explicit question, whether or not the subject of the question is related
in some
manner to page 28.
To specify an icon and its characteristics, as an example only and not by way
of limitation, owner 12 might click on the desired icon, which might be one of
multiple standard icons, and manipulate its characteristics using pull down
menus.
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Owner 12 might then click on, drag and drop, or otherwise incorporate the
desired
icon into the local version of the page 28. The incorporation might instead
occur
automatically in response to owner 12 specifying characteristics of the icon.
The
wizard may create a dedicated or other suitable directory containing the
script of tool
30 and, in addition, paste or otherwise incorporate a call to the script in
the software
code of the page 28. Owner 12 may use the wizard or another software component
to
upload or otherwise communicate each modified page 28 (incorporating the tool
30)
back to the server 14, singly or as a group, to replace corresponding previous
page 28
(not incorporating tool 30) within website 26. The process through which owner
12
may incorporate tool 30 in one or more pages 28 provides an important
technical
advantage of the present invention. In one embodiment, incorporation of tool
30 in
pages 28 frees users 16 from needing to download separate software (separate
from
accessing page 28) or open a separate window to provide user feedback using
tool 30,
providing another important technical advantage.
Alternatively, server 18 might communicate tool 30 directly to server 14 for
automatic incorporation into pages 28. Less desirably, server 18 might
communicate
to owner 12 a file containing the software code to be incorporated into the
code of
pages 28 and also containing the directory with the script to be called when
user 16
selects tool 30 to provide feedback. Owner 12 may download from server 14 or
otherwise obtain a local version of each page 28, manually edit each of the
pages 28
by pasting in the appropriate software coinponents, and then upload or
otherwise
communicate modified pages 28 (incorporating tool 30) back to server 14,
singly or as
a group, to replace previous pages 28 (not incorporating tool 30) within
website 26.
As another alternative, the tool 30 might be incorporated into page 28 as page
28 is
constructed, such as with an entirely new website 26 or when new content is
added to
an existing website 26.
Although-a number-of-possible-alternatives-are-l:escribed in detail t-o-61-30
may
be incorporated into pages 28 of website 26 in any suitable manner without
departing
from the intended scope of the present invention. Moreover, although a web
page 28
is primarily described, the present invention contemplates tool 30 being
incorporated
into or otherwise associated with an e-mail message, advertisement, Graphics
Interface Format (GIF) file, or other suitable collection of information
communicated
to user 16, whether or not considered a web page 28. Any such collection of
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13
information incorporating tool 30 may be considered a page 28, where
appropriate.
For example, tool 30 may be incorporated into an HTML or other e-inail message
(which may include one or more attachments) communicated to user 16 and
soliciting
feedback from user 16 concerning the content, delivery, or other aspect of the
e-mail.
Upon receiving the e-mail message, user 16 might open the e-mail message,
click on
or otherwise select the icon to provide solicited feedback, and thereby cause
user
feedback information to be communicated to server 18 for collection and
reporting.
Incorporating tool 30 into e-mail messages may be particularly useful in
connection
with bulk e-mail messages. Previously, feedback from users 16 concerning such
messages has been measured according to "click through" (or "conversion")
rates or
response rates. However, such techniques do not provide diagnostic data
reflecting
whether the messages, offers in the messages, or other aspects of the messages
are
good or bad in the eyes of users 16 or why such aspects of the messages are
good or
bad. In particular embodiments, an e-mail message may include an icon (near
the
bottom of the message or elsewhere) associated with tool 30 that solicits user
feedback (which may include ratings, answers to explicit questions, comments,
or
other suitable user feedback) concerning the message. Soliciting user feedback
concerning bulk e-mail in this manner may provide a higher rate of response
and more
useful information than previous techniques.
As still another possible alternative within the scope of the present
invention,
tool 30 may be embedded or otherwise incorporated into the user's web browser
rather than pages 28 to provide substantially equivalent functionality. In one
embodiment, user 16 may download tool 30, either as part of accessing a page
28 or
directly, and perform any appropriate subsequent operations to incorporate
tool 30
into the web browser. Tool 30 may be installed each time user 16 accesses a
page 28
or may be installed the first time user 16 accesses a page 18 and remain
installed until
-user-1-6-desires-to-uninstall the tool-30.-Ifthe-tonlr30 is iricorporated-
info `ffie web-
browser rather than page 28, the viewable icon associated with too130 may
appear in
the "masthead" area of the browser window, may appear so as to obscure some or
all
of page 28 within the browser window, or may appear in any other suitable
location
and in any other suitable manner, according to particular needs.
As described more fully below, a user 16 may be allowed to provide one or
more page-specific comments regarding a page 28. For example, in response to
user
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14
16 selecting an icon associated with tool 30, a comment window may appear
allowing
user 16 to provide one or more page-specific comments. Such a window may, in
addition or as an alternative, appear automatically independent of input from
user 16.
In addition or as an alternative to allowing user 16 to provide one or more
comments,
user 16 may be allowed to provide one or more answers to explicit questions
regarding page 28. For example, a comment window that may appear in response
to
user 16 selecting an icon associated with tool 30 may include one or more
explicit
questions regarding page 28. Tool 30 may generate the comment window, receive
comments, answers to questions, or both from user 16, and communicate the
received
feedback to reporting server 18. In certain embodiments, as described more
fully
below, user 16 may be encouraged, or even required, to provide a page-specific
rating
to provide comments or answers to explicit questions regarding page 28. The
comments. or answers may be correlated with and evaluated in view of the
associated
ratings to provide deeper and more usable information regarding page 28.
In addition or as an alternative to tool 30 generating a comment window
locally at a computer associated with user 16, tool 30 may automatically
request a
comment window from a remote server separate from a web server 14 hosting a
website 26, such as reporting server 18. The remote server may be operated by
an
entity separate from an owner 12 of page 28. In response to the request, the
remote
server may generate the requested comment window and communicate it to tool
30,
which may then present the comment window to user 16. A server remote from
tool
generating the comment window may provide one or more advantages. For
example, owner 12 may access a secure area of the remote server to customize
the
comment window, for all pages 28 or for particular pages 28, without modifying
25 pages 28 or a browser of user 16. Owner 12 may customize the comment window
in
any suitable manner. For example, owner 12 may specify text in the comment
window-soiiciting comments-oT-answers-to explicit-questions iri the commerit
window;
one or more colors in the comment window, or any other suitable aspect of the
comment window. After owner 12 has customized the comment window, owner 12
30 may be allowed to test the comment window. For example, owner 12 may
indicate a
desire to test the comment window and, in response, page 28 may be
communicated to
owner 12. Owner 12 may then test the comment window, for example, by selecting
an icon associated with too130 to cause the comment window to appear. As a
result,
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owner 12 may be able to substantially immediately determine how customizations
of
the comment window will appear to users 16. After testing the comment window,
owner 12 may commit the customizations or make changes to the customizations
and
retest the comment window as appropriate.
5 In particular embodiments, tool 30 may be incorporated into a computer
system of a user 16 such that tool 30 need not be incorporated into a page 28
for user
16 to provide feedback concerning page 28. For example, tool 30 may be
incorporated into a web browser or other software component of a computer
system of
user 16, and user 16 may access page 28 and provide feedback concerning page
28
10 without tool 30 being incorporated into page 28 (and thus without
modifications being
made to page 28). For example, a website owner 12 or a competitive or other
researcher acting on behalf of a website owner 12 may instruct one or more
users 16
to access one or more particular pages 28 of one or more particular websites
26 of one
or more particular owners 12 and provide feedback concerning pages 28. By tool
30
15 being incorporated into computer systems of users 16, tool 30 need not be
incorporated into pages 28 for users 16 to provide such feedback. This may be
particularly useful, for example, where an owner 12 wishes to collect feedback
concerning a website 26 of a competitor without the competitor being involved
in the
competitive research or even being made aware that such feedback is being
collected.
An owner 12 may also collect feedback concerning a website 26 of owner 12 to
test
new website designs or for any other suitable purpose. As another example,
this may
also be useful where law enforcement or regulatory personnel wish to
investigate an
owner 12 of a website 26 for violations of one or more laws or regulations,
for
example, false or misleading advertising or product descriptions. As yet
another
example, this may be useful where an owner 12 wishes to ascertain whether
users 16
consider one or more marks being used by a competitor on a page 28 to be
confusingly similar to one or more trademar es f owner f 2.
