JP4577685B2 - Information providing apparatus, method, and computer program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention is a technology for providing information using the Internet or the like, and in particular, by providing information with a layout that combines ease of operation and ease of browsing, it is suitable for users. Provide technology that can provide information.

Due to the rapid development of information communication network devices such as the Internet, it is a big social problem that users such as beginners, elderly people, and persons with disabilities who are not used to operating information devices cannot access desired information. ing.
In order to solve such problems, in order to provide easy-to-use sites and applications on the website, users are grouped according to the skill level and operational ability of users such as beginners, skilled people, elderly people and disabled people, etc. In other words, content corresponding to each group was prepared.

As an example of this, a mechanism has been proposed in which a conversion specification is dynamically generated according to a user profile describing a content presentation form according to the user's preference, and the content is dynamically converted according to the generated conversion specification ( For example, Patent Document 1).
In addition, in order to make it possible to easily provide Internet site information to the user, the server creates a summary of the provided information according to the user characteristic information in the converted data personal information DB, and from the provided information A mechanism for extracting a table of contents has been proposed (for example, Patent Document 2).
Also, multiple barrier items that identify mental and physical obstacle elements and information representation methods for overcoming the obstacle elements are defined, and the obstacles are requested according to the requested challenged (user) request. A mechanism for expressing information according to elements has also been proposed (for example, Patent Document 3).

JP 2003-223463 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 200210-73669 JP 2002-63277 A

However, in the prior art, when trying to present an operation method that suits the user, the screen layout changes greatly, so it is necessary to prepare content according to the characteristics of the user, the number of content to be created increases, and content There was a problem that it took time and effort to create and manage.
Further, in any of the conventional mechanisms, “ease of browsing” is considered, but the operation burden on the user is not considered at all. Therefore, although items that can be operated according to each person such as beginners, experts, elderly people, and disabled people are different, these are not considered at all, and it is difficult for users to access desired information. As a result, the overall operation was difficult.

  In addition, there are user characteristics such as the order of Web pages that the user always accesses within a predetermined site, and operations that the user always makes mistakes or is easy to make mistakes (for example, the user presses the OK button and the cancel button). Nevertheless, no consideration was given to user support in response. In order to support this kind of operability, help and operation instructions related to operations may be described in the Web page. However, as a user, even if such explanations are written, operations can be performed. In this case, since the operation is not performed after seeing this explanation, there is a problem that the operation explanation is not useful at all and the operability is deteriorated as a whole.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and provides a mechanism capable of providing information in a form that combines ease of operation and ease of browsing for the user. Is an issue.

  This system has a mechanism to adjust “ease of operation”, and provides layout conversion in combination with “ease of browsing” to present information suitable for the user. In addition, by storing log information in units of information defined in this system, it provides a user agent function that acquires user status and changes information presentation in real time.

And in order to solve the above-mentioned subject, the information provision device concerning the 1st viewpoint of the present invention is a device for displaying and outputting contents on a predetermined output device, and is a user profile showing a feature of a user Profile information storage means for storing information and device profile information representing the characteristics of the output device, a dialog tree representing a hierarchical structure of dialogs constituting content, and an abstract level corresponding to a plurality of abstract levels for each dialog Content information storage means for storing dialog data whose information amount decreases as it increases, means for receiving a request for presentation of predetermined content from the user, and content requested from the user with reference to the content information storage means As well as the above profile information storage means Dialog information processing means for acquiring profile information of the user and determining a depth of a hierarchy of a dialog tree to be presented to the user according to the characteristics of the user set in the acquired profile information; The amount of cognitive information of a total dialog that constitutes one screen when presenting content to the user, the amount of cognitive information that can be recognized by the user and the output device, and the calculated 1 It is determined whether or not the amount of cognitive information in the dialog on the screen exceeds the amount of cognitive information on the user and the output device,
Output content information by performing at least one of processing for increasing the abstract level of the dialogs constituting the screen, processing for changing the setting of the number of dialog tree depths, or processing for reducing the scroll amount of the screen. Adjusting means for adjusting the amount; output content generating means for generating output content to be presented to the output device based on the adjusted dialog; and means for outputting the generated content to the output device. It is characterized by having.

Here, the dialog is a minimum unit of information composed of presentation, input, and processing. In this web page, for example, a title, an outline, a body, a link, etc. are used for presentation on a Web page, and an input is, for example, selection input (multiple selection, single selection), text input, etc. For example, page transition, input check, transmission / reception to a business server, and the like.
Moreover, the amount of recognition information means the allowable information amount of the user or user terminal which can be shown at a time. This amount of recognition information can calculate the amount of information displayed on the screen from the description content for each dialog unit.
Here, the recognition information amount is determined from the range of the dialog and the information amount in the dialog. Dialog ranges include the number of dialogs (the number of dialogs displayed on one screen), the number of layers (the depth of the information hierarchy displayed on one screen), and the number of children (current children displayed on one screen). (The number of dialogs that are related).
The information in the dialog includes the number of links (the number of articles, the total number of headings), the number of sentences (the total number of sentences), the number of phrases (the total number of vocabularies that are the minimum unit of meaning), and the number of characters.

  When it is determined that the recognition information of the total dialog within one screen is less than the recognition information amount of the user and the user terminal, the hierarchical adjustment means determines that the recognition information of the total dialog within one screen is the user and The hierarchy of the dialog tree of the content presented to the user may be deeply changed until the amount of information recognized by the user terminal is reached.

  Further, log data storage means capable of storing log data of user operation patterns and erroneous operation patterns for the dialog in units of dialogs representing operations, and the operations according to the operation patterns and erroneous operation patterns for the dialogs. Assist information storage means for storing assist information for assisting, and an operation request from the user is detected, and the detected operation request corresponds to an operation pattern and an erroneous operation pattern stored in the assist information storage means. If the operation pattern and the erroneous operation pattern are stored in the assist information storage means, the assist information corresponding to the operation pattern and the erroneous operation pattern is sent to the user who made the operation request. Assist processing means for notifying may be provided.

