JP7709155B2 - Problem-solving support system, problem-solving support program, and problem-solving support method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a problem-solving support system, a problem-solving support program, and a problem-solving support method.

In the past, services that provided support information to people who needed to solve problems found it difficult to set an appropriate price for information or to promise to provide information at a price that matched the price, making it difficult to continue trading high-quality solutions on an ongoing basis due to economic incentives.

For example, if the information provider sets the price, it is difficult for the information user to make a purchase because they cannot determine the value of the information until they know its contents.

When a requester sets a price, he or she needs to know the contents of the information in order to assess the value of the information provided by the provider. However, if the requester knows the contents of the information beforehand, it may lose the point of trading the information, and the requester may not pay the provider or may assess it low. Furthermore, even if a requester determines a price for information, presents it, and then enters into a contract with a consultant user, there is no guarantee that the contracting party will provide information that is worth that price.

To solve this problem, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology in which a first user poses a question on the web, a second user provides information in response to the question within a given period of time, and when the period ends, a third user evaluates the provided information and distributes a reward set by the user based on the evaluation.

In addition, in Patent Document 2, an information requester or information provider creates a conference room. After the information provider presents a reward for providing information (hourly rate), the user who created the conference room waits for users who wish to participate in the conference room and accepts or rejects their participation. Then, when the designated number of participants is reached, information provision begins. Then, when the conference ends, a reward according to the time spent is paid from the information requester to the information provider, a technology is disclosed.

JP 2010-73217 A JP 2004-326206 A

However, in Patent Document 1, the system is configured so that an unspecified number of users can provide information. Therefore, the information provided for evaluation must be made public. In addition, because a third user who is neither an information requester nor an information provider evaluates the provided information, the evaluation of the information is unreliable. Furthermore, there are problems such as a decrease in motivation to provide high-quality information during the response period due to the post-evaluation.

In addition, in Patent Document 2, the reward for providing information was dependent on the duration of the meeting, and there was a problem in that the reward was proportional to the time, regardless of the quality of the information provided by the information provider.

The present invention aims to provide a new problem-solving support system that can effectively solve problems.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention is a system for encouraging the provision of information for problem solving, comprising: a consultation case information registration means for accepting input of information on a consultation case for problem solving from an information requiring person and registering it as a consultation case setting; a participant registration means for registering information providers participating in the consultation case as participants; a post acceptance means for accepting information provided by the participants and storing it in a memory unit; a post evaluation means for accepting an evaluation of the information provided by the participants from the information requiring person and storing it in correspondence with the provided information; and a reward distribution means for determining the allocation of rewards to the participants based on the evaluations stored by the post evaluation means.
Such a configuration provides an incentive for information providers to continually provide high-quality information, and enables information users to continually receive high-quality information.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the system further includes an offer means for accepting an offer from an information seeker or information provider who has registered the consultation case, requesting that the information provider participate in the consultation case, and the participant registration means registers the information provider as a participant of the consultation case upon approval of the offer.
With this configuration, participants in a consultation case can be selected according to the wishes of the information requester, making it possible to solve problems with reliable users.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the consultation case information registration means further receives input of a consultation period from the information requester and registers it as a setting for the consultation case, and the reward distribution means determines the distribution of the reward based on an evaluation at the end of the consultation period.
With this configuration, the information requester can specify the consultation period for the consultation case. Also, by specifying the consultation period, the end point of the evaluation can be determined, and the reward can be distributed based on the evaluation.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the posting receiving means receives a plurality of pieces of information from each participant during the consultation period, and the posting evaluation means receives ongoing evaluations by information requesters for each piece of information from an information provider during the consultation period, and stores the provided information and the ongoing evaluations in the memory unit in association with each other.
With this structure, each participant can post information as many times as they like during the consultation period and receive evaluations for their posts. In addition, rewards are distributed based on the cumulative evaluations, which encourages participants to provide high-quality information in a continuous and proactive manner.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the system further comprises a reward transition output means for enabling a transition of an evaluation rate based on the occasional evaluation for each participant to be displayed on a screen based on the occasional evaluation.
This structure allows participants to check the progress of their evaluation ratings in comparison with other participants at any point during the consultation period. This promotes the principle of competition for a certain period of time and promotes problem solving based on more valuable information.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the consultation case information registration means receives an input of the number of participants to be recruited for the consultation case, and registers the number as a setting of the consultation case;
The posting accepting means starts accepting information provided by the participants when the number of participants and the number acquired by the number registration means are the same.
With this structure, participants cannot provide information until the specified number of participants has been reached, making it possible to solve problems in a fair manner.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the consultation case information registration means further receives a reward point input in advance from the information requester and registers it as a setting for the consultation case, and the reward distribution means determines the distribution of the reward based on the reward points and the evaluation.
By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to present the amount of reward to be distributed in advance, and thus to gain the trust of the information provider.

The present invention is a method for encouraging the provision of information for problem solving, which causes a computer to execute the steps of accepting input of information on a consultation case for problem solving from an information requester and registering it as a consultation case setting, registering information providers participating in the consultation case as participants, accepting information provided by the participants and storing it in a memory unit, accepting an evaluation of the information provided by the participants from the information requester and storing it in association with the provided information, and distributing rewards to the participants based on the evaluation received from the information requester.

The present invention provides a new problem-solving support system for effectively providing problem-solving support.

