Customizing program features on a per-user basis

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10101870-B2
Application number	US-201514885313-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 16, 2015
Priority date	Oct 16, 2015
Publication date	Oct 16, 2018
Grant date	Oct 16, 2018

Abstract

A computer-implemented technique is described herein for customizing user experience on a per-user basis. In some implementations, the technique involves: collecting feedback information from a user pertaining to the user's interaction with a program feature; determining a modification to be made to the program feature based on the feedback information; making the modification; notifying the user of the modification; and receiving the user's post-modification assessment of the modification. The technique enables a program provider to quickly modify program features in an automated manner, with no (or reduced) effort by human developers, and at consequent reduced cost. In addition, the technique improves the users' experience with the program features since the program modifications are tailored to each user's preferences.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method performed by one or more computing devices, the method comprising:
receiving feedback information providing an assessment by a particular user of a particular program feature from at least one particular comment made by the particular user at a shared forum maintained by a network-accessible computing system for receiving, storing, and presenting comments by forum users, the comments being organized into a plurality of idea categories;
storing the feedback information in a user feedback profile associated with the particular user in a data store;
determining a modification to be made to the particular program feature based at least on the user feedback profile, the determining including automatically interpreting the at least one particular comment based at least on a linguistic content of the at least one particular comment, the automatically interpreting including identifying at least one particular idea category associated with the at least one particular comment;
making the modification to the particular program feature to produce a modified program feature, the making including applying at least one modification rule associated with the at least one particular idea category, the modified program feature producing a modified user experience when the particular user interacts with the modified program feature using a user computing device; and
notifying the particular user of the modification to the particular program feature,

wherein the notifying comprises choosing a timing at which to present a notification to the particular user, and/or choosing a method with which to present the notification to the particular user, based at least on one or more notification presentation rules.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the feedback information is received in a course of interaction by the particular user with the particular program feature.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the particular program feature pertains to a particular program component, and wherein the feedback information is stored in a section of the user feedback profile that is dedicated to the particular program component.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving telemetry information that describes one or more aspects of an operation of the particular program feature, as the operation affects the particular user; and
storing the telemetry information in the user feedback profile, wherein the modification to be made is determined based also on the telemetry information.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
identifying the at least one modification rule corresponding to keyword information in the at least one particular comment, the at least one modification rule specifying an identified modification to be made to the particular program feature, wherein the making includes making the identified modification.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the determining a modification to be made includes using at least one machine-trained model to map the at least one particular comment to an indication of the modification to be made, and
wherein the making entails making the modification associated with the indication.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving feedback information from a plurality of program users regarding one or more program features;
identifying at least one user group associated with a same modification to be made to a program feature for a benefit of two or more users in the at least one user group; and
making, as an integrated batch task, the same modification for the two or more users in the at least one user group.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the notifying comprises alerting the particular user to the modification to the particular program feature in a context of interaction by the particular user with the particular program feature that has been changed.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising alerting the particular user to a nexus between the modification to the particular program feature and the feedback information provided by the particular user.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising receiving post-modification assessment information from the particular user regarding an assessment by the particular user of the modified program feature.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
determining whether the post-modification assessment information satisfies a user satisfaction threshold value; and
responsive to a determination that the post-modification assessment information satisfies the user satisfaction threshold value, inviting the particular user to post the assessment of the modified program feature to the shared forum.

12. A system, comprising:
one or more processing devices; and at least one computer readable storage medium storing computer readable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processing devices, cause the one or more processing devices to:
receive feedback information associated with a user, the feedback information providing an assessment by the user of a particular program feature, the assessment being expressed, at least in part, by at least one comment made by the user at a shared forum for exchanging comments by forum users about program features;
store the feedback information in a user feedback profile associated with the user in a data store;
automatically interpret the at least one comment by the user based at least on a linguistic content of the at least one comment;
determine a modification to be made to the particular program feature based at least on the user feedback profile associated with the user and the linguistic content;
make the modification to the particular program feature to produce a modified program feature by applying at least one modification rule associated with an idea category, the modified program feature producing a modified user experience when the user interacts with the modified program feature;
notify the user of the modification to the particular program feature by:
presenting a notification to the user at a determined time; and/or
presenting the notification to the user based at least on one or more notification presentation rules; and
receive post-modification assessment information from the user regarding an assessment, by the user, of the modified program feature.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the computer readable instructions, when executed by the one or more processing devices, cause the one or more processing devices to:
receive telemetry information that describes one or more aspects of an operation of the particular program feature, as the operation affects the user;
store the telemetry information in the user feedback profile; and
determine the modification to be made based at least on the linguistic content of the at least one comment and the telemetry information.

14. The system of claim 12 , wherein the computer readable instructions, when executed by the one or more processing devices, cause the one or more processing devices to:
identify the at least one modification rule that corresponds to keyword information in the at least one comment, the at least one modification rule specifying an identified modification to be made to the particular program feature.

15. The system of claim 12 , wherein the computer readable instructions, when executed by the one or more processing devices, cause the one or more processing devices to: use at least one machine-trained model to map the at least one comment to an indication of the modification to be made.

16. The system of claim 12 , wherein th

Assignees

• Microsoft Technology Licensing Llc

Inventors

• Ali Zohaib Haider
• Meyers Jr David Lloyd
• Yan Jun
• Thomas Craig Edward
• Manda Srinivasa Reddy
• Manning Dawson Sara Louise
• Clement Kevin C
• Carpineti Samuele
• Goel Ankit

Classifications

• G06F8/70

  Software maintenance or management · CPC title

• G06F11/3438

  monitoring of user actions (tracking the activity of the user H04L67/535) · CPC title

• G06F8/73

  Program documentation · CPC title

• G06F8/71

  Version control (security arrangements therefor G06F21/57); Configuration management · CPC title

• G06F3/0484

  for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range · CPC title