  Further, when it is determined that the assist processing unit corresponds to the erroneous operation pattern, the assist processing unit dynamically changes the user information such as the amount of user's recognition information stored in the profile information storage unit, thereby changing the screen. May be re-presented.

  An information providing method according to an aspect of the present invention includes: user profile information representing user characteristics; profile information storage means storing device profile information representing the characteristics of the output device; and dialogs constituting content A dialog tree representing a hierarchical structure and content information storage means for storing dialog data in which the amount of information decreases as the level of abstraction increases for each dialog according to a plurality of abstract levels, and the content is displayed on a predetermined output device A method performed by an output device, in which the device accepts a request to present a predetermined content from the user, and a dialog tree of the content requested by the user with reference to the content information storage means And referring to the profile information storage means, the user Acquire profile information, and determine the depth of the hierarchy of the dialog tree to be presented to the user according to the characteristics of the user set in the acquired profile information, and present the content to the user The amount of cognitive information of the total dialog composing one screen, the process of calculating the amount of cognitive information recognizable by the user and the output device, and the amount of cognitive information of the total dialog within the one screen calculated above, A process for determining whether or not the recognized information amount of the user and the output device is exceeded, and a dialog that configures the screen when the calculated recognized information amount of the total dialog of one screen exceeds the result of the determination At least one of processing for increasing the level of abstraction, processing for changing the number of dialog tree layers shallower, or processing for reducing the scroll amount of the screen In order to present to the output device based on the adjusted dialog and the process for adjusting the information content of the output content by performing at least one of the processes of adjusting the information content of the output content by performing The process of generating the output content and the process of outputting the generated content to the output device are performed.

  A computer program according to an aspect of the present invention includes user profile information representing user characteristics, profile information storage means storing device profile information representing the characteristics of the output device, and a hierarchy of dialogs constituting content A computer having a dialog tree representing a structure and content information storage means for storing dialog data in which the amount of information decreases as the level of abstraction increases for each dialog according to a plurality of levels of abstraction is displayed on a predetermined output device. A computer program that functions as an output device, wherein the computer requests the computer to receive a predetermined content presentation request and the content requested by the user with reference to the content information storage means Take the dialog tree In addition, the profile information of the user is acquired by referring to the profile information storage means, and the hierarchy of the dialog tree to be presented to the user according to the characteristics of the user set in the acquired profile information. A process for determining the depth, a process for calculating the cognitive information amount of the total dialog that constitutes one screen when the content is presented to the user, and a process for calculating the cognitive information amount that can be recognized by the user and the output device; Processing for determining whether or not the calculated perceived information amount of the total dialog in one screen exceeds the perceived information amount of the user and the output device, and as a result of the determination, the calculated total dialog of one screen When the amount of perceived information exceeds, processing to increase the abstract level of the dialog that composes the above screen, or processing to change the number of dialog tree levels shallow, A process for adjusting the information amount of the output content by performing at least one of the processes for adjusting the information amount of the output content by performing at least one of the processes for reducing the scroll amount of the screen; Based on the adjusted dialog, a process of generating output content to be presented to the output device and a process of outputting the generated content to the output device are executed.

  According to the present invention, since the layout is adjusted in consideration of “ease of operation” together with “ease of browsing” according to the user, an operation customized for each user is provided. Browsing sex and information.

In addition, by storing user operation log information in dialog units, it is possible to predict the user's detailed situation and re-present information in real time.
In addition, this system is particularly effective for improving accessibility by presenting customized information to users with different operations, such as beginners, experts, elderly people, and disabled people.

Hereinafter, an example in which an information generating apparatus and a computer program according to the present invention are applied to an information providing server 1 will be described with reference to the drawings.
In the example illustrated in FIG. 1, the information providing server 1 and user terminals 2 to 5 configured to be connectable to the information providing server 1 via a predetermined network such as the Internet.

The user terminals 2 to 5 are computer terminals that can be connected to the network used by the user.
The user terminals include a desktop user terminal 2, a notebook user terminal 3, a user terminal 4 as a mobile phone, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistance) user terminal 5, and the like.
These user terminals 2 to 5 can display information provided from the information providing server 1 on a predetermined display by a browser or the like. In addition, predetermined information input means such as a keyboard, an input pad, and a mouse are provided, and a predetermined processing request such as an information provision request is made to the information providing server 1 based on information input from the user through these input means. It is comprised so that it can do.
In addition, as a user, a disabled person, an elderly person, the beginner who has never used these user terminals 2-5, or an unfamiliar beginner, the expert who became accustomed to handling these terminals, etc. are included.

The information providing server 1 is configured by a computer, such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a computer program executed by the CPU, a RAM and a ROM capable of temporarily or continuously storing a computer program and predetermined data. The function block shown in FIG. 2 can be configured by an internal memory and an external storage device such as a hard disk drive.
The function block of the information providing server 1 shown in FIG. 2 includes a content information storage unit 11, a screen configuration information storage unit 12, a style information storage unit 13, a profile information storage unit 14, and a user interface (UI) generation unit 15. It is configured.

  The content information storage unit 11 is a storage unit that can store content to be provided to the user. The content information storage unit 11 can store a content dialog tree, a dialog type of each dialog constituting the tree, a parent dialog of the dialog, semantic information, and a process (filter, etc.) as the content. ing.

A schematic description of the dialog tree is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3, the dialog tree has a hierarchical structure (tree structure) starting from a specific dialog, and the N hierarchy, N + 1 hierarchy, and N + 2 hierarchy are deep. The level of abstraction (abstract level) can be set in each hierarchy of the dialog tree, and up to what range (N + 1, N + 2... Hierarchy) and how (headings, links, (Abstract level) can be defined.