As described above, tool 30 may automatically request a comment window
from a remote server separate from a web server 14 hosting a website 26,
receive the
requested comment window from the remote server, and present the received
comment window to a user 16. Where too130 is incorporated into a computer
system
of user 16 for research or other purposes as described above, tool 30 may thus
automatically request comment windows from a remote server for user 16 to
provide
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16
feedback concerning accessed pages 28. A server remote from tool 30 generating
the
comment window may provide one or more advantages. Where a user 16 is
accessing
pages 28 at the direction of an owner 12 or a researcher acting on behalf of
owner 12,
for example, the owner 12 or researcher may access a secure area of the remote
server
to customize comment windows for providing feedback concerning pages 28
witliout
modifying pages 28 (which may be impractical where the feedback concerning a
website 26 must be collected without an owner 12 of website 26 being involved
in the
research or even being made aware that such feedback is being collected) or a
computer system of user 16. The comment window may be customized in any
suitable mamier. For example, owner 12 or the researcher acting on behalf of
owner
12 may specify text in the cominent window soliciting comments or answers to
explicit questions in the comment window, one or more colors in the comment
window, or any other suitable aspect of the comment window. After owner 12 or
the
researcher has customized the comment window, owner 12 or the researcher may
be
allowed to test the comment window. For example, owner 12 or the researcher
may
indicate a desire to test the comment window and, in response, page 28 may be
communicated to owner 12 or the researcher. Owner 12 or the researcher may
then
test the comment window, for example, by selecting an icon associated with
tool 30 to
cause the comment window to appear. As a result, owner 12 or the researcher
may be
able to substantially immediately determine how customizations of the comment
window will appear to users 16. After testing the comment window, owner 12 or
the
researcher may commit the customizations or make changes to the customizations
and
retest the comment window as appropriate.
Periodically or in response to receiving feedback information from a user 16
concerning one or more particular pages 28 of website 26, collection module 42
of
server 18 may perform a "crawl" to identify the pages 28 that are associated
with
website-26 -(and possibiy-other-websites26)-and incorporate t6o1730-Based on
tlus
information, the collection module 42 may generate a map or other suitable
report
concerning the topography of website 26 and store the map in a database 44,
which
may include one or more storage locations integral to or separate from
database 36,
database 40, and server 18. In one embodiment, the pages 28 are parsed to
identify
their titles, URLs, and other suitable information for use in generating the
map.
Reporting module 46 uses the map to generate reports concerning the pages 28
of
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17
website 26, which might be linked to one another according to the topography
of
website 26 as described more fully below with reference to FIGURE 9. Owner 12
may subsequently modify one or more pages 28 of website 26 according to the
subjective ratings or other feedback received from users 16 (and possibly
their
demographic profiles), as reflected in the reports, to improve the pages 28 or
better
tailor the pages 28 for particular categories of users 16.
In some cases, owner 12 may be an organization and different persons within
the organization might be responsible for different sets of one or more pages
28 of
website 26. This may be an especially likely scenario when the owner 12 is a
large
company and website 26 includes a large number of pages 28. In one embodiment,
when owner 12 is registering with server 18, owner 12 is requested to provide
the e-
mail address or other contact information for each such person, to identify
pages 28
for which the person is responsible, and specify contact criteria. The
information may
be stored in a storage location (not explicitly shown) at or otherwise
accessible to
server 18. The contact criteria may apply to all the pages 28 for which the
person is
responsible or for one or more selected pages 28. For example, the contact
criteria
might specify that if a page 28 receives five negative ratings within a
specified time
period, the person associated with that page 28 will be automatically informed
using
the stored e-mail address. Moreover, if a user 16 provides comments using the
icon
associated with a page 28, the comments may be automatically communicated to
the
person associated with that page, as the comments are received or periodically
as a
group. The present invention contemplates any suitable threshold or other
contact
criteria, according to particular needs.
In the operation of system 10, owner 12 interacts with servers 14 and 18 as
appropriate to register the owner 12 and download or otherwise incorporate
tool 30
into one or more pages 28 of website 26. The user 16 accesses a particular
page 28
-incorporating tool-30-during-a-browser-sessiori anzl-uses tool-30 to provide
geriera or
specific feedback concerning page 28. In one embodiment, if user 16 has not
previously accessed any page 28 incorporating tool 30 during the browser
session, tool
30 may determine an Internet Protocol (IP) or other electronic address for the
computer system associated with user 16 and, when technically feasible,
determine a
hostname for the computer system. This preferably allows user feedback to be
associated with a particular computer system coupled to network 20. Tool 30
may
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18
attempt to store a cookie, token, or other appropriate message including a
browser
session identifier on the user's computer system, using the user's web browser
or in
any other manner. Each time user 16 accesses another page 28 incorporating
tool 30
during the browser session, tool 30 may access this stored message and respond
accordingly.
In response to user 16 providing general or specific feedback concerning page
28, tool 30 may also attempt to store on the user's computer system a cookie,
token, or
other message that includes a feedback user identifier, which tool 30 may
access as
appropriate during the remainder of the browser session. The tool 30 may store
the
feedback user identifier on the user's computer system, possibly along with
the time
and date at which user 16 provided the feedback. After user 16 provides
feedback
concerning page 28, tool 30 may cause a previously viewable icon associated
with
tool 30 to become unviewable on page 28 for the reinainder of the browser
session (if
user 16 returns to page 28), for as long as user 16 remains on page 28, for a
specified
time period, or otherwise. As a result, user 16 may be allowed to provide
feedback
concerning page 28 only once, for example, during a browser session or a
specified
time period, which may make the reported results more meaningful.
For example, if tool 30 causes the icon to become unviewable on a first page
for which user 16 provided feedback, user 16 accesses a second page 28, and
user 16
later returns to first page 28 during the same browser session, then tool 30
may
recognize this based on the stored message including the feedback user
identifier and
prevent the icon from appearing on first page 28 for this and any other
subsequent
accesses of first page 28 during the browser session. Alternatively, tool 30
might
allow the associated icon to remain viewable and might receive subsequent
feedback
from user 16 concerning first page 28, but might simply ignore such subsequent
feedback. Of course, tool 30 may simply receive from user 16 and process all
the
feedback- concerning-a particular-page 28; -whether or not-feedliack is
received from
user 16 concerning page 28 during the same browser session or during a
specified
time period. In one embodiment, the cookies, tokens, or other messages that
tool 30
stores on the user's computer system, including at least the browser session
identifier
and feedback user identifier, may expire when user 16 closes the user's web
browser.
In one embodiment, user 16 is asked to provide demographic information the
first time the user 16 provides feedback concerning a page 28 associated with
a
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19
website 26 supported on server 14 and incorporating tool 30. If user 16
provides the
requested demographic information, tool 30 and server 14 communicate the
information to the server 18 for storage in database 40. Tool 30 may also
assign a
demographic user identifier and store it on the user's computer system in the
form of a
cookie, token, or other suitable message. In one embodiment, this allows
reports to be
generated that reflect the demographic information, correlating it to user
feedback
information, and gives owner 12 furtller valuable information regarding pages
28 of
website 26. The demographic user identifier is preferably the same as the
feedback
user identifier to allow the feedback information and demographic information
to be
readily associated with one another. As discussed above, demographic
information
linked to feedback information may be used correlate the feedback information
with
one or more other metrics that are similarly linked to demographic
information.
If user 16 previously provided demographic information and accepted the
associated cookie, token, or other message with the demographic user
identifier, tool
30 determines this each time user 16 accesses another page 28 of website 26,
during
the same or a different browser session. Ideally, user 16 is requested to and
does
provide the demographic information the first time user 16 accesses a page 28
that
incorporates tool 30. However, if user 16 elects not to provide some or all
requested
demographic information, tool 30 may again invite user 16 to provide
demographic
information in response to user 16 selecting tool 30 to provide subsequent
feedback
concerning the same or a different page 28. Tool 30 might stop requesting the
demographic information, at least for a specified period, after a specified
number of
refusals so as not to unduly alienate the user 16 or deter user 16 from
providing
feedback concerning pages 28 or from even accessing pages 28.
User identifiers for user 16 may also be used for a variety of other suitable
purposes. For example, according to a user identifier stored as a cookie,
token, or
other-message-on-the-user'-s-computer-systeni,-t6ol-30 may cause a particu ar
question
to be presented to user 16 in response to user 16 providing feedback. As a
more
particular example, every tenth time the user 16 selects tool 30 to provide
feedback
concerning an associated page 28, tool 30 might cause a question to appear
inviting
user 16 to indicate (in addition to providing feedback) whether user 16 is a
customer
of website 26 or its owner 12. User 16 might be given an opportunity to
provide
comments in addition to answering "Yes" or "No." Such questions could be
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presented in response to the user 16 actually providing feedback using tool
30, instead
of merely selecting tool 30.
