Visual user attention redirection while form filling to enhance auto-fill accuracy

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020394259-A1
Application number	US-201916441505-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 14, 2019
Priority date	Jun 14, 2019
Publication date	Dec 17, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

During presentation of an electronic form on a user interface device of a computer, a most likely input value for a first form field is estimated as the most often historically input value the in the first field, and the user's attention is re-directed to fill the fields in an order different from a natural reading order, according to the best available historical input patterns. This proposed auto-fill value is indicated on the electronic form associated with the first form field. If the user accepts, modifies or replaces the proposed auto-fill value, a most likely value for a second (next) field is estimated. The process is repeated for additional form fields until the form is submitted, saved, or otherwise completed, thereby using strong relationships between two or more input values for different fields as statistically determined from historical completions of the electronic form to predict and assist in future completions.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method comprising:
presenting, by a computer, an electronic form having a plurality of fields arranged in a natural reading order on a user interface device,
determining, from digitally-recorded historical input patterns of the electronic form, a strongest field-field pair relationship within the plurality of fields, wherein the strongest field-field pair relationship is determined by applying greater weight to more recently entered form field values in the digitally-recorded historical input patterns and by applying lesser weight to older field values in the digitally-recorded historical input patterns to determine a confidence value for each of the plurality of fields, and wherein the strongest field-field pair relationship has the highest confidence value;
estimating, from the historical input patterns, a most likely input value for at least one field of the strongest field-field pair having the strongest relationship according to the determining;
providing, by a computer on the user interface device, the estimated input value for the at least one field as a first proposed auto-fill value;
presenting, by a computer on the user interface device, the first proposed auto-file value using a graphical indicator;
responsive to receiving, by a computer, via a user interface device, the acceptance of the first proposed auto-fill value or input of a replacement value in the first electronic form field:
determining, by a computer, from the digitally-recorded historical input patterns of the electronic form, a next stronger field-field pair relationship within the plurality of fields;
estimating, by a computer, a most likely next input value for the determined next electronic form field correlated historically to the value accepted or input into the first electronic form field;
indicating the estimated next input value for the next electronic form field, by a computer, in the electronic form presentation, as a proposed auto-fill value for the next form field; and
redirecting a user's attention from the first field to the next field having the next proposed auto-file value by moving or changing the graphical indicator.

2 . The method as set forth in claim 1 further comprising repeating the steps of estimating a plurality of most likely next input values for a next electronic form fields and moving or changing the graphical indicator to redirect the user's attention from a natural reading order until all electronic form fields are complete or until the computer receives a command to complete the form from a user interface device.

3 . The method as set forth in claim 2 wherein the command comprises one or more commands selected from the group consisting of a submit command, a save command, and a finish command.

4 . The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the estimating comprises calculating, by the computer, a confidence level of each estimated most likely input value, and wherein the providing of each proposed auto-fill values is disabled responsive to a corresponding confidence level falling below a predetermined threshold.

5 . The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the graphical indication comprises an icon.

6 . The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the graphical indication comprises one or more graphical indicators selected from the group consisting of a color, a change in color, a size, and change in size, a flash, a highlight, a font change, and text emphasis.

7 . A computer program product comprising:
a computer readable storage medium; and program instructions encoded by the computer readable storage medium for causing a processor to, when executed, perform steps of:
responsive to presentation, by a computer, of an electronic form having a plurality of fields arranged in a natural reading order on a user interface device:
determining, from digitally-recorded historical input patterns of the electronic form, a strongest field-field pair relationship within the plurality of fields, wherein the strongest field-field pair relationship is determined by applying greater weight to more recently entered form field values in the digitally-recorded historical input patterns and by applying lesser weight to older field values in the digitally-recorded historical input patterns to determine a confidence value for each of the plurality of fields, and wherein the strongest field-field pair relationship has the highest confidence value;
estimating, from the historical input patterns, a most likely input value for at least one field of the strongest field-field pair having the strongest relationship according to the determining;
providing, by a computer on the user interface device, the estimated input value for the at least one field as a first proposed auto-fill value;
redirecting a user's attention from a first field according to the natural reading order to the field having the first proposed auto-file value using a graphical indicator;

responsive to receiving, by a computer, via a user interface device, an acceptance of the first proposed auto-fill value or input of a replacement value in the first electronic form field:
determining, by a computer, from the digitally-recorded historical input patterns of the electronic form, a next stronger field-field pair relationship within the plurality of fields;
estimating, by a computer, a most likely next input value for the determined next electronic form field correlated historically to the value accepted or input into the first electronic form field;
indicating the estimated next input value for the next electronic form field, by a computer, in the electronic form presentation, as a proposed auto-fill value for the next form field; and
redirecting a user's attention from the first field to the next field having the next proposed auto-file value by moving or changing the graphical indicator.

8 . The computer program product as set forth in claim 7 wherein the program instructions further comprise instructions for repeating the steps of estimating a plurality of most likely next input values for a next electronic form fields and moving or changing the graphical indicator to redirect the user's attention from a natural reading order until all electronic form fields are complete or until the computer receives a command to complete the form from a user interface device.

9 . The computer program product as set forth in claim 8 wherein the command comprises one or more commands selected from the group consisting of a submit command, a save command, and a finish command.

10 . The computer program product as set forth in claim 7 wherein the estimating comprises calculating, by the computer, a confidence level of each estimated most likely input value, and wherein the providing of each proposed auto-fill values is disabled responsive to a corresponding confidence level falling below a predetermined threshold.

11 . The computer program product as set forth in claim 7 wherein the graphical indication comprises an icon.

12 . The computer program product as set forth in claim 7 wherein the graphical indication comprises one or more graphical indicators selected from the group consisting of a color, a change in color, a size, and change in size, a flash, a highlight, a font change, and text emphasis.

13 . A system comprising:
a computer processor; a computer readable storage medium; and program instructions encoded by the computer readable storage medium for causing a processor to, when executed, perform steps of:
responsive to presentation, by a computer, of an electronic form having a plurality of fields arranged in a natural reading order on

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Onuma Shinya
• Kamiyama Yoshiroh
• Miura Keiji
• Shimizu Tomohiro

Classifications

• G06F40/174 Primary

  Form filling; Merging · CPC title

• G06F3/0481

  based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance · CPC title

• G06F3/04812

  Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects · CPC title

• G06F3/0482

  Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus · CPC title

• G06F17/18

  for evaluating statistical data {, e.g. average values, frequency distributions, probability functions, regression analysis (forecasting specially adapted for a specific administrative, business or logistic context G06Q10/04)} · CPC title