The content information storage unit 11 can store title and body data for each level of abstract level set for each dialog.
Here, the concept of the abstract level and the recognition information amount level of the dialog will be described with reference to FIG. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the contents of each dialog are divided into a title and a text, the title is divided into a heading and a link button, and the text is divided into a description and a guide.
Then, the minimum unit information (dialog definition) from which content can be extracted semantically is composed of an accessibility form and accessibility content.
The accessibility form is a definition of an operation purpose such as selection and input, and a UI component such as a pull-down or a radio button can be specified according to the user terminal or the user according to the operation purpose.
As a concrete example, as shown in FIG. 4, when the link button has a low abstract level such as the abstract level 0, the link button is an easy-to-understand radio button displayed as “Kamikita General Center”. When the level of abstraction is increased, a link button that is simply displayed as “general center” is defined as a user terminal or a user button or a user's purpose of operation.

In addition, accessibility content is an information definition corresponding to a plurality of abstract levels composed of titles and texts. Depending on the abstract level, if the abstract level is 0, the amount of information is increased in consideration of efficiency, The operability is improved by defining the contents of the title and text so that the amount of information decreases as the level of abstraction increases. Specifically, in the example of FIG. 4, when the abstract level is small, the radio button is clearly displayed as “Kamikita General Center” with white characters when the abstract level is small. The amount of information is reduced and only the “General Center” is displayed.
In the abstract level 0, the explanation is made easy to understand by increasing the explanation. At the abstract level 1, there is only one word. When the abstract level is 2 or higher, the text is omitted, and the information of the text is omitted. Is defined to be less.

  Note that a plurality of patterns can be defined in the title and text. As an example, a content pattern on the Web may be a pattern of a title (headline) and a text (this description) or a title (link) and a text (guidance).

The screen configuration information storage unit 12 is a storage unit that can store information such as a design that determines the screen configuration and a content pattern according to the abstract level of each design.
The screen configuration information storage unit 12 can store design rules according to the abstract level of the screen. This design rule can store dialogs for the layers constituting the screen and the content patterns of the respective dialogs. As the content pattern, a title and its abstract level, a text and its abstract level, etc. can be stored.
The screen configuration information storage unit 12 has a hierarchical structure (tree structure) starting from a specific dialog as a design map of a screen as shown in FIG. The hierarchy becomes deeper as the hierarchy progresses.
The level of abstraction (abstract level) can be set for each level of dialog. The range of dialogs to be displayed on one screen for each dialog from the dialog tree, and the abstract level and abstract level are set. A design map of one screen is configured by designating corresponding design rules. In this design map, up to what range (N + 1, N + 2... Hierarchy) and how (title / text / abstraction) can be defined.

The style information storage unit 13 is a storage unit that can store style (page layout) definition information of each screen.
The style information storage unit 13 can store a style sheet storing the definition contents for each of various layouts. As this layout, for example, as shown in FIG. 5, depending on whether scrolling is present or not, whether or not there are columns, a) with scrolling / without columns, B) with scrolling / two steps, c) without scrolling -Styles such as no columns, d) no scrolling, 2 steps, etc. can be stored.

The profile information storage unit 14 is a storage unit that can store user profile information.
The user profile information includes two types of information, that is, terminal information related to user terminals and user information related to users.
As terminal information, terminal information such as an IP address for identifying each user terminal 2 to 5, terminal type information such as a personal computer (PC), PDA or mobile phone, and the user terminals 2 to 5 can be recognized. The amount of cognitive information that represents the amount of information can be stored. This amount of recognition information is information determined by the screen size of the terminal, the number of colors, and the terminal type (types and specifications of mobile phones, PCs, etc.).
The user information includes information such as user recognition information and age. This user's recognition information is calculated by a predetermined index representing the user's age, vision, hearing, and the like. Moreover, you may memorize | store index values, such as a user's terminal utilization years and the skill level of computer use.
Further, as user profile information, a scroll limit, a character size (character font), and an information amount (recognition information amount) are set. Here, as the scroll limit, the user can obtain and set the optimal scroll amount = presented page / browser size (≧ 1).

  As shown in FIG. 2, the UI generation unit 15 includes a communication processing unit 50, a dialog information processing unit 51, a recognition information amount calculation unit 52, a recognition information amount adjustment unit 53, a layout adjustment unit 54, and an output content generation unit 55. ing.

  The communication processing unit 50 performs predetermined data transmission / reception processing with the user terminals 2 to 5 via the Internet. The communication processing unit 50 performs processing for receiving data transmitted from the user terminals 2 to 5 and the like, and transmitting predetermined data such as content generated to the user terminals 2 to 5.

  The dialog information processing unit 51 refers to the content information storage unit 11 based on the user's request to acquire a dialog tree of the content requested by the user, and refers to the profile information storage unit 14 to obtain the user information. According to this user information, the process of determining the depth of the hierarchy of the dialog tree presented to the user is performed.

The recognition information amount calculation unit 52 performs a process of calculating the amount of recognition information such as content requested by the user. The recognition information amount can be calculated by the recognition information amount calculation unit 52 based on the following equation.
N (recognized information amount) = A (recognized information amount) × I (information amount)
This amount of recognition information can be calculated for each content, user, and user terminal. As an example, the amount of user recognition information is based on characteristics such as age, vision, and hearing, and the amount of recognition information on a user terminal is based on characteristics such as the screen size, number of colors, and terminal type of the user terminal. Can be calculated. The amount of content recognition information can be calculated based on the classification of content such as text and images. For example, it can be calculated from the number of characters, the number of phrases, the number of punctuation marks, the number of pixels, etc. in the content.

The cognitive information adjustment unit 53 performs processing for adjusting the cognitive information amount of the content to be less than the cognitive information amount of the user and the user terminals 2 to 5.
Specifically, the cognitive information adjustment unit 53 includes the user's cognitive information amount (Nu) or the cognitive information amount (Nd) of the user terminals 2 to 5, and the cognitive information amount (Nc) of the content of one screen. If the amount of content perceived information (Nc) is higher, the value of the abstract level specified in the dialog is increased by 1, thereby providing a dialog with a smaller amount of information. .

The layout adjustment unit 54 performs processing for adjusting the layout to be presented to the user. The layout adjustment unit 54 selects a layout in which the content adjusted by the recognition information adjustment unit 53 can be arranged.
Also, the layout adjustment unit 54 arranges the content whose information amount is adjusted according to the selected layout, compares the information amount with the layout size, and adjusts so as not to exceed the layout size. ing.
As the layout of the screen, for example, the layout adjustment unit 54 can generate several types of page arrangements by combining scrolling: yes or no, column: yes or no, center in the frame or left justification, etc. .