In response to user 16 providing general or specific feedback concerning a
page 28, tool 30 may store the feedback temporarily in memory on the computer
5 system associated with user 16 before instructing the computer system to
communicate the feedback to server 18. Tool 30 may also collect the time and
date at
which user 16 provided the feedback. Too130, using the user's computer system,
may
communicate user feedback information for page 28 to server 18 before or after
user
16 leaves page 28. In one embodiment, feedback information may include the
title,
10 URL, start time and date, feedback time and date, user feedback, and
feedback user
identifier, in any combination and without limitation. Feedback information
may
additionally include "web profile" information for the user 16, such as the IP
address,
hostname, username, password, network connection, operating system, web
browser,
screen resolution, plug-ins, or any other appropriate aspects of the user's
environment.
15 A feedback user identifier may be used to track feedback from a particular
user over
time or for any other suitable purpose. Tool. 30 may compute the time user 16
spent
on page 28 before providing feedback or may leave this task for server 18 to
perform.
Server 18 receives and accepts the feedback information. This may include
determining the title, URL, feedback from user 16, and feedback user
identifier;
20 computing the time user 16 spent on the page 28 before providing the
feedback; and
other appropriate operations. In one embodiment, server 18 attempts to match
the
received feedback user identifier with a stored demographic user identifier
and,
according to the match, associate the demographic information with the
feedback
information. The server 18 stores some or all of the feedback information,
preferably
in association with the demographic information, in database 36 for use in
generating
reports accessible to owner 12. Server 18 may communicate a message to user
16,
thr-ough-the-user's-web-browser or otherwise,-to-inform-user 16 tliat the
feedback was
successfully received. As multiple users 16 provide feedback concerning pages
28 as
they navigate through website 26 according to its topography, a wealth of
information
concerning pages 28 may be assembled and later provided to owner 12 for use in
improving particular pages 28 and thus website 26 as a whole. To access one or
more
reports reflecting this information, the owner 12 communicates report requests
to
server 18 and, in response, receives the requested reports.
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FIGURE 2 illustrates an example web page 28 incorporating user feedback
measurement tool 30. In one embodiment, as described above, tool 30 provides a
mechanism for measuring feedback from users 16 concerning page 28 that is
standardized across some or preferably all pages 28 of website 26, is readily
identifiable by users 16, and is intuitive, predictable, and thus easy for
users 16 to use
in providing feedback concerning pages 28. In a more particular embodiment,
the tool
30 appears to users 16 as a language-independent icon 50, viewable on page 28
within
the user's browser window, that periodically or continuously spins, flips,
switches,
animates, or otherwise alternates between "(+)" and "(-)" symbols, "[+]" and
"[-]"
symbols, "+" and "-" symbols, or any other suitable variation of plus and
minus
symbols.
For example only and not by way of limitation, parentheses around the plus
and minus symbols may meet (or nearly meet) above and below the plus and mjnus
symbols to resemble a capital "O" or oval. Analogously, square brackets around
the
plus and minus symbols may meet (or nearly meet) above and below the plus and
minus symbols to resemble a square. Furthermore, although variations of plus
and
minus symbols are primarily described, any suitable stationary or animated
icon 50
may be used to represent the association of tool 30 with page 28, and the
opportunity
to provide feedback, without departing from the intended scope of the present
invention. Preferably, icon 50 is the same or substantially the same across
all pages
28 of website 26 and, more preferably, pages 28 of other websites 26. This may
contribute to the icon 50 becoming a readily identifiable and well accepted
standard
throughout the community of all users 16 of websites 26.
Typically, only a portion of page 28 will be viewable within browser window
52 at any one time as user 16 scrolls or otherwise navigates through page 28.
In one
embodiment, icon 50 appears at or near a specified location relative to the
border 54
of browser window 52 in the viewable portion of page 28. Icon 50 may remain in
substantially the same location relative to border 54 as user 16 scrolls or
otherwise
navigates through page 28. Alternatively, icon 50 might be located in the
masthead
region 56 of the browser window and remain in masthead region 56 as the user
16
scrolls or otherwise navigates through page 28. Causing icon 50 to remain in
substantially the same location within browser window 52 may help encourage
user
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22
16 to provide feedback concerning page 28 using tool 30, and make it easier
for user
16 to do so. This feature may further contribute to icon 50 becoming readily
identifiable and well accepted throughout the user community.
As illustrated in FIGURE 3, in response to the user 16 rolling an associated
mouse pointer over icon 50, pointing to and clicking on icon 50 using the
mouse
pointer, touching icon 50 using an associated touch screen, or selecting icon
50 in
another suitable manner, icon 50 may change into or be replaced with a multi-
level
subjective rating scale 60 that corresponds to general feedback measurement
tool 32.
In a particular embodiment, rating scale 60 includes five levels ranging from
very
negative to very positive, each level having an associated language-
independent or
other appropriate symbol 62. For example and without limitation, a"--" symbol
62
might correspond to a very negative rating, a "-" symbol 62 might correspond
to a
somewhat negative rating, a "+-" symbol 62 might correspond to a neutral
rating, a
"+" symbol 62 may correspond to a somewhat positive rating, and a "++" symbol
62
may correspond to a very positive rating. Although a five level rating scale
60 is
described above in connection with a particular embodiment, any appropriate
multi-
level or other subjective rating scale or scheme may be used without departing
from
the intended scope of the present invention.
To record general feedback concerning page 28, the user 16 clicks on, points
to, or otherwise selects an appropriate symbol 62 reflective of the feedback.
hi
response, tool 32 (or tool 30) may store the user feedback information and, at
the
appropriate time, cause the feedback information to be communicated to server
18 for
storage in database 36. In a particular embodiment, the user feedback
information
collected in response to user 16 providing general feedback concerning the
page 28
may include, in any suitable combination and without limitation: (1) the title
of page
28; (2) the URL for page 28; (3) the feedback user identifier; (4) the
subjective rating
-(for example only, "++," r`:P," "-"); (5) the time and date page 28 was
accessed; (6) the time and date the subjective rating was received; (7) the
web profile
information for user 16; and (8) any other suitable information. According to
the
demographic user identifier, if one is available at server 18, the demographic
information for user 16 may be stored in association with the user feedback
information in database 36, as described more fully above.
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Where appropriate, feedback concerning page 28 collected using tools 30 and
32 may include responses to one or more explicit questions posed to the user
16
concerning page 28, concerning one or more visual, audible, or other elements
of page
28, or concerning one or more items with which page 28 is logically
associated.
Questions may be presented instead of or in addition to rating scale 60. As an
example, a page 28 of a vehicle manufacturer's website 26 may include a
picture of a
particular make and model of vehicle. Questions posed to user 16 using too130
or 32,
in response to the user 16 selecting icon 50, might include "How well do you
like this
picture?" or "Do you like the shape of the tail fin?" for example. The
responses to the
questions might be received using rating scale 60, similar to collection of
user
feedback concerning page 28 described above, or might be received using a
color or
other suitable scale. For example, user 16 might select a green box, dot, or
other
visual element to provide a "Yes" response, might select a white box, dot, or
other
visual element to provide a "neutral" response, and might select a red box,
dot, or
other visual element to provide a "No" response. Each question may appear
within a
banner, bar, flag, or other visual element in response to user 16 selecting
icon 50, in
response to user 16 providing feedback concerning page 28 using too130, 32, or
34, or
otherwise. A particular color, shape, or other indicia associated with the
element may
always signify the same question, regardless of the page 28 on which it
appears. For
example only, a green element might always signify the question, "Do you
consider
the price of this item fair?" A particular question may be posed in response
to the
user 16 providing a particular subjective rating of the page 28 or a
particular response
to a previous question, the question presented being dependent upon the
previous
response. According to the present invention, one or more questions may be
associated with any one or more pages 28 of website 26 according to the
particular
needs of owner 12, providing an important technical advantage. In particular
embodiments, different- -questions-maybe-associated-with different pages --2-8-
of a
website 26. For example, an owner 16 of website 26 may specify one or more
first
questions regarding a first page 28 of website 26, one or more second
questions
regarding a second page 28 of website 26, one or more third questions
regarding a
third page 28 of website 26, and so on.
Some or all of the stored information concerning page 28 may be provided to
owner 12 in the form of one or more suitable reports to allow owner 12 to
assess the
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24
success of the particular page 28 in the eyes of the user community. As
described
more fully above with reference to FIGURE 1, icon 50 may cease to be viewable
in
browser window 52 after general feedback concerning page 28 has been received
from
user 16. Although in one embodiment only too132 (not tool 34) may be viewable
on
page 28 in response to selection of tool 30, the present invention
contemplates tool 34
being visible on page 28 instead of or in addition to tool 32.