FIG. 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of the problem solving support system according to the embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a functional block diagram of a problem solving support system according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a user registration screen displayed in the problem solving support system according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a diagram showing a login screen displayed in the problem solving support system according to an embodiment of the present invention. 11 is a flowchart of a process in a general user terminal until a consultation is started in the problem solving support system according to the embodiment of the present invention. 10 is a flowchart of a process until a consultant user of the problem solving support system according to the embodiment of the present invention is registered as a participant. 1 is a flowchart showing a process from when a consultation is started to when a reward is distributed in a problem solving support system according to an embodiment of the present invention. 13 is an example of a "everyone's case" screen displayed on a general user terminal in the problem solving support system according to the embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a screen of a My Case Registration Form displayed in the problem solving support system according to an embodiment of the present invention. 13 is an example of a My Case in Operation screen displayed on a general user terminal in the problem solving support system according to the embodiment of the present invention. 13 is an example of a My Case screen for recruiting consultant users displayed on a general user terminal in the problem solving support system according to the embodiment of the present invention. 13 is another example of the My Case screen displayed on a general user terminal after a message exchange request is pressed in the problem solving support system according to the embodiment of the present invention. 13 is another example of the My Project screen displayed on a general user terminal after Offer is pressed in the problem solving support system according to the embodiment of the present invention. 13 is an example of a consultant information registration screen displayed in the problem solving support system according to the embodiment of the present invention. 13 is an example of a case search screen displayed on a consultant user terminal in the problem solving support system according to the embodiment of the present invention. 13 is an example of a consultation case information screen for an offer made from a consultant user terminal, which is displayed in the problem solving support system according to the embodiment of the present invention. 13 is an example of a consultation case information screen that is displayed in the problem solving support system according to the embodiment of the present invention and that is offered from a general user terminal. 13 is an example of a consultation case information screen during operation displayed on a consultant user terminal in the problem solving support system according to the embodiment of the present invention. 13 is an example of a consultation case in operation screen displayed in the problem solving support system according to the embodiment of the present invention. 1 is an example of a graph showing changes in evaluation points of a consultation case displayed in the problem solving support system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiment shown below is an example of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the following example, and various embodiments can be adopted.

For example, in this embodiment, the configuration, operation, etc. of the problem solving support system will be described, but a method, device, computer program, etc. with a similar configuration can also achieve the same effects. The program may also be stored on a recording medium. By using this recording medium, the program can be installed on a computer, for example. Here, the recording medium on which the program is stored may be a non-transient recording medium such as a CD-ROM.

<Definition>
In the present invention, an information requester who requires information and an information provider who provides information exchange information in a consultation case. For convenience, the information requester will be referred to as a general user and the information provider will be referred to as a consultant user.

In this invention, a general user refers to a person who wishes to seek consultation. A consultant user refers to a person who provides information in response to a consultation from a general user. For the sake of convenience, in the following explanation, those who use this invention will be collectively referred to as "users."

Furthermore, in the present invention, a user can act as both a general user and a consultant user. In other words, a user who participates as a general user in one consultation case can also participate as a consultant user in another different consultation case.

In the present invention, a consultation case is a problem posted by a general user that the user wishes to solve. A war room is a virtual conference room that is accessible via a network such as the Internet and that is created when a general user seeks advice on a consultation case, and in which information can be posted and viewed. In this embodiment, a chat room in which general users and multiple consultant users participate is assumed. In this embodiment, the consultation case screen, which will be described later, is configured so that it can be opened and closed any number of times during the consultation period.

In the present invention, an offer is a request for a consultant user to participate in a consultation case. In this embodiment, an offer can be made from a general user to a consultant user, or from a consultant to a general user, requesting the consultant user to participate in a consultation case.

In addition, in this embodiment, a user can purchase reward points through the system and set a reward for a consultation case that is equal to or less than the reward points held by a general user who creates a consultation case, but equal to or greater than a certain reward point. Here, the reward can be either virtual currency (points) on the system or legal currency.

<Functional configuration>
1 is a functional block diagram of the problem solving support system of this embodiment. In this manner, the problem solving support system of this embodiment is configured so that a server device 100, a general user terminal 200, and a consultant user terminal 300 can communicate with each other via a network NW. Here, the general user terminal 200 and the consultant user terminal 300 are not actually distinguished from each other, but for the sake of explanation, they are treated as separate entities. Also, although there are a plurality of general user terminals 200 and consultant user terminals 300, only representative ones are shown here. In this invention, the general user terminal 200 refers to a terminal device used by a general user, and the consultant user terminal 300 refers to a terminal device used by a consultant user.

The CPU includes a user registration means 101, a consultation case information registration means 102, a search means 103, an offer means 104, a participant registration means 105, a post acceptance means 106, a post evaluation means 107, a reward distribution means 108, a reward transition output means 109, and a contact means 110, and is connected to the database DB via a wired or wireless connection.

The general user terminal 200 and the consultant user terminal 300 may be general computer devices equipped with a calculation device, a main memory device, an auxiliary memory device, a means for connecting to the network NW, various input/output devices, etc. In this embodiment, it is assumed that a smartphone or a tablet terminal is used, but any other computer device such as a PC (Personal Computer) may be used as the general user terminal 200 and the consultant user terminal 300.

The general user terminal 200 and the consultant user terminal 300 are respectively provided with input means 201, 301 and output means 202, 302. In this embodiment, a touch panel display, a microphone, a camera, etc. are provided as the input means 201, 301, and a touch panel display, a speaker, etc. are provided as the output means 202, 302.

<Hardware Configuration>
2 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of the server device 100. The server device 100 includes, as its hardware configuration, a communication unit 1, a processing unit 2, and a storage unit 3.

The communication unit 1 controls communications with the communication network NW, and performs inputs necessary to operate the problem solving support system and outputs related to the operation results.

The processing unit 2 includes one or more processors such as a CPU, and performs the overall operation and processing of the server device 100 by executing the problem solving support system according to the present invention, the OS, browser software, and other applications.