  The output content generation unit 55 performs processing for converting the layout-adjusted content into an output content format that can be output by the user terminals 2 to 5. As this output content format, for example, there are formats such as HTML and VoiceXML, and these formats can be arbitrarily set.

Next, an example of the overall processing method of the above-described system will be described with reference to FIG.
In FIG. 6, when a user first requests a desired content from the user terminals 2 to 5, the communication processing unit 50 of the UI generation unit 15 of the information providing server 1 accepts the request from the user (S1). ).

  When the user request is received, the UI generation unit 15 refers to the content information storage unit 11 based on the user request, and specifies a dialog tree of the requested content (S2).

  When the dialog tree of the content is specified, the UI generation unit 15 refers to the profile information storage unit 14 and determines the depth of the hierarchy of dialogs to be presented to the user terminals 2 to 5 and the user according to the user profile information. Then, the style information is selected (S3).

The process for determining these is determined by the dialog information processing unit 51 with reference to data such as age, vision, hearing, and years of use of the user terminal in the user information stored in the profile information storage unit 14. can do.
In this case, for example, the dialog information processing unit 51 is a predetermined age (for example, 65 years old) or more according to age, the visual acuity is smaller than a predetermined value (for example, visual acuity 0.01 or less), and the hearing is predetermined. The number of applicable items is determined based on the fact that the value is less than or equal to the value, etc. According to the number of items, if there is 0 item, abstract level 3 style b (with scroll, column), 1 item A table such as abstract level 2 / style a (with scroll and no column) is provided in advance, and the corresponding item can be selected with reference to this table.
As another example, at the stage of initial registration of a user, a hierarchy level (for example, hierarchy: n + 2) and style information to be provided to the user are set as profile information in advance, and the dialog information processing unit 51 sets this information. You may make it select based on.

The UI generation unit 15 adjusts the information amount of the selected screen presentation to be equal to or less than the recognized information amount specified by the profile (S4).
Then, the UI generation unit 15 creates the content whose information amount is adjusted according to the presentation format (HTML, CHTML, etc.) of the user terminals 2 to 5, and the communication processing unit 50 requests the created content. Is transmitted to the user terminals 2 to 5 where there is (S5), and the process is terminated.

Next, the detailed flow of processing after S4 will be described with reference to FIG.
In FIG. 7, first, the total dialog displayed on one screen (one page) as a range presented to the user at a time from the range specified by the dialog information tree calculation unit 52 in the dialog tree. Extracting and calculating the amount of recognition information of the total dialog, the amount of recognition information of the user terminal, and the amount of recognition information of the user (S101).

The recognition information amount calculation unit 52 can calculate the recognition information amount based on the following equation.
N (cognitive information amount) = A (cognitive coefficient) × I (information amount)
Here, the recognition coefficient A is 0 <A ≦ 1
As the recognition coefficient, coefficient values according to user characteristics (Au), terminal characteristics (Ad), and content characteristics (Ac) are set.
Nu (user's perceived information amount) = Au x I
Nd (the amount of information recognized by the terminal) = Ad × I
Nc (content recognition information amount) = Ac × I

Moreover, when setting a coefficient, you may set a coefficient for every user, every terminal, and every content. For example, each coefficient may include the following parameters.
・ User recognition coefficient Au
Au = f (x, y, z)
x: age (aging), y: vision (index of difficulty of viewing including amblyopia and total blindness), z: hearing (index of difficulty of hearing including hearing loss)
-Terminal recognition coefficient Ad
Ad = f (x, y, z)
x: screen size, y: number of colors, z: terminal type / content recognition coefficient Ac
Ac = f (x)
x: Content classification

The amount of information I is defined as follows.
I ≧ 0
Here, the definition of the information amount uses one of the following several definitions or a combination thereof.
(1) Number of characters Refers to the total number of characters displayed on one screen in the dialog determined by the dialog view information. In the case of image content, text prepared as alternative information may be used.
For example, in the sentence “I went up the stairs to the 5th floor”, the number of characters is 13.
(2) Number of phrases Refers to the total number of phrases acquired in the same way as the number of characters and separated in the text on one screen.
For example, if the sentence is “I / Ha / 5 / Floor / Up / Stair / Up”, the number of phrases is eight.
(3) Punctuation marks The total number of punctuation marks acquired in the same way as the number of characters and separated by punctuation marks in the text in one screen.
For example, a sentence such as “I went up the stairs to the 5th floor./When I went up / the stairs broke down” would have 3 punctuation marks.
(4) Number of pixels When information is displayed on the screen, it is binarized with the background color and means the total number of pixels other than the background color. The image content may be added to the information amount from the designated pixel size.

When the recognized information amount is calculated, the recognized information amount adjustment unit 53 calculates the recognized information amount of the total dialog (content) in one screen of the user and the user terminal 2 used by the user. It is determined whether or not the amount of recognition information is below (S102).
In this process, the cognitive information adjustment unit 53 first compares the user's cognitive information amount (Nu) with the cognitive information amount (Nd) of the user terminal used by the user, and the smaller value min Processing can be performed by selecting (Nu, Nd) and comparing the selected min (Nu, Nd) with the content information (Nc) of the content.

  As a result of the determination, if it is determined that min (Nu, Nd) <the recognized information amount (Nc) of the content, the recognized information amount adjusting unit 53 increases the abstract level specified in the dialog by one. Then, the level of abstraction is higher and the amount of information is set smaller, and the process returns to S101.

  On the other hand, if it is determined that min (Nu, Nd)> content recognition information amount (Nc) as a result of the determination, the layout adjustment unit 54 acquires the screen style specified for the content. (S104) The dialog adjusted according to the acquired screen style is arranged in order from the upper left of the screen style (S105).