In one embodiment, a question mark or other symbol 64 may be associated
with rating scale 60 to allow user 16 to provide comments relating to page 28,
one or
more specified aspects of page 28, one or more items associated with page 28,
or any
other appropriate comments. Symbol 64 might fiarther allow user 16 to receive
help
or other information relating to tool 30, tool 32, tool 34, or system 10. For
example,
as illustrated in FIGURE 4, a window 65 may appear with rating scale 60 in
response
to user 16 selecting symbol 64. Alternatively, rating scale 60 incorporating
window
65 might appear in response to user 16 initially selecting icon 50, without
requiring
user 16 to first select symbol 64. Furthermore, as described more fully below
with
reference to FIGURE 6, a pop-up window containing rating scale 60 associated
with
tool 32, one or more rating scales associated with tool 34, and a field to
receive the
comments or help requests may be presented to the user 16 in response to user
16
selecting symbol 64, selecting icon 50, or otherwise.
As illustrated in FIGURE 5, in response to the user 16 rolling an associated
mouse pointer over icon 50, pointing to and clicking on icon 50 using the
mouse
pointer, touching icon 50 using an associated touch screen, or selecting icon
50 in
another appropriate manner, icon 50 may change into or otherwise be replaced
with
set 70 of one or more multi-level rating scales 72 corresponding to specific
feedback
measurement tool 34. Each of the rating scales 72 is used to measure the
feedback of
user 16 concerning a specified aspect of the particular page 28, according to
the same
or-a different-multi=level-rating-scale-as for-tool-32:- For example on y and
not-liy way
of limitation, tool 30 may have separate rating scales 72 for measuring the
feedback
from user 16 concerning the content, design, usability, or other suitable
aspects of
page 28, singly or in any appropriate combination. As described above,
feedback
concerning page 28 may include responses to one or more explicit questions
concerning page 28, concerning one or more elements of page 28, concerning one
or
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more items with which page 28 is l'ogically associated, or concerning other
subject
matter possibly unrelated to page 28.
In one embodiment, as for rating scale 60 of tool 32, each rating scale 72
includes five levels ranging from very negative to very positive, each level
having an
5 associated language-independent or other suitable symbol 74. For example
only, a
"-" symbol 74 might correspond to a very negative rating, a "-" symbol 74
might
correspond to a somewhat negative rating, a "+-" symbol 74 might correspond to
a
neutral rating, a"+" symbol 74 may correspond to a somewhat positive rating,
and a
"++" symbol 74 may correspond to a very positive rating. Although five level
rating
10 scales 72 are described, any suitable multi-level or other subjective
rating scale or
scheme may be employed without departing from the intended scope of the
present
invention. Each rating scale 72 of tool 34 may be substantially the same or
may be
differentiated from other rating scales 72 on one or more bases, for example,
through
the use of color, shading, shape, or other characteristic. Preferably, rating
scales 72
15 are substantially similar to or otherwise consistent with rating scale 60
to maintain
predictability, consistency, and acceptance within the user community.
To record specific feedback concerning page 28, the user 16 clicks on, points
to, or otherwise selects an appropriate symbol 74 reflective of the feedback.
In
response, too134 (or tool 30) may store corresponding user feedback
information and
20 cause the user feedback information to be coxnrn.unicated to server 18 for
storage in
database 36. In a particular embodiment, the feedback information collected in
response to user 16 providing specific feedback concerning page 28 may
include, in
any combination and without limitation: (1) the title of page 28; (2) the'URL
for page
28; (3) the feedback user identifier; (4) the subjective ratings (for example
only, "++,"
25 "+," 44+-," "-," or "-"); (5) the time and date the page 28 was accessed;
(6) the time
and date the subjective ratings were received; (7) web profile information for
user 16;
and-(8) any other appropriaTe_iff6rmation. J~ccording to the demographic user
identifier, if one is available at server 18, the demographic information for
user 16
may be stored in association with the user feedback information in database
36, as
described above. Tool 34 may require multiple ratings to be provided, one for
each
rating scale 72, before such information is stored.
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26
One or more rating scales 72 may appear substantially simultaneously, in a
suitable sequence, or in any other relative manner. For example, a succeeding
rating
scale 72 might appear only in response to a user 16 providing specific user
feedback
using a preceding rating scale 72. Whether the succeeding rating scale 72
appears at
all might depend on the nature of the specific feedback provided using the
preceding
rating scale 72. One or more child rating scales 72 may be nested with respect
to a
parent rating scale 72 on which child rating scales 72 depend within a
hierarchy. One
or more rating scales 72 may appear instead of or in addition to rating scale
60 and
may appear before, substantially simultaneous with, or after rating scale 60.
For
example, one or more rating scales 72 might appear only in response to user 16
providing general feedback using rating scale 60, or the rating scale 60 might
appear
only in response to user 16 providing specific feedback using one or more
rating
scales 72. Other suitable alteniatives may be envisioned and the present
invention is
intended to encompass all such alternatives. In a particular embodiment, the
rating
scales 72 may rotate in their respective positions each time they appear to
reduce or
eliminate any response bias that might otherwise manifest itself as a result
of the
arrangement of rating scales 72.
Some or all of the stored information concerning page 28 may be provided to
owner 12 in the form of one or more suitable reports to allow owner 12 to
assess the
success of the particular page 28 in the eyes of the user community. As
described
more fully above with reference to FIGURE 1, icon 50 may cease to be viewable
in
browser window 52 after specific feedback concerning page 28 has been received
from user 16. Although in one embodiment only tool 34 (not tool 32) is visible
on the
page 28 in response to selection of tool 30, the present invention
contemplates tool 32
being visible on page 28 instead of or in addition to tool 34.
In one embodiment, as described above, a question mark or other symbol 64
maybe associated witli the set 706 ratm` g scales 72-to allow the user 16 to
provide
comments relating to the page 28, one or more specified aspects of page 28,
one or
more items associated with page 28, or other appropriate comments. Symbol 64
might further allow user 16 to receive help or other information relating to
tool 30,
tool 32, tool 34, or system 10. For example, a window similar to the window 65
of
FIGURE 4 may appear with rating scales 72 in response to user 16 selecting
symbol
64. Alternatively, rating scales 72 incorporating such a window might appear
in
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27
response to user 16 initially selecting icon 50, without requiring user 16 to
first select
symbol 64. Moreover, as illustrated in FIGURE 6, a pop-up window 78 containing
rating scale 60 associated with tool 32, one or more rating scales 72
associated with
tool 34, and a field 79 to receive comments or help requests might be
presented to
user 16 in response to user 16 selecting symbol 64, selecting icon 50, or
otherwise.
The present invention contemplates any technique for receiving comments or
other
textual input from user 16 in association with a particular page 28.
Comments from users 16 regarding a page 28 may be of greater use to an
owner 12 when ratings of the page 28 are provided by users 16 in connection
with the
comments. Such ratings may allow owner 16 to more readily prioritize,
categorize, or
otherwise manipulate such comments from users 16. In particular embodiments, a
user 16 may be encouraged or even required to provide one or more ratings of a
page
28 when user 16 provides one or more comments regarding page 28. A required
rating may include a rating reflecting a general reaction of user 16 to page
28, a rating
reflecting a reaction of user 16 to a specified aspect (such as, for example,
content,
design, or usability) of page 28, or any other suitable rating. User 16 may be
required
to provide one or more ratings of page 28 in any suitable maimer. For example,
when
user 16 attempts to submit a comment regarding page 28, one or more rating
scales
may be presented to user 16 soliciting one or more ratings of page 28 from
user 16 in
connection with the comment. If user 16 does not provide one or more solicited
ratings, user 16 may be prevented from submitting the comment.
Comments from users 16 regarding a page 28 may also be of greater use to an
owner 12 when background data is obtained from users 16 in connection with the
comments. Such data may include data reflecting hardware, software, or other
details
concerning a coniputer system of a user 16. For example only and not by way of
limitation, certain background data may reflect the operating system of the
computer
-system,-the-screen-r-esolution-of the-computer-system; a browser of the
computer
system, or any other aspects of the computer system. In addition or as an
alternative,
background data may include data reflecting time spent by a user 16 on a page
28, a
referring page 28 (which may include a page 28 that user 16 accessed
immediately
before accessing a current page 28), or other details concerning a web session
of a
user 16. In addition or as an alternative, background data may include data
reflecting
a user identifier that may identify user 16, the computer system of user 16,
or both and
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28
may be used to track feedback of user 16 over time. Where a comment is used to
communicate one or more technical problems user 16 is experiencing with page
28,
background data obtained from user 16 in connection with the comment may
facilitate
identification of the problem by an owner 12 and possibly one or more
solutions to the
problem. Although a particular use of background data is described, the
present
invention contemplates background data being used in any suitable manner for
any
suitable purpose.