The storage unit 3 is a HDD, ROM, RAM, etc., and stores the problem solving support system according to the present invention and data used when the processing unit 2 executes processing based on a program. The processing unit 2 executes processing based on the stored problem solving support program, thereby realizing the functional configuration described above. The storage unit 3 also functions as a database DB in the present invention.

<Description of the embodiment>
An embodiment of the present invention will be described below. In this embodiment, a user logs in to a website. Then, the user terminal and a server device communicate with each other via a network. It is assumed that the operation described below is performed by an input means on the website output by an output means.

The user registration means 101 registers user information. In this embodiment, the user registration means 101 accepts input of a user's email address, password, and nickname via the general user terminal 200 or the consultant user terminal 300, associates it with user identification information, and registers it in the database DB as login information.

In addition, in this embodiment, input of the name, self-introduction, categories of consultation, etc. is accepted via the consultant user terminal 300, and associated with the user identification information and registered in the database DB as consultant information. Furthermore, the categories of consultation include, as subject information, human relationships, life, work/business, health, etc.

The consultation case information registration means 102 registers information on consultation cases. In this embodiment, the consultation case information registration means 102 accepts input of the category, title, details, consultant preferences, number of consultant users to be recruited, consultation period, and reward points via the general user terminal 200. Then, it associates this with the consultation case identification information along with the user identification information of the general user, and registers it in the database DB as consultation case information.

In this embodiment, reward points are the total amount of reward paid to consultant users who participate in the consultation case. Furthermore, this embodiment is configured such that once the input of the reward amount is accepted, any subsequent changes are not accepted. Here, reward points are used as the reward, but it may be, for example, legal tender.

The search means 103 searches for users or consultation cases. In this embodiment, the search means 103 accepts search conditions via the general user terminal 200 and searches for consultant users. The search conditions accepted include, for example, consultation categories, introduction keywords, nicknames, and names. The search means 103 then refers to the database DB to extract consultant information based on the input conditions, and displays it on the screen of the general user terminal 200 via the output means 202.

In this embodiment, the search means 103 further accepts search conditions from the general user terminal 200 or the consultant user terminal 300 and searches for consultation cases. The search conditions accepted are, for example, category, keyword, minimum remuneration amount, maximum remuneration amount, etc. The search means 103 then refers to the database DB to extract consultation case information based on the input conditions, and displays it on the screen of the general user terminal 200 or consultant user terminal 300 that input the search conditions. Here, a keyword refers to any word contained in the consultation case information.

The offer means 104 transmits and receives offers between user terminals. In this embodiment, two types of offers are provided: an offer from the general user terminal 200 to the consultant user terminal 300 requesting participation in a registered consultation case, and an offer from the consultant user terminal 300 to the general user terminal 200. First, in this embodiment, when an offer is sent from the general user terminal 200 requesting participation in a registered consultation case to the consultant user terminal 300, the following process is performed. When an offer is selected on the general user terminal usage screen described below, the offer means 104 links the consultation case information selected on the general user terminal 200 with the consultant information that received the offer, and registers them in the database DB. Then, the registered consultant information is displayed on the screen of the general user terminal 200.

In addition, in this embodiment, when an offer is sent from the consultant user terminal 300 to the general user terminal 200, the following process is performed. When an offer is selected on the consultant user terminal usage screen described below, the offer means 104 links the consultant information corresponding to the consultant user terminal 300 with the consultation case information specified by the consultant user, and registers them in the database DB. Then, the registered consultation case information is displayed on the screen of the consultant user terminal 300.

In addition, in this embodiment, offer revocation, offer cancellation, offer acceptance, and offer rejection on the user terminal usage screen are performed via the offer means 104 by processing similar to the processing for sending and receiving the above-mentioned offer.

In this embodiment, the general user terminal 200 and the consultant user terminal 300 are configured to allow a consultant user to participate in a consultation case having consultation case information registered by the general user terminal 200 that sent or received the offer, by the other party accepting the offer. Also, in this embodiment, a person who has not been accepted cannot view or post information exchanged in the consultation case. Also, the offer means 104 in this embodiment is configured not to accept offers for consultation cases after the consultation has begun.

The participant registration means 105 registers the consultant user as a participant of the consultation case. In this embodiment, the participant registration means 105 registers the consultant user who has been approved to participate in the consultation case by approving the offer as a participant, and associates the consultant user's user identification information with the consultation case identification information and registers them in the database DB as participant information. The participant registration means 105 in this embodiment is configured not to register participants for consultation cases after the consultation has started.

In addition, in this embodiment, the participant registration means 105 displays the consultation case information of the consultation case that has been registered for participation on the screen of the consultant user terminal 300 of the consultant user who has been registered for participation in the consultation case. In addition, in this embodiment, the participant registration means 105 further displays information of the consultant user who has been registered for participation on the screen of the general user terminal 200 of the general user who has registered the consultation case that has been registered for participation.

When the number of consultant users participating in a consultation case becomes the same as the number registered by the consultation case information registration means 102, the consultation begins, and the post reception means 106 begins accepting posts from the consultant user terminal 300. In another embodiment, even if the number of participants in the consultation case has not reached the number of people invited for the consultation case, the consultation case may be started by selecting a button such as a start consultation button on the general user terminal 200 that has registered the consultation case information. The post reception means 106 then registers the accepted post in the database DB in association with the consultation case identification information, consultant user identification information, date and time, and post identification information. In this embodiment, the configuration is such that posts can be accepted any number of times during the consultation period.

