JP7745455B2 - Problem search support device and problem search support method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a problem discovery support device and problem discovery support method that support problem discovery.

Digital Transformation (DX) in the engineering chain (EC) of B2B (Business to Business) manufacturing is currently underway, focusing on the management of product lifecycles and product data, from design to mass production preparation. Upstream EC (market research, product planning, R&D, design) collects external information, including client company challenges and needs (defined as the company's Voice of the Customer), and reflects this information in the development of products and services. However, DX in upstream EC is still in its infancy. Therefore, external information, including the company's Voice of the Customer (VoC) of clients and potential clients, is manually collected and analyzed from external patent and research databases and at exhibitions.

Furthermore, Patent Document 1 below discloses an integrated database system that supports decision-making. This integrated database system has an integrated database, an information extraction/conversion/linking unit, a knowledge integration unit, a cross-search unit, a visualization unit, and an inference unit.

The integrated database stores collected information, single-source analysis results, and knowledge. The information extraction/conversion/linking unit extracts signs and events from the collected information, converts the extracted signs and events into sign and event information that is easy to process on a computer, stores the converted sign and event information in the integrated database, and links the sign and event information to knowledge. The knowledge integration unit uses knowledge as training data for machine learning and stores the results of knowledge integration in the integrated database. The cross-search unit performs a cross-search across collected information, sign and event information, single-source analysis results, and knowledge integration results to obtain cross-search results. The visualization unit visualizes the cross-search results using multiple visualization methods. The inference unit performs machine learning on the cross-search results and knowledge integration results, and outputs inference results.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2019-079216

In the B2B manufacturing industry, there is a problem in that product development efficiency is difficult to improve due to insufficient understanding of market trends and corporate VoC.

The integrated database system in Patent Document 1 above is a so-called "solution search" system that links keyword connections (analysis results) with knowledge (knowledge based on experience with past events). Because the "solution search" system is a method of searching for solutions to a set "question," it is useful for dealing with defects in the past and present, as well as for developing next-generation products and services several years into the future.

However, simply searching for solutions does not solve the problem of B2B manufacturing companies struggling to improve product development efficiency due to an insufficient understanding of market trends and corporate VoC, and the "solution-search approach" has its limitations.

The purpose of this invention is to assist in the search for problems to be solved.

A problem exploration support device that is one aspect of the invention disclosed in this application is a problem exploration support device having a processor that executes a program and a storage device that stores the program, and is characterized in that the processor executes an acquisition process that acquires an undirected graph composed of a set of nodes that indicate content words searched from a group of document data related to the search for a problem to be solved, a set of edges that connect two nodes in the set of nodes based on the relationship between the two content words indicated by the two nodes, and comment information that is a comment and the input date and time of the comment , and an output process that, when a time is accepted, displays and outputs specific comments in the undirected graph whose input date and time is before the time .

Another aspect of the invention disclosed in this application is a problem exploration support device having a processor that executes a program, a storage device that stores the program, and a communications interface that can communicate with a group of terminals, and that can access an information source that stores a group of document data. The processor performs a first output process to output, to a terminal of a conference organizer among the group of terminals, first screen information that allows a user to input a theme that is estimated to include a problem to be solved and a time period by which the user wishes to achieve a goal by solving the problem; a second output process to output, to the terminal of the organizer when a screen transition request is received from the first screen displayed on the terminal of the organizer based on the first screen information, second screen information that allows a user to input search criteria for searching the information source; a generation process to generate, when search results are obtained by searching the information source based on the search criteria, a map composed of a set of nodes that indicate content words related to the search criteria and a set of edges that connect two nodes in the set of nodes based on the relationship between the two content words indicated by the two nodes; and a search process to generate, when search results are obtained by searching the information source based on the search criteria, a map composed of a set of nodes that indicate content words related to the search criteria and a set of edges that connect two nodes in the set of nodes based on the relationship between the two content words indicated by the two nodes. The system is characterized by executing the following: a third output process that outputs to the host's terminal third screen information that can display the search results and the map generated by the generation process and that allows the user to input a string of characters indicating a consideration about the search results or the map; a fourth output process that, when a screen transition request is received from the third screen displayed on the host's terminal using the third screen information, outputs to the host's terminal fourth screen information that allows the user to input a string of characters indicating a hypothesis about the problem to be solved; a fifth output process that, when a screen transition request is received from the fourth screen displayed on the host's terminal using the fourth screen information, outputs to the host's terminal fifth screen information that allows the user to select the date and time and participants of a meeting to discuss the problem to be solved; a sixth output process that, when a screen transition request is received from the fifth screen displayed on the host's terminal using the fifth screen information, outputs to the participant's terminal sixth screen information that allows the map to be displayed on the participant's terminal; and a seventh output process that, when the date and time of the meeting has passed, outputs to the host's terminal seventh screen information that allows the user to input a string of characters indicating the problem to be solved.

A representative embodiment of the present invention can assist in the search for a problem to be solved. Problems, configurations, and advantages other than those described above will become clear from the description of the following examples.