Background data from users 16 may be obtained in any suitable manner. In
particular embodiments, such data may be obtained automatically from a
computer
system of user 16. For example, tool 30 may obtain background data from one or
more components of the computer system when user 16 accesses a page 28. In
addition or as an alternative to obtaining background data automatically from
a
computer system of user 16, background data may be directly solicited from
user 16.
As an example, window 78 may ask user 16 one or more questions regarding
appropriate background data and request user 16 to provide answers to the
questions
in field 79 along with one or more comments, select from a number of possible
answers to the questions in one or more pull-down menus, select from a number
of
boxes that each correspond to a possible answer to one or more of the
questions, or
provide answers to the questions in any other suitable manner.
FIGURE 7 illustrates an example registration page 80 that may be sent to user
16 in response to user 16 providing general or specific feedback concerning at
least
one page 28 of a website 26. Alternatively, user 16 may select a hypertext or
other
link within or associated with icon 50, rating scale 60, ratings scales 72, or
window
78. The registration page 80 includes one or more suitable input fields 82 for
receiving demographic information from user 16, which is then used to create a
user
profile for user 16 that is stored in database 40. In one embodiment,
demographic
information-collected-from-user16-mayinclude,-for exarriple orily and ndt"by
way of--
limitation, in any suitable combination: (1) a name; (2) an e-mail or other
electronic
address; (3) a residence, business, or other physical address; (4) a password;
(5) a
gender; (6) an age or age range; (7) a job title, position, profession,
industry, or other
employment information; (8) an employment status (for example, full-time, part-
time,
student, or retired); (9) number of persons in household; (10) a housing
status (for
example, homeowner or renter); (11) a highest level of education; (12)
personal or
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29
household income or income range; (13) information concerning one or more
activities of user 16, such as computer usage patterns and preferences; and
(14) any
other appropriate demographic information.
In one embodiment, as described above with reference to FIGURE 1, after
server 18 receives demographic information sufficient to establish a user
profile for
user 16, server 14 assigns a demographic user identifier to the user 16 and
associates
this demographic user identifier with the corresponding user profile in
database 36.
The demographic user identifier is stored on the user's computer system (in
the form
of a cookie, token, or other message) in response to the user 16 providing
requested
demographic information. In response to user 16 subsequently selecting tool 30
to
provide feedback, tool 30 recognizes user 16 according to the stored
demographic user
identifier and may convey a suitable message to indicate this recognition. For
exanple, the tool 30 may replace the icon 50 with a personalized message (such
as
"Thanks, [name]") in response to user 16 providing general or specific
feedback
concerning a particular page 28. This message may be transient, disappearing
after a
specified time period, or may remain viewable in browser window 52 while the
user
16 remains on the page 28. The demographic user identifier preferably matches
the
feedback user identifier for the user 16, which allows feedback information
and
deinographic information to be readily associated with one another at server
18. As
described above, demographic information linked to feedback information may
also
facilitate the correlation of feedback information to other suitable metrics
that are
linked to demographic infonnation.
As discussed above, website 26 may have a "topography" according to pages
28 of website 26 and the relationships between the pages 28. In one
embodiment,
system 10 provides owner 12 with the ability to access and readily navigate
through
reports, which provide rating information for pages 28 of website 26, in a
similar
-manner-as-user 16-accesses-pages28-while-navigating-through welisite 26
according
to the topography of website 26. Furthermore, the reports allow owner 12 to
readily
focus on pages 28 that are of most interest. For example only, and not by way
of
limitation, owner 12 may be particularly interested in accessing feedback
information
for any pages 28 that generated a significant percentage of very negative
feedback,
whether the feedback is general or specific. As another example, owner 12 may
be
particularly interested in reviewing feedback information for any pages 28
that
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generated a significant percentage of very positive feedback from users 16
having
specified demographic characteristics. The information is communicated to
owner 12
from server 14, upon request, in the form of one or more suitable reports.
Upon
obtaining this information, which was unavailable using previous techniques,
owner
5 12 may respond to improve website 26 and, quite possibly, the success of an
associated business or other enterprise.
FIGURES 8 through 9 illustrate example reports 100 for one or more pages 28
of website 26. Reports 100 are intended to provide the owner 12 with a readily
understandable view of feedback concerning a particular page 28, a set of
particular
10 pages 28, or website 26 as a whole (considering all pages 28). As described
above,
feedback concerning page 28 may include responses to one or more explicit
questions
about page 28, one or more elements of page 28, one or more items with which
page
28 is logically associated, or any other suitable subject. Reports 100 may
reflect only
feedback collected during a specified time period or might reflect all
feedback
15 collected since tool 30 was incorporated into the particular page 28 or
pages 28 that
reports 100 concern. As an example, reports 100 for successive time periods
might
allow owner 12 to identify trends in the feedback information and to respond
appropriately. Reports 100 may reflect only feedback collected from users 16
having
a specified user profile or one or more specified demographic characteristics,
or may
20 reflect all feedback collected for the particular page 28 or pages 28 of
interest. The
present invention contemplates one or more reports 100 to provide the owner 12
with
any information collected using tools 30, 32, or 34, in a format appropriate
for owner
12.
In one embodiment, owner 12 may request that one or more particular. reports
25 including particular data be cominunicated to one or more particular e-mail
addresses
or other suitable locations at particular times. This may provide one or more
advantages-where owner 12-includes an organization including a n:umber of -
different -
people having different responsibilities within the organization. For example,
a
person within the organization may be responsible for one or more pages 28 of
a
30 website 26 of owner 12. Owner 12 may request that a report including data
reflecting
user feedback concerning the pages 28 for which the person is responsible be
communicated to an e-mail address of the person every at specified time
intervals
(e.g., three hours), after receiving feedback from a specified number of users
16 (e.g.
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31
one hundred), or according to other suitable contact criteria. In addition,
owner 12
may request that such reports include data that reflects only negative ratings
of pages
28, comments containing one or more specified words, or any other subset of
the data.
Reports 100 may be filtered according to any suitable filter criteria such
that
they include data reflecting particular user feedback. For example only and
not by
way of limitation, an owner 12 may request that one or more reports
communicated to
owner 12 include only data reflecting negative ratings. As another example, an
owner
12 may request that one or more reports communicated to owner 12 include only
data
reflecting user feedback for the twenty pages 28 of a website 26 receiving the
most
negative feedback according to average ratings received from users regarding
pages
28. Although particular filter criteria are described, any suitable filter
criteria may be
used to filter reports 100.
As shown in FIGURE 8A for a website 26 as a whole, ratings table 102 may
include a timeframe 104 during which the feedback of ratings table 102 was
collected.
A website overview 106 might include, in any combination and witllout
limitation: (1)
the number of ratings for all pages 28 of website 26 (generally or as to one
or more
specific aspects); (2) the number of one or more specified types of ratings
for all pages
28, such as the number of negative ratings (generally or as to one or more
specific
aspects); (3) the number of unrated pages 28 among all pages 28 (where user 16
accessed page 28 incorporating tool 30 but did not provide a rating); (4) the
number of
positively rated pages 28 (generally or as to one or more specific aspects)
among all
the pages 28 (which might include, for example, both positive ratings and very
positive ratings according to rating scale 60 or 72 described above); (5) the
number of
neutrally rated pages 28 (generally or as to one or more specific aspects)
among all of
the pages 28; (6) the number of negatively rated pages 28 (generally or as to
one or
more specific aspects) among all pages 28 (which may include, for example,
both
negative--ratings-and-very-negative-ratings-according-to-rating-scale-60 or
72); -(7) the
number of ratings for the page 28 with the most ratings or most ratings of a
specified
type, such as the most negative ratings (generally or as to one or more
specific
aspects); (8) the number of comments received in connection with all pages 28;
(9)
and any other suitable rating information concerning website 26, considering
all the
pages 28. In the alternative, the ratings table 102 might provide similar
information
concerning one or more particular pages 28.
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32
In one embodiment, a site detail 108 may provide any of the site level rating
information described above in a more visually appealing and readily
interpretable
manner. The site detail 108 may provide a "sliding" or other appropriate scale
110
indicating, for a selected category of site level rating information, the
percentages of
ratings that are negative, neutral, and positive. For example, the site detail
108 may
include a sliding scale 110 for a "usability" aspect of pages 28. Sliding
scale 110
might include a first portion 112a indicating the percentage of negative
ratings as to
usability, a second portion 112b indicating the percentage of neutral ratings
as to
usability, and a third portion 112c indicating the percentage of positive
ratings as to
usability. More or fewer portions 112 that reflect finer or coarser rating
variations
may be provided according to particular needs. Portions 112 may be
differentiated
from one another using color, shading, or other suitable indicia. For example
only,
first portion 112a may be red, second portion 112b may be black, and third
portion
112c may be green. The present invention contemplates providing site level
rating
information to owner 12 in any suitable format.