In addition, in this embodiment, the server device 100 notifies the user registered in association with the consultation case that it is now possible to post information at the same time that the post receiving means 106 enables the post to be received. In this embodiment, an email is sent to the user's email address (user information). Then, the user who receives the email can know that it is now possible to post information.

The post evaluation means 107 receives evaluations of the posted information. In this embodiment, the post evaluation means 107 receives evaluations for each registered post from the general user terminal 200 that registered the consultation case for the posts registered by the post reception means 106. The post evaluation means 107 then registers the evaluations in the database DB as evaluation information in association with the post identification information.

In this embodiment, the post evaluation means 107 accepts the evaluation so that it can be changed any number of times during the period. In another embodiment, it may be configured so that it cannot be changed after a certain period of time. Also, in this embodiment, the evaluation points for each provided post are selectable from, for example, 1 point to 5 points. Also, in this embodiment, it is not necessary to give evaluation points to posts that do not deserve evaluation, such as greetings, in which case the evaluation points are configured to be zero points. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the post evaluation means 107 is configured to be able to accept evaluations up until a certain period of time has passed since the end of the consultation period.

The reward distribution means 108 distributes the reward points registered as consultation case information. In this embodiment, the reward distribution means 108 calculates an evaluation rate based on the evaluation points for each consultant user from the general user terminal 200 received by the posting evaluation means 107. In this embodiment, the reward distribution means 108 calculates an evaluation rate for each consultant user terminal 300 as the ratio (B/A) of the evaluation points (B) of each consultant user to the total (A) of all evaluation points received from the general user terminal 200 that registered the consultation case information of the consultation case. Then, the reward distribution means 108 distributes the reward points received from the general user terminal 200 based on the calculated evaluation rate. In this embodiment, the distribution of rewards is determined based on the evaluation at the end of the consultation period. Then, the reward distribution means 108 subtracts the reward points from the points held by the general user terminal 200 and displays the distributed reward points on the screen of the general user terminal 200. Furthermore, the reward distribution means 108 adds the distributed reward points to the points held by each consultant user and displays them on the screen of the consultant user terminal 300.

The remuneration transition output means 109 outputs an evaluation rate transition graph. In this embodiment, the remuneration transition output means 109 displays on the screen of the consultant user terminal 300 participating in the consultation case, based on the evaluation rate calculated by the remuneration distribution means 108. In this embodiment, the remuneration transition output means 109 displays, as an output method, the transition of the evaluation rate (%) for each consultant user in a graph with the vertical axis representing the evaluation rate (%) and the horizontal axis representing the year, month, and day. By configuring in this manner, the evaluation rates of the consultant himself and other consultants are displayed at any point during the consultation period, which puts the principle of competition into action and encourages the continued provision of high-quality information for the remainder of the consultation period.

The contact means 110 transmits and receives simple chat messages between user terminals. In this embodiment, the contact means 110 transmits direct messages from the general user terminal 200 to the consultant user terminal 300, or from the consultant user terminal 300 to the general user terminal 200. The contact means 110 then registers in the database DB the user information of the sender and recipient of the direct message, the date and time, and the posting identification information in association with each other. In this embodiment, it is possible to exchange messages separately from the consultation case, and it is configured to be possible to confirm the content of the consultation and whether the consultant has the skills and experience.

<Login process>
3 shows a screen when a user registers a user in this embodiment. When the user registration button W11 is selected, the user registration screen W1 displays an input section. Then, the user registration means 101 accepts input of each item in the input section, namely, type (general user or consultant user), email address, password, and nickname. When the registration button W13 is selected, the user registration means 101 registers the accepted information in the database, completing the user registration.

Figure 4 shows the screen when a user logs in in this embodiment. The login screen W2 accepts the selection of the login button W12 from the user. The login screen W2 then accepts input of the type (general user or consultant user), email address, and password. When the input of the login button W22 is accepted, it is confirmed whether the input for each accepted item is the same as the information registered in the database DB by the user registration means 101. Then, if each accepted item is registered, the user is allowed to log in.

<Processing flow chart of the present invention>
First, the process up to the start of a consultation case in this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Note that the process shown here is merely an example, and the order of the processes may be changed as desired.

First, in step S1, the consultation case information registration means 102 accepts input of consultation case information from the general user terminal 200 and registers it in the database DB. At this time, the consultation case information registration means 102 accepts the number of consultant users being recruited as consultation case information.

In steps S2 and S3, the participant registration means 105 accepts participation in the consultation case from consultant users until the number of consultant users recruited for the consultation case becomes equal to the number of participants.

In step S4, when the number of consultant users participating in the consultation case becomes equal to the number of consultant users being recruited for the consultation case, the consultation period begins.

Next, the process of registering participants for the consultation case in step S2 will be specifically described with reference to FIG. 6. Note that the process shown here is merely an example, and the order of the processes may be changed as desired.

Figure 6(a) is a flowchart of the process by the general user terminal 200 to request the consultant user terminal 300 to participate in the consultation case. Figure 6(b) is a flowchart of the process by the consultant user terminal 300 to request the consultant user terminal 300 to participate in the consultation case.

In step Sa1, the search means 103 accepts input of search conditions for consultant information from the general user terminal 200 and searches for consultant information. In this embodiment, the search means 103 extracts the searched consultant information and displays the extracted consultant information on the screen of the general user terminal 200 of the general user.

In step Sa2, the offer means 104 displays that an offer, described below, is selected from the general user terminal 200 and that the offer has been selected on the screen of the consultant user terminal 300 in which the consultant information for the selected offer has been registered. When offer acceptance is selected on the consultant user terminal 300 in which the offer has been selected from the general user terminal 200 (Yes in Sa3), the consultant user whose consultant user terminal 300 has received the offer from the general user terminal 200 is registered in the database DB as a participant in the consultation case (Sa4). On the other hand, if the offer is rejected (No in Sa3), the participant is not registered in the consultation case.