Then, the layout adjustment unit 54 determines whether or not the horizontal size of the screen or column is exceeded based on the arranged image, table, or the like (S106).
If the horizontal size is exceeded as a result of the determination, the layout adjustment unit 54 increases the abstract level of the corresponding dialog by 1, reduces the amount of information, and returns to the processing of S106 (S107).

In FIG. 8, if the result of determination is that the horizontal size is not exceeded, it is determined whether or not the layout is a layout without scrolling (S108).
As a result of the determination, if the layout is a non-scrolling layout, the layout adjustment unit 54 determines whether or not the vertical size of the screen is exceeded by the arranged image, table, or the like (S109).
As a result of the determination, if the arranged image or the like exceeds the vertical size, the layout adjustment unit 54 arranges the excess as the next screen after the corresponding dialog (S110), and the screen is described above. The process proceeds to S105.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S108 that scrolling is present, and if it is determined in step S109 that the vertical size of the browser is not exceeded, the layout adjustment unit 54 displays the dialog in the range specified by the dialog tree. It is determined whether or not all the processes have been performed (S111).

As a result of the determination, if the processing has not been completed for all the dialogs, the process returns to the above-described S101 and is repeated until the processing is completed for all the dialogs.
On the other hand, when the processing is completed for all the dialogs, the output content generation unit 55 selects the layout-adjusted dialog from the style pattern determined by the layout pattern, the user, and the user terminal according to the user terminal. The format is converted into HTML, VoiceXML, or the like (S112), and the process ends.

Thus, according to the present embodiment, by performing layout conversion that combines ease of operation and ease of browsing, it is possible to provide a screen that has both customized operations and browsing for each user. it can.
As a result, customized information can be presented to users who have different ability to operate, such as beginners, experts, elderly people, and disabled people, and accessibility can be improved.
That is, an abstract link button or the like for explanation and operation is used, and by deepening the hierarchy of one screen, many operations and information can be browsed at a time. For beginners and the elderly, a lot of explanations are provided, the link buttons are easy to understand, and the level of dialog displayed on one screen is limited to improve the operability. In addition, content that is easy to understand can be provided.

In the above-described example, an example in which design rules and the like can be specified for each dialog has been described. However, for example, a design for a dialog in one screen can be provided in a pattern as shown in FIG.
In the example shown in FIG. 9, as the design pattern name, for example, as pattern 1, the N layer has a main level of abstraction 0, and the N + 1 layer has a link level of abstraction 0. As the pattern 2 more efficient than the pattern 1, the main / abstraction level 0, N + 1 layer is also patterned as the main / abstraction level 1, the N + 2 layer is linked / abstraction level 1, etc.
In addition, as accessible contents, a headline as a main, a description, a link button as a link, and a guide can be set in advance.
Thereby, even if it does not select individually, a design pattern can be determined easily only by selecting the design pattern according to the characteristic of a user or a user terminal.

  In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the abstraction level and the dialog depth are calculated independently has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the abstraction level specified by the user characteristic is set. You may make it take the optimal value of the depth of a dialog so that it may be kept. An example of this case is shown in FIG. In addition, about the structure same as the above-mentioned embodiment, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and description is abbreviate | omitted.

In the example illustrated in FIG. 10, a layer adjustment unit 503 is provided instead of the above-described recognition information amount adjustment unit 53.
When the layer adjustment unit 503 determines that the recognition information of the total dialog in one screen exceeds the amount of recognition information of the user and the user terminal of the user, the layer adjustment unit 503 sets the dialog tree layer to be shallow by one layer. By changing, the process of adjusting the recognition information of the content in one screen is performed.
Further, when it is determined that the recognition information of the total dialog in one screen is less than the recognition information amount of the user and the user terminal of the user, the hierarchy adjustment unit 503 is the user or the user terminal. The dialog tree is set one level deeper until the amount of perceived information is reached.

Next, processing of the information providing apparatus shown in FIG. 10 will be described with reference to FIG. Note that the same processes as those in the above-described embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.
In FIG. 11, the hierarchy adjustment unit 503 determines whether or not the recognized information amount of the total dialog on one screen is less than the recognized information amounts of the user and the user terminals 2 to 5 (S102).
As a result of the determination, if it is determined that the recognized information amount of the total dialog in one screen is not less than the recognized information amount of the user and the user terminals 2 to 5, the hierarchy adjusting unit 503 sets the dialog hierarchy one by one. The setting is changed to a shallower level (S201), and the process returns to S101 again to calculate the amount of recognized information.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S102 that the amount of information recognized in the total dialog within one screen is less than the amount of information recognized by the user and the user terminal, the hierarchy adjusting unit 503 moves the dialog deeper by one layer. The recognition information amount calculation unit 52 recalculates the recognition information amount of the total dialog in this case (S202).
Then, the hierarchy adjustment unit 503 determines whether or not the recalculated amount of recognition information of the one-screen total dialog is less than the amount of recognition information of the user and the user terminals 2 to 5 (S203).
As a result of the determination, if it is determined that the value is below the level, the process returns to the process of S202, and the process is repeated by setting one layer deeper.

  On the other hand, if it is determined as a result of the processing of S203 that the number is not lower, that is, the amount of information recognized by the user and the user terminals 2 to 5 has been exceeded, the hierarchy adjustment unit 503 displays the dialog within one screen as 1 The setting is changed to a shallower level, that is, the state is returned to the state before setting one level deeper in the process of S202 (S204), and the processes of S104 and subsequent steps are performed.

  In this way, since the optimum value of the dialog depth is taken so as to maintain the abstraction level specified by the user characteristics, the information with the optimum information amount and the optimum hierarchy for the user is obtained. Can be applied. Thereby, for example, if it is an expert, it can provide efficiently in a deeper hierarchy, and information can be provided in the optimal hierarchy for beginners, elderly people, persons with disabilities and the like.

Next, an embodiment in the case where logs are taken in units of dialogs representing operations will be described. FIG. 12 shows a functional block diagram of the information providing server 1 according to the present embodiment.
In the example shown in FIG. 12, in addition to the above-described embodiment, the log information storage unit 16, the assist information storage unit 17, and the assist processing unit 56 are further included.
The log information storage unit 16 is a storage unit that can store log information of user operations in units of dialogs representing operations. The log information storage unit 16 can store the identification information of each dialog, the operation time, and the operation content for each user in association with the user identification information (or terminal identification information).