In one embodiment, as shown in FIGURE 8A, report 100 reflects feedback
information for website 26 using a chart 124 having a ray, arrow, bar, or
other line
126 for each page 28 of website 26. The lengths 128 of lines 126 along scale
130
represent the total number of ratings received for the corresponding pages 28.
Chart
124 may be substantially circular at least in part, as illustrated, with lines
126 that
extend outward from its center 132, or may have any other suitable shape. As
an
example, as illustrated in FIGURE 8B, chart 124 may include a "flat" version
of chart
124 having a scale 130 in the direction of a first axis 134 and lines 126
extending in
the direction of the first axis 134 from a second axis 136 that is
perpendicular to the
first axis 134. Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that other
suitable
schemes for representing the ratings associated with a particular page 28,
including
color "for-exampl"e,-may be used"without Ueparting from the iritendefl scope
of tlfe
present invention. In one embodiment, when a mouse pointer is rolled across
the tip
of line 126 or line 126 is otherwise selected, the title of, the URL for, a
link to, a
report concerning, or other information relating to corresponding page 28
appears
instead of, on top of, near, or otherwise in association with line 126. If a
report for
page 28 is generated, the report may replace report 100, similar to the manner
in
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33
which a newly accessed page 28 may replace a previously accessed page 28
within a
user's browser window.
In one embodiment, referring again to FIGURE 8A, chart 124 may include a
number of regions 138, as an example, negative region 138, neutral region 138,
and
positive region 138. The position of line 126 relative to regions 138 may
reflect the
average rating for associated page 28 (or other mathematical operation on
ratings for
associated page 28). For example only and without limitation, if the ratings
on five
level rating scale 60 are assigned values of "1" through "5" with "1" being
for a very
negative rating, the average value for page 28 might be "2.5" and the
corresponding
line 126 might be positioned near the border between negative and neutral
regions
138. Regions 138 may each have the same or no color, each region 138 may have
a
different color, or the colors of regions 138 may transition smoothly across
regions
138. Instead of or in addition to colored regions 138, lines 126 may be
colored
according to their positions relative to regions 138. For example only and
without
limitation, line 26 reflecting an average rating of "1.4" might be
substantially red, a
line 26 reflecting an average rating of "3.3" might be substantially black,
and line 26
reflecting an average rating of "4.2" might be substantially green. Color may
be used
in any suitable manner to convey feedback information for one or more pages 28
of
website 26.
According to the above, if multiple pages 28 have the same average rating,
their lines 126 will overlap on chart 124. To avoid confusion in such cases,
shorter
lines 126 in such a group (having fewer ratings) may terminate in a white
circle rather
than a colored circle or may be differentiated in any other suitable manner
from the
longest line 126 in the group (having the most ratings) and from each other.
Such a
differentiator may also be desirable where lines 126 do not have the same
average
rating, and thus do not precisely overlap, but have ratings similar enough to
make
-lines-426 -difficult to-distinguish-from-one-another.-In-one-embodiment;
pages-28-
having a substantially neutral average rating but bimodal distributions
(according to
any suitable formula) may be represented using lines 126 that terminate in a
red circle
rather than a black circle or are differentiated in another suitable manner
from any
other lines 126 that reflect substantially neutral average ratings. For any
subjective
rating described above, the present invention contemplates the rating being
according
to rating scale 60, one or more rating scales 72, or any other appropriate
rating scale.
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34
Ratings for one scale, scale 60 for example, may be distinguished from ratings
for
another scale, scale 72 for example, using any suitable visual indicator in
the same or
a different chart 124, according to particular needs.
As discussed, instead of or in addition to reflecting feedback information for
one or more particular pages 28 of website 26, chart 124 may reflect feedback
information for website 26 as a whole using a single line 126 that takes into
account
all pages 28 of website 26. For example, and not by way of limitation, chart
124 may
include colored regions 138 as described above and a single line 126 having a
length
reflecting the number of ratings for all the pages 28 of website 26, according
to scale
130, and having a position reflecting the average value of ratings for all
pages 28 of
website 26. Such a line 126 for website 26 as a whole may be superimposed on
chart
124 having lines 126 for particular pages 28 of website 26, may be within a
separate
window of chart 124, or may have any other suitable spatial relationship to
chart 124
having lines 126 for particular pages 28 of website 26. Furthermore, such
lines 126
may be used to represent the average rating value for multiple websites 26 on
the
same chart 100, for example, some or all websites 26 associated with a
particular
owner 12. Websites 26 for which chart 100 reflects average rating values may
be
selected according to their owners 12, the industries with which the websites
26 are
associated, or other suitable selection criteria.
Benchmarks may be established and reflected in report 100, along with the
average rating values for one or more websites 26, for purposes of comparison.
For
example, as discussed above, report 100 may reflect an overall rating for
website 26
according to the average (or other mathematical operation) of ratings for
pages 28 of
website 26. Overall ratings for other websites 26 that are associated with the
same
industry or otherwise comparable with the particular website 26 may be
generated in
an analogous manner. Comparing the overall rating for the particular website
26 with
-the overall-ratings-of other-websites-26,-singly or-as-a group,- may provide
valua1ile
information to owner 12. Furthermore, overall ratings for multiple websites 26
may
be evaluated in some manner to generate a website index value for each website
26
relative to other comparable websites 26. In one embodiment, such a website
index
might be updated once a month or otherwise to allow owner 12 to readily track
the
overall performance of website 26 relative to its peers. An overall rating
assigned to
website 26 in the manner described above, according to subjective ratings for
pages
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28 of the website 26, may provide owner 12 with more meaningful information
about
the effectiveness of website 26 than collecting subjective ratings that each
concern
only website 26 as a whole.
In one embodiment, report 100 may also include a chart 140, integral to or
5 separate from chart 124, providing a percentage or other relative portion of
pages 28
of website 26 that have been rated. For example, and without limitation, if
chart 124
is substantially circular as illustrated in FIGURE 8A, chart 140 may be
located in a
sector of chart 124 to allow the owner 12 to appreciate the information in
charts 124
and 138 substantially simultaneously. The percentage of other relative portion
of
10 rated pages 28 may be indicated using a scale 142 or according to the
amount 144 of
the chart 140 that is colored, filled, or otherwise indicated as corresponding
to that
percentage or other relative portion. Providing site level rating information
to the
owner 12 in an integrated and readily understandable manner using report 100
is an
important technical advantage of the present invention.
15 FIGURE 9 illustrates an example report 150 for a particular page 28 of
website
26. Similar to report 100 for website 26 as a whole, report 100 for page 28
may
include ratings table 152 having a timeframe 154 during which the feedback of
ratings
table 152 was collected. A page overview 156 may include, in any suitable
combination and without limitation: (1) the number of ratings for page 28
(generally
20 or as to one or more specific aspects); (2) the number of one or more
specified types
of ratings for page 28, such as the number of negative ratings (generally or
as to one
or more specific aspects); (3) the number of positive ratings for page 28
(generally or
as to one or more specific aspects), which may include both positive ratings
and very
positive ratings according to rating scale 60 or 72; (4) the number of neutral
ratings
25 for the page 28 (generally or as to one or more specific aspects); (5) the
number of
negative ratings for page 28 (generally or as to one or more specific
aspects), which
may include both negative ratings and very negative ratirigs accordirig "to
rating "scale
60 or 72; (6) the number of comments received in connection with page 28; (7)
and
any other suitable rating information concerning page 28.
30 In one embodiment, page detail 158 may provide any of the page level rating
information described above in a more visually appealing and readily
interpretable
manner. The page detail 158 may provide a "sliding" or other appropriate scale
160
indicating, for a selected category of page level rating information, the
percentages of
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36
ratings that are negative, neutral, and positive. For example, the page detail
158 may
include a sliding scale 160 for the "usability" aspect of page 28. Sliding
scale 160
may include a first portion 162a indicating the percentage of negative ratings
as to
usability, a second portion 162b indicating the percentage of neutral ratings
as to
usability, and a third portion 162c indicating the percentage of positive
ratings as to
usability. More or fewer portions 162 that reflect finer or coarser rating
variations
may be provided according to particular needs. Portions 162 may be
differentiated
from one another using color, shading, or other suitable indicia. For example
only,
first portion 162a may be red, second portion 162b may be black, and third
portion
162c may be green. The present invention contemplates providing page level
rating
information to the owner 12 in any appropriate format.