On the other hand, in step Sb1, the search means 103 accepts input of search conditions for consultation case information from the consultant user terminal 300 and searches for consultation case information. In this embodiment, the search means 103 extracts the searched consultation case information and displays the extracted consultation case information on the screen of the consultant user terminal 300 of the consultant user.

In step Sb2, the offer means 104 displays that an offer, described below, is selected from the consultant user terminal 300 and that the offer has been selected on the screen of the general user terminal 200 in which the consultation case information for which the offer was selected has been registered. When offer acceptance is selected on the general user terminal 200 in which the offer was selected from the consultant user terminal 300 (Yes in Sb3), the consultant user whose consultant user terminal 300 sent the offer from the consultant user terminal 300 is registered in the database DB as a participant in the consultation case (Sb4). On the other hand, if the offer is rejected (No in Sb3), the participant is not registered in the consultation case.

Finally, the process from the start of the consultation period to the allocation of the reward will be explained using FIG. 7. Note that the process shown here is only an example, and the order of the processes may be changed as desired.

In steps D11 to D13, from the start of the consultation period to the end of the consultation period, the posting receiving means 106 receives postings from the consultant user terminal 300. Then, the posting evaluation means 107 receives an input of evaluation points from the general user terminal 200 for each accepted posting. In this embodiment, the consultation period is configured to end when the consultation period registered as consultation case information has elapsed, with the day after the consultation start date being the starting date.
Furthermore, in this embodiment, it is possible to post and input evaluation points any number of times until the end of the consultation period.

In steps D14 to D15, the post evaluation means 107 accepts input of evaluation points for posts that could not be evaluated during the consultation period from the general user terminal 200.

In step D16, the reward distribution means 108 calculates an evaluation rate based on all evaluation points received from the general user terminal 200. In this embodiment, the reward distribution means 108 is configured so that if no input of evaluation points is received from the general user terminal 200, the evaluation points of all consultant users are the same.

In step D17, the reward distribution means 108 distributes the reward points registered as consultation case information based on the evaluation rate calculated in step D16. The reward distribution means 108 then subtracts the reward points from the points held by the general user, and displays the result on the screen of the general user terminal 200. Furthermore, the reward distribution means 108 adds the distributed reward points to the points held by each consultant user, and displays the result on the screen of the consultant user terminal 300.

Below, an embodiment will be explained for each of the usage screens of the general user terminal 200 after login and the consultant user terminal 300.

<User screen of general user terminal 200>
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a consultation case screen registered by a general user of the general user terminal 200 in this embodiment. In this embodiment, consultation cases registered by general users are collectively called "everyone's cases," and the "everyone's cases" screen W3 shown in FIG. 8 is shown as an example of a consultation case screen. The "everyone's cases" screen W3 includes a search item W31 and a search button W32. When the search item W31 is selected, it is possible to narrow down the consultation case category, the consultation case keyword, the minimum remuneration amount, and the maximum remuneration amount. When the search button W32 is selected, the search means 103 checks whether the inputted items are registered in the database. When consultation case information corresponding to the inputted items is stored, the search means 103 extracts consultation case information that satisfies all the items, and the extracted consultation case information W34 is displayed on the "everyone's cases" screen W3.

When the consultation case registration button W33 is selected, the consultation case registration form W35 by general users shown in FIG. 9 is displayed superimposed on the everyone's case screen W3. In this embodiment, a consultation case can be registered from the consultation case registration form W35 by general users. A consultation case registered by a general user is called "My case." Here, the consultation case information registration means 102 accepts input of the category, title, details, consultant preferences, number of consultant users being recruited, consultation period, and reward points for the consultation case, and registers them in the database DB.

Figure 10 is a diagram showing an example of the My Case Screen W4 for a consultation case in which the number of people registered by the consultation case information registration means 102 is the same as the number of people registered by the participant registration means 105. The My Case Screen W4 includes My Case Information W41 and Contacted Consultants W42. The My Case Information W41 includes consultation case information accepted and registered from the general user terminal 200 by the general user in the consultation case registration form W35, and the status of the consultation case (in a strategy meeting). Furthermore, here, "Go to strategy room" can be selected in the status of the consultation case.

Furthermore, the contacted consultants W42 display consultant information W43 of the participants in the consultation case, i.e., consultant users who have accepted an offer sent by the offer means 104, or consultant users who have accepted an offer received by the offer means 104. In this embodiment, by selecting a details button included in the My case information W41, the contacted consultants W42 and the consultant search results described below can be displayed for each consultation case information associated with the selected button.

Here, the consultant information W43 includes a nickname, a name, an offer status (matching established), and a self-introduction. When a message is selected, a simple chat can be sent between the consultant user terminal 300 and the general user terminal 200 via the contact means 110.

Figure 11 is a diagram showing an example of the My Case screen W4 for a consultation case in which the number of participants registered by the participant registration means 105 is less than the number registered by the consultation case information registration means 102. In this case, the My Case screen W4 includes My Case Information W41, Contacted Consultants W42, Consultant Search W44, and Consultant Search Results W45. The status of the consultation case in My Case Information W41 is displayed as "Consultant Wanted." Furthermore, here, the offer status of the consultant information W43 included in Contacted Consultants W42 is displayed as "Offer Request in Progress." This indicates that an offer is sent from the consultant user terminal 300 to the general user terminal 200 via the offer means 104 and is displayed via the output means 202.

If offer acceptance is selected, the offer status is displayed as match established. If offer rejection is selected, the offer status is displayed as offer not established. Then, when offer acceptance/or offer rejection is selected, match established/or match not established is displayed on the contact screen described below of the consultant user terminal 300 via the offer means 104.