Further, the assist information storage unit 17 can store an operation pattern and an erroneous operation pattern for each user in association with the user identification information. For example, it can be stored as an operation pattern that a specific user repeatedly performs an operation of shifting from one dialog to the next specific dialog in a certain Web screen. Similarly, when an operation of a certain dialog is always erroneously performed in the same pattern, the erroneous operation pattern can be stored.
Note that these operation patterns and erroneous operation patterns may be set in advance, or the assist information processing unit 56 refers to the log information storage unit 16 and performs operations performed a predetermined number of times or more during a predetermined period. An operation pattern or the like may be extracted from the list and dynamically registered and updated.

An example of the processing of this embodiment is shown in FIG. In FIG. 13, when a predetermined operation request is first made by the user via the user terminals 2 to 5, the log information processing unit 56 detects this operation request (S301).
When detecting the operation request, the assist information processing unit 56 refers to the assist information storage unit 17 and determines whether assist information for the operation is stored in association with the user (S302).

  As a result of the determination, when it is determined that the assist information is not stored, the requested operation is executed, and when the operation execution is completed, the assist processing unit 56 stores the log information of the operation in the log information storage unit. 16 and the process ends (S304).

If it is determined that the assist information is stored as a result of the determination, the assist processing unit 56 notifies the user terminals 2 to 5 of the stored assist information (S303).
Thereby, on the user terminals 2 to 5, help information is displayed as assist information in the operation, or assist information for the next operation is presented, and an operation according to the assist information can be performed.
When the operation is completed, the assist processing unit 56 stores the log information of the operation in the log information storage unit 16 and ends the process (S304).

As described above, according to the present embodiment, it has been possible to acquire logs in units of operations that have been logged in units of pages so far. An operation confirmation message can be displayed to prevent an erroneous operation, and the user can be guided to the next operation according to the operation purpose.
In addition, it is possible to predict the user's purpose and erroneous operation, and assist the user with help information. In particular, since it is a log of erroneous operation units, it is possible to select and present an explanation focused on the operation target.

  In addition, by accumulating the history of operation dialogs of many users in the log information storage unit 16, it becomes possible to perform more detailed analysis of user preferences, usage trends, and the like. Will be able to provide services such as recommended information and shortcut functions suitable for users.

When the assist processing unit 56 determines that it corresponds to the erroneous operation pattern stored in the assist information storage unit 17, the user information is reduced by reducing the amount of user's cognitive information stored in the profile information storage unit 14. May be changed so that the re-presentation of the screen is performed in real time by the cognitive information amount adjusting unit 53, the layout adjusting unit 54, and the like based on the changed information.
Thereby, the screen of the recognition information suitable for the present conditions, such as a user, can be provided in real time.

  In addition, when a change in user characteristics is observed (when the assist processing unit 56 determines that the usage pattern of another user is based on the log, or when the change is made by accepting a user registration change). The layout can be converted in real time and presented to the user again. For example, for a user who has made an erroneous operation, the user environment can be changed with help or the like, and the presentation environment suitable for the user can be easily changed by repeating re-presentation in real time.

In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the range that falls within the range of the number of dialogs, the number of hierarchies, and the number of children representing the lowermost dialog has been described, but one screen is set so as to be within the specified amount of information. What is necessary is just to produce | generate the content displayed on.
Therefore, as another example, the dialog information processing unit 51 may determine a range in which the difference from the designated number of dialogs, the number of hierarchies, and the number of children is minimized.
In this case, if the desired number of dialogs is D ₁ , the desired number of layers is T ₁ , the desired number of children is C _1, and the minimum number of dialogs D ₀ , the minimum number of layers T ₀ , and the minimum number of children C ₀ in the displayed screen are assumed. The number of dialogs Dx, the number of hierarchies Tx, and the number of children Cx can be determined by calculating to take the minimum value of the following expression.
_{W d × | D 1 -D x} | + W t × | T 1 -T x | + W v | C 1 -C x | → Min
However, D _x > D ₀ , T _x > T ₀ , C _x > C ₀ , and W _d W _t W _c are weighting factors for each element, and can be set in advance with predetermined values.

Further, in the case of adjusting the amount of information in the dialog, in the above-described embodiment, an example in which a range that falls within the range of the specified number of links, the number of titles, the number of sentences, the number of phrases, and the number of characters has been described. The present invention is not limited to this, and it may be determined by calculating a range in which the difference from the designated link number, title number, sentence number, segment number, and character number is minimized.
In this case, the desired number of links is L ₁ , the desired number of titles is Y ₁ , the desired number of sentences is B ₁ , the desired number of phrases S ₁ , the desired number of characters is J _1, and the minimum number of links L ₀ in the displayed screen is the lowest order. The title is Y ₀ , the minimum number of sentences B ₀ , the minimum number of phrases S ₀ , and the minimum number of characters J ₀ .
Then, the perceived information amount adjusting unit 52 performs calculation by changing each parameter value based on the following formula, and the perceived information amount adjusting unit 53 sets the calculation result to the minimum value, whereby the number of links L _x , The number of titles Y _x , the number of sentences B _x , the number of phrases S _x , and the number of characters J _x are determined.
_{M d × | L 1 -L x} | + M t × | Y 1 -Y x | + M v | B 1 -B x | + M v | S 1 -S x | + M v | J 1 -J x | → Min
However, D _x > D ₀ , T _x > T ₀ , C _x > C ₀ , and M _d M _{t Mc} are weighting factors of each element, and can be set in advance with predetermined values.

As a method of adjusting the amount of information presented on the screen, the user can request increase / decrease such as “large” or “many” for each element of “information amount, scroll, character size” presented. The optimum value may be calculated so as to satisfy the request.
As an example of this case, priorities are set in advance for the scroll amount, the character size, and the information amount, and the value of the lowest priority is changed. The value of the lower priority may be changed. An example of this case is shown in FIG. In this example, the priority order of the scroll amount, the character size, and the information amount is determined in advance, and this priority order is stored in a storage unit such as an internal memory.