In one embodiment, report 150 reflects feedback information for page 28 using
a chart 164 having a scale 166 in the direction of a first axis 168 and a set
of bars,
boxes, banners, or other lines 170 extending in the direction of first axis
168 from a
second axis 172 that is perpendicular to the first axis 168. The position of a
line 170
along second axis 172 reflects the type of rating line 170 represents. The
length of
line 170 according to scale 166 reflects the number of ratings of that type
for page 28.
The present invention contemplates chart 164 being "flat" as shown, being
substantially circular similar to chart 124 shown in FIGURE 8A, or having any
other
suitable configuration. In one embodiment, owner 12 may move from report 100
to
any associated report 150 or to another report 100 for another website 26, may
move
from any report 150 to associated report 100, or may move in any other
appropriate
manner between reports 100 and 150 in assessing the feedback information for
one or
more websites 26 and their pages 28.
One or more portions of a report 150 for a page 28 may include hypertext or
other suitable linlcs to comments from users 16 regarding page 28. In
particular
_,__
em odnnents;~ for exarnple, -a"ratirig line 170 representing a particular
rating receive_d
from one or more users 16 may include a link to one or more comments regarding
page 28 received from users 16 in connection with the particular rating. An
owner 12
may select the link, read one or more comments, and attempt to determine one
or
more reasons for the particular rating. In particular embodiments, as another
example,
report 150 may include an area in which received comments from users 16
regarding
page 28 are tallied and grouped according to ratings received from users 16 in
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37
connection with the comments. Such an area may include one or more links to
the
comments. As described above, background data may be obtained from users 16 in
connection with comments from users 16. Such data may also be presented to
owner
12 in any suitable manner. For example, when owner 12 accesses a comment from
a
user 16 regarding a page 28, background data obtained from user 16 may be
presented
to owner 12 with the comment independent of owner 12 making a specific request
for
such data.
In particular embodiments, a report 150 may include one or more counts of
one or more words, which may be specified by an owner 12, appearing in one
more
comments from users 16 regarding page 28. Report 150 may include one or more
hypertext or other suitable links to one or more comments from users regarding
page
28 in which the one or more words appear. In addition to a report 150 for
particular
page 28 including one or more word counts, a report for an entire website 26
may
include one or more counts of one or more words, which may be specified by an
owner 12, appearing in one or more comments from users 16 regarding one or
more
pages 28 across website 26. Monitoring the appearance of certain words in
comments
regarding a particular page 28 or in comments regarding one or more pages 28
across
a website 26 in this manner may enable an owner 12 to more readily track,
interpret,
and respond where appropriate to feedback concerning one or more particular
aspects
of page 28 or website 26.
A report 150 for a particular page 28 may provide hypertext or other suitable
links to reports 150 for other pages 28 that may be linked to the particular
page 28
according to the unique' topography of website 26. For example, if a first
page 28
allows users 16 to access either a second page 28, a third page 28, or a
fourth page 28,
report 150 for the first page 28 might similarly allow owner 12 to access at
least the
reports 150 for the second page 28, for the third page 28, and for the fourth
page 28.
--Report 150-for-the-first-page--28--might-fiirther-allow-owrier 12-to
access=the parenf--
page 28 of the first page 28; that is, the page 28 at an adjacent higher level
within a
hierarchical topography of website 26 from which user 16 might navigate to the
first
page 28. In one embodiment, reporting module 46 generates reports 150 "on the
fly"
in response to specific requests received from the owner 12 using network 20.
For
example, reporting module 46 might access one or more databases 36, 40, and 44
to
generate report 150 in response to owner 12 clicking on, pointing to, or
otherwise
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38
selecting a link to a second page 28 while viewing report 150 for a first page
28.
Reporting module 46, through reports 150, allows owner 12 to navigate through
feedback information pertaining to the pages 28 of website 26 in much the same
manner that users 16 navigate through the pages 28 of website 26 when
accessing
website 26 for their needs, according to the topography of website 26,
providing an
important technical advantage.
Instead of or in addition to reports 100 and 150, reports may be provided to
owner 12 according to one or more points of view that relate to rating
distribution,
rating values, rating submission, rating demographics, or other suitable
criteria for one
or more pages 28. For example, and not by way of limitation, such reports may
include: (1) a report of the distribution of ratings (number of ratings for
each rating
value) for a page 28 overall, for page 28 for a specified demographic profile
'(such as
all women), or for page 28 for a target demographic profile of owner 12 (such
as all
women over 65 years old that live in Chicago and own their residence); (2) a
report
ranking, for one or more demographics (such as age), the top one or more
categories
(such as 18-25 year old) for those demographics in terms of percentage of
ratings
provided, percentage of ratings provided of a specified type, or any other
suitable
rating information; (3) a report of the percentage occurrence of each rating
value (or
one or more selected rating values) for one or more demographics (such as age)
or one
or more demographic categories (such as 18-25 year old); (4) a report of the
number
or the percentage of ratings (or ratings of one or more specified types)
versus the
submission time and date (or time and date range); (5) a report of the
distribution of
ratings sorted according to the time spent on page 28 before rating
submission; (6) a
report of the top one or more IP addresses for users 16 submitting ratings for
a time
and date (or time and date range); and (7) any other suitable report
reflecting feedback
information, demographic information, and any other collected information,
according
-to-~particular- needs.- Althougli such point of- view reports afe described
as ~being
separate from reports 100 and 150, reports 100 and 150 may convey similar
information. In one embodiment, for example, a particular point of view report
might
resemble report 150 illustrated in FIGURE 9.
FIGURE 10 illustrates an example method of incorporating too130 into one or
more particular pages 28 of website 26. The method begins at step 200, where
owner
12 communicates a download or other suitable request to server 18 (shown in
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39
FIGURES 10 through 12 as "system server 18" to distinguish it from server 14,
shown
in FIGURES 10 through 12 as "website server 14"). At step 202, server 18
prompts
owner 12 to provide identification, billing, and any other suitable
registration and
setup information. At step 204, owner 12 communicates the requested
information to
the server 18 (whether or not the server 18 is local to or distributed from
owner 12).
Server 18 may also notify owner 12 that website 26 may be crawled to identify
and
gather data pertaining to pages 28, may provide owner 12 with a license
agreement
and other information concerning the services to be provided to owner 12, or
may
communicate any other suitable information with owner 12. At step 206, server
18
may assign an owner identifier and password to owner 12 to allow the owner 12
to
access reports 100. Server 18 stores the registration and setup information
for owner
12 in an appropriate storage location (not explicitly shown) at step 208 to
complete
registration and setup of owner 12.
At step 210, to incorporate tool 30 into one or more pages 28 of website 26,
owner 12 downloads or otherwise communicates pages 28 (or copies of pages 28)
from server 14 to the owner's computer system, preferably using a suitable
wizard or
other software component designed to facilitate the incorporation process. At
step
212, owner 12 specifies, for each page 28, the type (for example, spinning
between
"(+)" and "(-)"), color, or any other appropriate characteristic of the
desired icon 50
for page 28. For example and without limitation, the owner 12 may click on
desired
icon 50, which might be one of multiple standard icons 50, and modify one or
more
characteristics of icon 50 using suitable pull down menus. As described above,
the
characteristics of the icon might include one or more explicit questions
concerning
page 28, concerning one or more visual, audible, or other elements of page 28,
or
concerning one or more items with which page 28 is logically associated.
Desired
icons 50 are incorporated into local versions of pages 28 at step 214, singly
or as a
-- y -
-group =- For examP le and-riot by wa - of - --- - -=- ~ hrnitation owner T 2
may clickori,drag and '
drop, or otherwise incorporate desired icons 50 into the local version of
pages 28,
singly or as a group. Alternatively, the incorporation might occur
automatically in
response to owner 12 simply specifying characteristics of icon 50.
Owner 12, through the wizard or in any other suitable manner, may create a
separate directory containing a JAVASCRIPT or other script embodying tool 30
at
step 216 and, at step 218, may paste or otherwise incorporate a suitable call
to the
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script into the software code of the local version of page 28. After the tool
30 is
incorporated into the local versions of pages 28, owner 12 may use the wizard
to
upload or otherwise communicate modified pages 28 (now incorporating tool 30)
to
server 14 at step 220, singly or as a group, to replace. corresponding pages
28 (not
5 incorporating tool 30) in website 26. While an particular example embodiment
is
described in detail, tool 30 may be incorporated into one or more pages 28 of
a
website 26 in any suitable manner without departing from the intended scope of
the
present invention. For example, as an alternative, server 18 may communicate
tool 30
and associated software components directly to server 14 for automatic
incorporation
10 into pages 28, in response to a download request from owner 12. After the
pages 28
incorporating tool 30 are then uploaded to server 14, the method ends. Tool 30
is
communicated with page 28 to user 16 in response to user 16 accessing page 28
during a browser session.