The search means 103 accepts input of the consultant search W44 and checks whether the input items are registered in the database DB. If consultant information corresponding to the input items is stored, the search means 103 extracts consultant information that meets all items and displays the extracted consultant information on the screen of the general user terminal 200 of the general user. The displayed consultant information W43 includes a nickname, a name, categories in which the consultant can be consulted, and a self-introduction.

Figure 12 is a diagram showing an example of the My Case screen W4 after a message exchange request W46 included in the consultant information W43 of the consultant search result W45 in Figure 11 has been selected. In this embodiment, when a message exchange request W46 is selected, the consultant information including the selected message exchange request W46 is deleted from the consultant search result W45. The deleted consultant information W43 is then displayed in the contacted consultant W42. In this case, the offer status is displayed as "message exchange only" via the output means 202. When a message included in the consultant information W43 is selected, a simple chat can be sent via the contact means 110 between the consultant user terminal 300 that has registered the consultant information including the selected message and the general user terminal 200 that selected the message.

Furthermore, when offer W48 in FIG. 12 is selected, the offer status is displayed as "offering" (not shown), and the offer is sent to the consultant user terminal 300 via the offer means 104. Furthermore, when the offer status is "offering", it becomes possible to select "offer cancellation", and when "offer cancellation" is selected, the offer is cancelled. Then, when the offer is cancelled, the offer status is displayed as "offer cancelled", and via the offer means 104, "offer cancelled" is displayed on the contact screen on the consultant user terminal 300, described below. Note that the configuration may be such that the selection of offer and the selection of offer cancellation can be selected multiple times.

Figure 13 is a diagram showing an example of the My Case screen W4 after an offer W47 included in the consultant information W43 of the consultant search result W45 in Figure 11 has been selected. In this embodiment, when an offer W47 is selected, the consultant information W43 including the selected offer W47 is deleted from the consultant search result W45. The deleted consultant information W43 is then displayed in the contacted consultant W42. In this case, the offer status is displayed as "offering" via the output means 202. The offer is then sent to the consultant user terminal 300 via the offer means 104. When offer cancellation is selected, the offer status is displayed as "offer canceled," and "offer canceled" is displayed on the contact screen on the consultant user terminal 300, which will be described later. Note that the configuration may be such that the selection of an offer and the selection of offer cancellation can be selected multiple times.

As described above, by enabling the sending and receiving of offers using the offer means 104 and communication via simple chat using the contact means 110, it is possible to confirm the content of the consultation case in advance and the experience and skills of the consultant, thereby reducing mismatches in the selection of a consultation partner.

<User screen of consultant user terminal 300>
14 shows an example of a consultant information registration screen W5 of the consultant user terminal 300. The consultant information registration screen W5 includes basic information W51 and consultant information W52. The basic information includes a nickname and email address accepted by the user registration means 101 at the time of login. The consultant information W52 also includes a name, a self-introduction, and categories of consultation available. In this embodiment, if a user wishes to remain anonymous, the name can be left blank.

Figure 15 shows an example of the case search screen W6 of the consultant user terminal 300 in this embodiment. The case search screen W6 of the consultant user terminal 300 includes a search item W31 and a search button W32, similar to the everyone's case screen W3 of the general user terminal 200. Furthermore, when a message exchange request included in the consultation case information W61 extracted by the search means 103 is selected, simple chat can be sent and received between the general user terminal 200 that has registered the extracted consultation case and the consultant user terminal 300 that has selected the message exchange request. Furthermore, when an offer is further selected, an offer is sent from the consultant user terminal 300 to the general user terminal 200.

Figure 16 shows an example of the contact screen W7 of the consultant user terminal 300 in this embodiment. The contact screen W7 includes consultation case items by status W71 and consultation case information by status W72. The consultation case items by status W71 include message exchange only, offer from self, offer from user, rejected, accepted, in operation, operation completed, and matching not achieved. When any of these is selected, the corresponding user or consultation cases with the corresponding status are displayed in a list.

In FIG. 16, an offer from oneself is selected in the consultation case item by status W71, and the consultation case information W72 displays the consultation case information for which an offer has been sent from oneself. In this case, when a message included in the consultation case information W72 is selected, simple chat can be sent and received between the general user terminal 200 that registered the consultation case information W72 and the consultant user terminal 300 that selected the message included in the consultation case information W72. Also, when cancel offer is selected, the offer to the general user terminal 200 is canceled, and the offer status of the general user terminal 200 that registered the consultation case information W72 and the consultant user terminal 300 that selected the offer cancellation is changed to offer cancelled.

Figure 17 shows an example of a screen for each consultation case item by status W71. In Figure 17(a), an offer from a user is selected in the consultation case item by status W71, and consultation case information W73 registered by the general user terminal 200 that sent the offer is displayed. Also, in Figure 17(b), "Rejected" is selected in the consultation case item by status W71, and consultation case information W74 is displayed in which "offer rejected" included in the consultation case information W73 on Figure 17(a) has been selected. Furthermore, in Figure 17(c), consultation case information W76 is displayed in which "Accepted" is selected in the consultation case item by status W71, and "Offer accepted" included in the consultation case information W73 on Figure 17(a) has been selected.

When "reject offer" included in consultation case information W73 is selected in FIG. 17(a), consultation case information W73 is deleted from the screen in FIG. 17(a), and is displayed on the screen in FIG. 17(b) as consultation case information W74. Furthermore, when "accept offer" included in consultation case information W73 is selected in FIG. 17(a), consultation case information W73 is deleted from the screen in FIG. 17(a), and is displayed on the screen in FIG. 17(c) as consultation case information W75.