First, in the initial state, the web page W1 is displayed as shown in FIG. On this Web page, as an icon button for receiving an instruction from the user, a button 101 for reducing the amount of information displayed on the Web page and enlarging characters, a button 102 for changing to a favorite color, A button 103 for increasing the amount of information in the Web page, a button 104 for displaying the information in the Web page on one screen by eliminating scrolling, and a process for reading out the information in the displayed Web page by voice A button 105 for performing is displayed.
In this example, as information in the Web page, an area S1 in which a description of “facility reservation and confirmation” is described, and an area S2 for specifying a search method such as search from place and search from genre, etc. Etc.

  In this state, in FIG. 14, first, when the recognition information amount adjusting unit 53 receives the requested recognition information amount from the user (S 401), the priority order information stored in the storage unit is referred to. Is set to the lowest value (S402). Thus, for example, when the character size and the scroll amount information amount are set in descending order of priority, the value in which the information amount is set is preferentially changed.

In the changed state, it is determined whether or not the cognitive information amount adjustment unit 53 matches the desired cognitive information amount received from the user (S403).
If the result of determination is that they do not match, the recognized information amount adjustment unit 53 refers to the storage unit, changes the value of the next lowest order (S404), and returns to the processing of S403 again.
Thereby, in the above-mentioned example, the character size with the next lowest priority will be changed.

  Further, if the amount of recognition information requested by the user is satisfied as a result of the processing of S403, the output content generation unit 55 generates output content based on the determined values (S405), and processing Exit.

Thereby, for example, when the character size, the scroll amount, and the information amount are set in descending order of priority, when the easy-to-see button 101 in FIG. 15 is selected, the information amount is set first. The output content of FIG. 16 that is changed with priority and has a small amount of information is generated. In the example illustrated in FIG. 16, a Web page 100A including an area S3 in which the explanatory text of “facility reservation and confirmation”, a search method, and the like are simply displayed is generated and output.
Also, when adjusting the scroll amount with the next lowest priority, for example, as shown in FIG. 17, the information amount and the character size are adjusted, and scrolling is not performed (the “fit button 104” is turned on). Display the screen. In the screen shown in FIG. 17, “reservation and confirmation of facility” and designation of the search method and the like are displayed in one area S4 and displayed so that the Web page fits in the display screen without scrolling. To do.
On the other hand, when the user instructs to select the button 101 for reducing the amount of information displayed on the Web page and enlarging the character, as shown in FIG. As a result, only the explanatory text of the Web page can be displayed large on the screen.

Another example of calculating the optimum value so as to satisfy the request from the user will be described.
In this example, the current scroll amount S ₀ , the desired scroll amount S ₁ , the current character size F ₀ , the desired character size F ₁ , the current information amount I ₀ , and the desired information amount I ₁ are set.
_{A s × | S 1 -S x} | + A f × | F 1 -F x | + A i | I 1 -I x | → Min
However, S _x ≧ S ₀ , F _x ≧ S ₀ , I _x ≧ I ₀ , and A _s , A _f , and A _i are weighting factors.

As another method for adjusting the amount of information, one element of “information amount, scroll, character size” is fixed, and other element values that are not fixed are calculated for the user as desired. By doing so, the amount of information may be adjusted.
In this case, for example, the current scroll amount S ₀ , the desired scroll amount S ₁ , the current character size F ₀ , the desired character size F ₁ , the current information amount I ₀ , and the desired information amount I ₁ are displayed. and area _{B 0} of the browser.

When adjusting the character size and information amount with constant scrolling, _let R (F _x , I _x ) be the surface area determined by the character size and information amount designation.
When calculating the amount of information according to the character size changed by the user.
I _x is determined so that R (F _x , I _x ) / B ₀ = S ₀ .
When calculating the character size according to the amount of information changed by the user.
R _{(F x,} I _x) such that _/ B ₀ = _S 0 Request _{F x.}

When scrolling and changing the amount of information with a constant character size, the display area determined by the scroll designation is S (B ₀ , S _x ), and the display area determined by the information amount designation is T (F ₀ , I _x ). And
When calculating the amount of information in accordance with the increase / decrease of the scroll changed by the user.
I _x that satisfies S (B ₀ , S _x ) = T (F ₀ , I _x ) is calculated.
Also, when calculating the scroll amount according to the information amount changed by the user.
_{S (B 0, S x)} = T (F 0, I x) for calculating a become _{S x.}

When the amount of information is constant and the character size and scrolling are changed, the surface area determined by the designation of scrolling is S (B ₀ , S _x ), and the display area determined by the designation of character size is U (I ₀ , F _x ). To do.
When calculating the character size to fit the increase or decrease of the scroll the user _changes, to calculate the _{S (B 0, S x)} = U (I 0, F x) become _{F x.}
If the user to calculate the scroll amount in accordance with the modified character Saizua _calculates the _{S (B 0, S x)} = U (I 0, F x) become _{S x.}

  In each of the above examples, the computer program for the information providing server 1 may be stored and distributed on a computer-readable medium (FD, CD-ROM, etc.), or superimposed on a carrier wave via a communication network. Can also be distributed.