FIGURE 11 illustrates an example method of measuring feedback of user 16
15 to one or more particular pages 28 of website 26. The method begins at step
300,
where user 16 establishes a connection to server 14 to access a particular
page 28 of
website 26 incorporating tool 30. At step 302, server 14 communicates page 28,
with
incorporated tool 30, to user 16 and, at step 304, a separate directory
containing the
script associated with tool 30 is installed in some appropriate manner on the
user's
20 computer system. If page 28 is the first page 28 incorporating tool 30 that
the user 16
has accessed during the browser session at step 306, too130 attempts to
determine at
step 308 the IP or other electronic address for the user's computer system
and, when
technically feasible, the hostname for the user's computer system. At step
310, the
tool 30 attempts to store a cookie, token, or other appropriate message on the
user's
25 computer system, through the user's web browser or otherwise, containing
the session
identifier for the browser session. At step 312, tool 30 may also store the
time and
date at which-user -T6-acessed the page 28: At step 3~6; if page 28 is not the
first
page 28 incorporating tool 30 that user 16 has accessed during the browser
session,
the method may proceed directly to step 312. The present invention
contemplates
30 steps 304 through 312 occurring in any appropriate order, according to
particular
needs.
At step 314, user 16 rolls an associated mouse pointer over icon 50, points to
and clicks on icon 50 using the mouse pointer, touches icon 50 using an
associated
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41
touch screen, or otherwise selects tool 30 to provide feedback concerning the
particular page 28. As described more fully above, a multi-level subjective
rating
scale 60 associated with tool 32 may request user 16 to provide general
feedback
concerning page 28, one or more multi-level subjective rating scales 72
associated
with tool 34 may request the user 16 to provide specific feedback concerning
page 28,
rating scale 60 and one or more rating scales 72 may appear in combination to
request
a combination of general and specific feedback concerning page 28, or feedback
concerning page 28 may be requested in any other suitable manner. In one
embodiment, as described above, feedback concerning page 28 may include one or
more responses to explicit questions posed to user 16 concerning page 28,
concerning
one or more elements of page 28, or concerning one or more items with which
page
28 is logically associated. Such questions may be presented to user 16 instead
of or in
addition to a rating scale 60 or 72. At step 316, user 16 provides feedback
using a
suitable combination of tools 30, 32, and 34.
If tool 30 determines at step 318 that user 16 has not previously provided
demographic information, based on the absence on the user's computer system of
a
cookie, token, or other message including a demographic user identifier, the
tool 30
may prompt user 16 to provide sufficient demographic information using
registration
page 80 at step 320. If user 16 provides requested demographic information at
step
322, tool 30 attempts to store a cookie, token, or other suitable message
including a
demographic user identifier on the user's computer system at step 324. Tool 30
may
communicate the demographic information and demographic user identifier to
server
18 at step 326 for storage in database 40. Alternatively, the tool 30 may wait
to
cornmunicate the demographic information together with feedback information
described below. At step 328, tool 30 attempts to store a cookie, token, or
other
suitable message including a feedback user identifier on the user's computer
system,
peferably the sarne as the demograpluc user identifier-describe-d above. If
fool -30
determines at step 318 that user 16 previously provided demographic
information (in
the same or in a previous browser session), based on there being a cookie,
token, or
other suitable message including a demographic user identifier stored on the
user's
computer system, the method may proceed directly to step 328. Step 328 may
occur
before, during, or after steps 318 through 326, as appropriate.
At step 330, tool 30 temporarily stores feedback information on the computer
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42
system of user 16 and instructs the computer system to communicate the
feedback
information to server 18. In one embodiment, the feedback information for page
28
may include, in any suitable combination and without limitation, the title,
the U.RI;,
the start time and date, the feedback time and date, the feedback, the
feedback user
identifier, and web profile infonnation. Tool 30 may continue to store the
feedback
user identifier for determining, in response to the user 16 subsequently
accessing the
particular page 28, that user 16 has already accessed the particular page 28.
Tool 30
communicates feedback information, using the computer system of user 16, to
server
18 at step 332. At step 334, tool 30 may cause an icon 50 to become unviewable
on
the particular page 28 for the remainder of the browser session, until user 16
leaves
the page 28 (being viewable again if user 16 returns to the page 28 during the
browser
session), or for any other suitable period.
At step 336, server 18 manipulates and stores feedback information received
from tool 30. For example, server 18 may compute the time spent on the page 28
before user 16 provided the feedback. Server 18 stores any such computed
feedback
information, together with suitable feedback information received from tool
30, in
database 36. If the received feedback information included a feedback user
identifier,
server 18 may attempt to match the feedback user identifier with a demographic
user
identifier stored in database 40, to allow the server 18 to associate the
demographic
information for user 16 with the feedback information in database 36. If user
16 has
closed the web browser to terminate the browser session at step 338, the
cookies,
tokens, or other messages stored on the user's computer system containing the
session
identifier and feedback user identifier may expire at step 340, and the method
ends. If
user 16 instead accesses another page 28 that incorporates tool 30 during the
browser
session, the method returns to step 300.
FIGURE 12 illustrates an example method of reporting to owner 12 user
feedbaclcconcerriirig -oiieior inore particulAr web pages 28 of" a website 26:
- -The
method begins at step 400, where collection module 42 may perform a crawl or
otherwise identify the pages 28 of website 26 incorporating tool 30. At step
402,
collection module 42 may parse pages 28 to identify their titles, URLs, and
any other
appropriate information. At step 404, the collection module 42 may generate a
map or
other report concerning the topography of website 26 and, at step 406, store
the map
in the database 44. At step 408, owner 12 communicates a report request to
server 18
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43
and, at step 410, the reporting module 46 prompts owner 12 to specify one or
more
criteria for use in generating the requested report 100. Owner 12 provides the
requested report criteria at step 412.
The report criteria may include, for example and not by way of limitation: (1)
whether a ratings table 102 or 152 is to be displayed; (2) the desired
information that
is to appear in the ratings table 102 or 152; (3) whether a chart 124 or 164
is to be
displayed, instead of or in addition to ratings table 102 or 152,
respectively; (4) the
type of chart 124 or 164 to be displayed (for example, chart 124 of FIGURE 8A
or
chart 124 of FIGURE 8B); (5) the desired information to appear in chart 124 or
164;
(6) how the desired information is to be displayed in chart 124 or 164 (for
example,
specifying the use of color for regions 138 and lines 126); (7) whether chart
140 is to
be displayed, instead of or in addition to ratings table 102 or chart 124; (8)
a point of
view for the report 100 or 150 (for example, specifying one or more
demographic
characteristics to which the report 100 or 150 is to be limited, one or more
time
periods to which report 100 or 150 is to be limited, or any other suitable
points of
view); and (9) any other suitable report criteria.
At step 414, reporting module 24 accesses the map for website 26 stored in
database 44, feedback information for pages 28 stored in database 36, and
possibly
demographic information for users 16 stored in database 40. As described
above, the
demographic information relating to particular feedback information may be
stored in
association with the feedback information, in database 36 for example, when
feedback
information is received and processed. As a result, the reporting module 46
may not
need to access database 40 to generate report 100 or 150. At step 416,
reporting
module 46 then generates the requested report 100 or 150, concerning one or
more
particular pages 28 of website 26, according to the specified report criteria.
In one
embodiment, reporting module 46 generates report 100 or 150 on the fly in
response
to the-specific-report-request from owner-l-2,-without-havirig previously
stoted"~eport
100 or 150. At step 418, the reporting module 46 then communicates the
requested
report 100 or 150 to owner 12.
If the owner 12 wishes to access another report 100 or 150 at step 420, the
method returns to step 412, where the owner 12 provides new report criteria.
In a
particular embodiment, report 100 or 150 may provide hypertext or other
appropriate
links that, when selected, cause reporting module 46 to generate a new report
100 or
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44
150 according to the selected link. The present invention contemplates owner
12
specifying new report criteria through selection of such a link, in the manner
that
owner 12 specified the original report criteria, or in any other appropriate
manner.
Preferably, owner 12 may navigate through at least reports 150 in
substantially the
same manner that users 16 might navigate through various pages 28 of website
26,
according to the topography of website 26. As described above, this feature
provides
an important technical advantage of the present invention. Steps 412 through
420
may be repeated as many times as necessary or desirable to satisfy the needs
of the
owner 12. If the owner 12 does not wish to access another report 100 or 150 at
step
420, the method ends.
Although the present invention has been described with several embodiments,
a plethora of changes, substitutions, variations, alterations, and
modifications may be
suggested to one skilled in the art, and it is intended that the invention
encompass all
such changes, substitutions, variations, alterations, and modifications as
fall within the
spirit and scope of the appended claims.