As described above, consultant users can easily manage the consultation cases in which they are involved.

<Start of consultation case>
18 shows an example of consultation case information W76 for a consultation case where matching has been established, the recruitment limit has been reached, and consultation has begun. When "Go to War Room" included in the consultation case information W76 is selected, a consultation case in operation screen W77 in FIG. 19 is displayed overlaid on the contact screen W7, and the posting receiving means 106 receives posts from the consultant user terminal 300.

The operation consultation case screen W77 shows an example of receiving evaluation points from the general user terminal 200 via the post evaluation means 107 for each post received from the consultant user terminal 300. The operation consultation case screen W77 is displayed on the screen of the general user terminal 200 and consultant user terminal 300 participating in the operation consultation case. In this embodiment, for example, it is configured so that 1 to 5 points can be awarded for each post. The points are displayed with stars on the operation consultation case screen W77. In this embodiment, posts are possible any number of times during the period, and the awarded evaluation points are configured so that they can be changed any number of times. In another embodiment, each piece of evaluated information may be configured so that the evaluation points cannot be changed after a certain period of time after the first evaluation.

In addition, in this embodiment, posts that are not worthy of evaluation, such as greetings, do not need to be given evaluation points, in which case the evaluation points are configured to be zero points. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the post evaluation means 107 is configured to be able to accept evaluations up until a certain period of time has passed since the end of the consultation period. In another embodiment, it may be configured to accept the input of evaluations all at once after the end of the consultation period.

Figure 20 is an example of an evaluation point transition screen W8 displayed on the screens of all consultant user terminals 300 participating in the consultation case in this embodiment. The evaluation point transition screen W8 includes a consultation case information selection field W81 and an evaluation point transition table W82 for each consultation case. In the consultation case information selection field W81, one of the consultation cases that is in the consultation period or has already ended is selected, and the selected consultation case information is configured to be displayed with a thick outer frame. Then, the evaluation point transition table W82 for the selected consultation case information is displayed. Furthermore, when "To war room" included in the consultation case information is selected, a consultation case in operation screen W77 for the consultation case is displayed overlaid on the evaluation point transition screen W8.

The evaluation point transition table W82 further includes an evaluation rate W83 and an evaluation point transition graph W84. The evaluation rate W83 displays an evaluation rate calculated based on the evaluation points acquired by the consultant user terminal 300. In this embodiment, the evaluation rate W83 is the ratio (B/A) of the evaluation points (B) given to each consultant user terminal 300 to the total evaluation points (A) given to each consultant user. Note that in this embodiment, if no input of evaluation points is accepted from the general user terminal 200, the evaluation points are distributed equally so that all consultant user terminals 300 are the same.

In another embodiment, the average value of the evaluation points for each consultant user terminal 300 may be calculated, and the ratio may be calculated. Specifically, the ratio (B/C) of the evaluation points (B) assigned to each consultant user terminal 300 to the number of posts (C) of each consultant user terminal 300 is calculated, and this ratio (B/C) is regarded as the evaluation points assigned to each consultant user terminal 300.

The evaluation point transition graph W84 displays the evaluation rate of each consultant user terminal 300 during the consultation period, with the vertical axis representing the evaluation rate (%) and the horizontal axis representing the consultation period (date). Here, the consultation period refers to the period during which posts from the consultant user terminal 300 can be accepted, starting from the day after the consultation case begins, up until the period registered as consultation case information. Furthermore, the evaluation point transition graph W84 is drawn based on the evaluation rate assessed up to the elapsed date. In this embodiment, the date the post was made is displayed on the evaluation point transition graph. Also, in this embodiment, the graph of the consultant user terminal 300 using this screen is drawn and displayed with a line of a different color than the graphs of the other consultant user terminals 300.

In this embodiment, when the consultation period for the consultation case ends, an alert is displayed on the screen of the general user terminal 200 for a certain period of time to confirm whether or not to input evaluation points for posts that could not be rated during the consultation period. During the certain period of time, the post evaluation means 107 accepts input of evaluation points from the general user terminal 200 for posts for which evaluation points could not be assigned. After the certain period of time has passed, the process moves to reward distribution. As another example, an evaluation complete button is displayed on the My Case screen displayed on the general user terminal 200, and when the evaluation complete button is selected, the acceptance of evaluation input is stopped and the process moves to reward distribution.

After a certain period of time has passed since the end of the consultation period, the evaluation is deemed to have been completed, and reward points are paid from the general user terminal 200 to each consultant user terminal 300. Reward points are paid from the general user terminal 200 to each consultant user terminal 300. For example, in this embodiment, the consultation case information registration means 102 accepts and distributes reward points according to the reward points registered in association with the consultation case information and the evaluation rate of each consultant user terminal 300 calculated based on the reward distribution means 108. The reward points are then deducted from the points held by the general user, and the distributed reward points are added to the points held by each consultant user.

As described above, the problem-solving support system of this embodiment provides information providers with an incentive to continually provide valuable information, and enables general users to continue receiving high-value-added information throughout the consultation period.