The figure which showed one Embodiment of the whole structure of the system which applied the information provision apparatus concerning this invention to the information provision server. The functional block diagram of the information provision server concerning this embodiment. The figure which showed an example of the correlation of the setting of the dialog tree as a design map, and a screen structure. The figure for demonstrating an example of the setting of an abstract level and a recognition information amount level. The figure which showed the example of arrangement | positioning in a screen. Processing flow of the information providing server. A processing flow showing detailed processing of abstract level setting. FIG. 8 is a processing flow showing detailed processing of abstract level setting following FIG. The figure which showed another example of the setting of a design pattern. The functional block diagram of the information provision server concerning another embodiment. The processing flow of the information provision server concerning another embodiment. The functional block diagram of the information provision server concerning another embodiment. The processing flow which showed the process of the log information which concerns on another embodiment. The processing flow which showed the process concerning another embodiment. The processing flow which showed the process concerning another embodiment. The figure which showed an example of the display screen concerning another embodiment. The figure which showed another example of the display screen concerning another embodiment. The figure which showed another example of the display screen concerning another embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Information provision server 2-5 User terminal 11 Content information storage part 12 Screen structure information storage part 13 Style information storage part 14 Profile information storage part 15 UI production | generation part 51 Dialog information processing part 52 Cognitive information amount calculation part 53 Cognitive information amount Adjustment unit 54 Layout adjustment unit 55 Output content generation unit

Claims (7)

An apparatus for displaying and outputting content on a predetermined output device,
Profile information storage means for storing user profile information representing user characteristics and device profile information representing the characteristics of the output device;
A dialog tree representing a hierarchical structure based on a link relationship between dialogs constituting the content; content information storage means for storing dialog data in which the amount of information decreases as the abstract level increases for each dialog according to a plurality of abstract levels;
Means for accepting a request to present predetermined content from the user;
Referring to the content information storage unit to acquire the dialog tree contents requested from the user, by referring to the profile information storage means to retrieve the profile information of the user, the acquired profile information Dialog information processing means for determining the depth of the hierarchy of the dialog tree to be presented to the user according to the set user characteristics;
A cognitive information amount calculating means for calculating a cognitive information amount of a total dialog constituting one screen when presenting the content to a user, and a cognitive information amount recognizable by the user and the output device;
It is determined whether or not the calculated perceived information amount of the total dialog of one screen exceeds the perceived information amount of the user and the output device. If so, the abstract level of the dialog composing the screen is increased. Adjusting means for adjusting the information amount of the output content by performing at least one of processing to reduce the number of dialog tree levels or processing to reduce the scroll amount of the screen;
Based on the adjusted dialog, output content generation means for generating output content to be presented to the output device;
Means for outputting the generated content to the output device;
An information providing apparatus comprising: When the cognitive information of the total dialog within one screen is determined to be less than the cognitive information amount of the user and the user terminal, the adjustment means determines that the cognitive information of the total dialog within one screen is the user and Deeply change the hierarchy of the dialog tree of the content presented to the user until the amount of cognitive information of the output device is reached,
The information providing apparatus according to claim 1. Log data storage means capable of storing log data of user operation patterns and erroneous operation patterns for the dialog in units of dialogs representing operations;
Assist information storage means for storing assist information for assisting the operation according to an operation pattern and an erroneous operation pattern for each of the dialogs;
An operation request from the user is detected, and it is determined whether or not the detected operation request corresponds to an operation pattern and an erroneous operation pattern stored in the assist information storage unit, and stored in the assist information storage unit. In the case of an operation pattern and an erroneous operation pattern, an assist processing means for notifying a user who has made the operation request the assist information corresponding to the operation pattern and the erroneous operation pattern;
The information providing apparatus according to claim 1, comprising: When it is determined that the assist processing unit corresponds to the erroneous operation pattern, the assist processing unit dynamically changes the user information such as the user's cognitive information amount stored in the profile information storage unit, thereby re-displaying the screen dynamically. Make a presentation,
The information presentation apparatus according to claim 3. The output device is a user terminal configured to be connectable via a network.
The information provision apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4. User profile information representing user characteristics, profile information storage means storing device profile information representing the characteristics of the output device, a dialog tree representing a hierarchical structure based on a link relationship between dialogs constituting content, This is a method carried out by a device that has content information storage means for storing dialog data in which the amount of information becomes smaller as the level of abstraction increases for each dialog, and displays the content on a predetermined output device. And
The device is
A process of accepting a request to present predetermined content from the user;
Referring to the content information storage unit to acquire the dialog tree contents requested from the user, by referring to the profile information storage means to retrieve the profile information of the user, the acquired profile information A process of determining the depth of the hierarchy of the dialog tree presented to the user according to the set user characteristics;
A process of calculating the amount of cognitive information of the total dialog that constitutes one screen when presenting the content to the user, and the amount of cognitive information that can be recognized by the user and the output device;
A process of determining whether or not the calculated amount of recognition information of the total dialog in one screen exceeds the amount of recognition information of the user and the output device;
As a result of the discrimination, when the amount of recognition information of all dialogs in one screen exceeds, processing to increase the abstract level of the dialogs constituting the screen, processing to change the setting level of the dialog tree shallower, or screen A process of adjusting the information content of the output content by performing at least one of the processes of reducing the scroll amount of
Processing for generating output content to be presented to the output device based on the adjusted dialog;
A process of outputting the generated content to the output device;
An information providing method characterized by: User profile information representing user characteristics, profile information storage means storing device profile information representing the characteristics of the output device, a dialog tree representing a hierarchical structure based on a link relationship between dialogs constituting content, A computer program that causes a computer having content information storage means for storing dialog data, in which the amount of information decreases as the level of abstraction increases for each dialog, as a device that displays and outputs the content on a predetermined output device Because
For the above computer
A process of accepting a request to present predetermined content from the user;
Referring to the content information storage unit to acquire the dialog tree contents requested from the user, by referring to the profile information storage means to retrieve the profile information of the user, the acquired profile information A process of determining the depth of the hierarchy of the dialog tree presented to the user according to the set user characteristics;
Processing for calculating the amount of cognitive information of a total dialog that constitutes one screen when presenting the content to the user, and the amount of cognitive information that can be recognized by the user and the output device;
Processing for determining whether or not the calculated amount of recognition information of the total dialog in one screen exceeds the amount of recognition information of the user and the output device;
As a result of the discrimination, when the amount of recognition information of all dialogs in one screen exceeds, processing to increase the abstract level of the dialogs constituting the screen, processing to change the setting level of the dialog tree shallower, or screen A process of adjusting the information content of the output content by performing at least one of the processes of reducing the scroll amount of
Processing for generating output content to be presented to the output device based on the adjusted dialog;
A process of outputting the generated content to the output device;
A computer program that executes

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