100: Server device 101: User registration means 102: Consultation case information registration means 103: Search means 104: Offer means 105: Participant registration means 106: Post acceptance means 107: Post evaluation means 108: Reward distribution means 109: Reward transition output means 110: Contact means 200: General user terminal 201: Input means 202: Output means 300: Consultant user terminal 301: Input means 302: Output means NW: Network DB: Database 1: Communication unit 2: Processing unit 3: Memory unit W1: User registration screen W11: User registration button W12: Login button W13: User registration button W2: Login screen W21: Login button W3: Everyone's case screen of general user terminal W31: Search item W32: Search button W33: Consultation case registration button W34: Consultation case information W35 : Consultation case registration form W4 by general user : My case screen W41 : My case information W42 : Contacted consultants W43 : Consultant information W44 : Consultant search W45 : Consultant search results W46 : Message exchange request W47 : Offer W48 : Offer W5 : Consultant information registration screen W51 : Basic information W52 : Consultant information W6 : Consultant user terminal case search screen W61 : Consultation case information W7 : Contact screen W71 : Consultation case items by status W72 : Consultation case information by status W73 : Consultation case information for which an offer has been accepted W74 : Consultation case information for which an offer has been rejected W75 : Consultation case information for which an offer has been accepted W76 : Consultation case in operation W77 : Consultation case in operation screen W8 : Evaluation point transition screen W81 : Consultation case information selection field W82 : Evaluation point transition table W83 : Evaluation rate W84 : Evaluation point transition graph

Claims (6)

A system for encouraging the provision of information for solving problems,
A consultation case information registration means for accepting input of information on a consultation case for problem solving from an information requester and registering the information as a consultation case setting;
A participant registration means for registering an information provider who participates in the consultation case as a participant;
A posting receiving means for receiving information provided by the participants and storing the information in a storage unit;
a posting evaluation means for receiving an evaluation of the information provided by the participant from the information requester and storing the evaluation in association with the provided information;
A reward distribution means for determining the distribution of rewards to the participants based on the evaluations stored by the posting evaluation means;
A reward transition output means ,
The consultation matter information registration means receives an input of a consultation period from an information requester as information on the consultation matter, and registers the input as a setting of the consultation matter;
the submission accepting means accepts a plurality of pieces of information from each participant during the consultation period;
the posting evaluation means receives an occasional evaluation by the information requester for each piece of information from the information provider during the consultation period, and stores the provided information and the occasional evaluation in the storage unit in association with each other ;
The reward transition output means displays, on a screen, a transition of an evaluation rate based on the occasional evaluation for each of the participants, based on the occasional evaluation;
The problem solving support system , wherein the reward distribution means determines the distribution of the reward based on the evaluation at the end of the consultation period. A system for encouraging the provision of information for solving problems,
A consultation case information registration means for accepting input of information on a consultation case for problem solving from an information requester and registering the information as a consultation case setting;
A participant registration means for registering an information provider who participates in the consultation case as a participant;
A posting receiving means for receiving information provided by the participants and storing the information in a storage unit;
a posting evaluation means for receiving an evaluation of the information provided by the participant from the information requester and storing the evaluation in association with the provided information;
and a reward distribution means for determining the distribution of rewards to the participants based on the evaluations stored by the posting evaluation means,
The consultation case information registration means receives an input of the number of participants to be recruited for the consultation case as information of the consultation case, and registers the number as a setting of the consultation case;
The submission receiving means starts receiving information provided by the participants when the number of the participants and the number of people acquired by the consultation matter information registration means are the same . an offer means for accepting an offer from an information requester or an information provider who has registered the consultation matter to request the information provider to participate in the consultation matter;
3. The problem solving support system according to claim 1, wherein said participant registration means registers said information provider as said participant of said consultation case upon approval of said offer. The consultation matter information registration means further receives an input of the remuneration from the information requester in advance and registers the input as a setting of the consultation matter;
4. The problem solving support system according to claim 1 , wherein said reward distribution means determines the distribution of said reward based on said reward and said evaluation. A method for encouraging the provision of information for solving a problem, comprising:
A consultation case information registration step of accepting an input of the number of information providers to be recruited for a consultation case for solving a problem from an information requester and registering the number as a setting of the consultation case;
a participant registration step of registering an information provider who will participate in the consultation case as a participant;
A posting acceptance step of accepting information provided by the participants and storing the information in a storage unit;
a posting evaluation step of receiving an evaluation of the information provided by the participant from the information requester and storing the evaluation in association with the provided information;
a reward distribution step of distributing rewards to the participants based on the evaluations received from the information requesters ;
A reward transition output step is performed by the computer.
In the consultation matter information registration step, an input of a consultation period is accepted as information on the consultation matter from an information requester, and is registered as a setting of the consultation matter;
In the submission acceptance step, a plurality of pieces of information are accepted from each participant during the consultation period;
In the posting evaluation step, during the consultation period, an occasional evaluation by the information requester is accepted for each piece of information from the information provider, and the provided information and the occasional evaluation are stored in the storage unit in association with each other;
In the reward transition output step, a transition of an evaluation rate based on the occasional evaluation for each participant is displayed on a screen based on the occasional evaluation;
A problem solving support method , wherein in the reward distribution step, distribution of the reward is determined based on an evaluation at the end of the consultation period. A method for encouraging the provision of information for solving a problem, comprising:
A consultation case information registration step of accepting an input of the number of information providers to be recruited for a consultation case for solving a problem from an information requester and registering the number as a setting of the consultation case;
a participant registration step of registering an information provider who will participate in the consultation case as a participant;
A posting acceptance step of accepting information provided by the participants and storing the information in a storage unit;
a posting evaluation step of receiving an evaluation of the information provided by the participant from the information requester and storing the evaluation in association with the provided information;
a reward distribution step of distributing rewards to the participants based on the evaluations received from the information requesters ;
A reward transition output step is performed by the computer.
In the consultation case information registration step, an input of the number of participants to be recruited for the consultation case is accepted as information of the consultation case, and is registered as a setting of the consultation case;
In the problem solving support method, when the number of participants and the number of participants acquired in the consultation matter information registration step are the same, acceptance of information provided by the participants is started in the contribution acceptance step.