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the configuration of a problem search support system. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of the problem exploration support device. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the functional configuration of the server. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the flow of problem search support executed by the server. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example 1 of a display screen for problem search support. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a second example of a display screen for problem search support. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a search result summary list displayed in the search result summary list display area. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a detailed search result list displayed in the detailed search result list display area. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing a display screen example 3 for problem search support. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a content word timeline displayed in the first display area. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a content word ranking displayed in the second display area. FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing a first display example of a content word map displayed in the third display area. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a second display example of the content word map displayed in the third display area. FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing a fourth example of a display screen for problem search support. FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram showing a display screen example 5 for problem search support. FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram showing a display screen example 6 for problem search support. FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram showing an example 7 of a display screen for problem search support. FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram showing an example in which the slider is positioned to the left of the center of the time axis. FIG. 19 is an explanatory diagram showing an example in which the slider is positioned to the right of the center of the time axis. FIG. 20 is an explanatory diagram showing an example 8 of a display screen for problem search support. FIG. 21 is a sequence diagram showing a first example of a problem search support sequence by the problem search support system. FIG. 22 is a sequence diagram showing a second example of a problem search support sequence by the problem search support system.

<Configuration example of problem discovery support system>
1 is an explanatory diagram showing an example configuration of a problem exploration support system. The problem exploration support system 100 includes a server 101 and a terminal 102. The server 101 and the terminal 102 are communicatively connected via a network 103 such as the Internet, a local area network (LAN), or a wide area network (WAN). The server 101 is connected to an online conference system 104. The online conference system 104 is a system that enables users of multiple terminals 102 to hold online conferences. The terminal 102 has a browser function, and upon receiving display information from the server 101, displays the display information on a display screen.

Each user of multiple terminals 102 is, for example, an employee of the same company. Among the users, the user who hosts the conference is referred to as the host, and the users who take part in the discussion in the conference are referred to as participants.

In addition, the server 101 and terminal 102 are communicatively connected to an internal database group 110 and an external database group 120 via a network 103.

The in-house database group 110 is a collection of databases maintained within the company to which each user of multiple terminals 102 belongs. Specifically, for example, the in-house database group 110 includes a research and development/prototype information DB (Data Base) 111, a sales/marketing information DB 112, a production information DB 113, a quality information DB 114, and a sales information DB 115.

The research and development/prototype information DB111 contains a research and development DB related to in-house research and development, and a product prototype DB related to in-house product prototypes. Specifically, the research and development DB stores, for example, research number, research theme name, research period, budget, name of the researcher in charge, researcher identification number, research plan (research fund name, budget, achievement goals, research and development items, milestones), current progress, weekly reports, meeting materials, materials used, equipment and laboratories, deliverables (in-house research reports, patent applications, external presentations), and search keywords.

Specifically, the product prototype DB stores, for example, the prototype name, prototype number, prototype content, prototype period, prototype person's name, prototype person's identification number, the name and research number of the research theme that inspired the prototype, the prototype plan (prototype items, milestones), and prototype evaluation results.

Sales and marketing information DB112 is a database of information obtained through sales activities, and specifically stores, for example, customer information, sales strategies, complaints, inquiries from customers and potential customers, and market research. Customer information includes, for example, customer name, customer representative name, sales representative name, sales representative identification number, case management information (case name, progress, estimate, delivery date, sales representative comments), customer list, and customer survey content.

Sales strategy-related information includes, for example, annual sales plans (target sales, achievement status, milestones). Complaint-related information includes, for example, complaint information (content of the complaint, name of the person in charge of the complaint, response details). Inquiry-related information from customers and potential customers includes, for example, information regarding the inquiry (content of the inquiry, name of the person in charge, response details, analysis results of the inquiry information). Market research-related information includes, for example, market research results (survey content, name of the researcher, analysis results, marketing strategy content based on the survey results).

Production information DB113 is a database of information related to product production, and specifically stores, for example, information related to product production plans, information related to the procurement of materials and parts that make up the product, information related to product production, product numbers, product lot numbers, parts lists, production process details, production start dates, production end dates, production locations, equipment used, and the names and worker identification numbers of workers responsible for each production process.

Quality information DB114 is a database that stores information related to product quality, such as information about quality defects during the manufacturing process, information about quality defects in quality inspections before shipping, information about quality defects, failures, and accidents reported by customers after sales, analysis results of quality defects, failures, and accidents and responses to them, information about the research and development process that formed the basis of the product, and the prototype number and research number that formed the basis of the product.

Sales information DB115 is a database of business or product sales information, and specifically stores, for example, business or product names, sales data for each business or product (sales amount, customer name, sales period), research theme names related to the business or product, research numbers, and implementation periods.

The external database group 120 is a collection of databases maintained outside the company to which each user of the multiple terminals 102 belongs. Specifically, for example, the external database group 120 includes a journal DB 121, a patent DB 122, a newspaper DB 123, a statistics DB 124, a SNS (Social Networking Service) DB 125, other company homepages 126, and a government homepage 127.

The journal DB121 is a database of papers published in various academic journals, and specifically stores, for example, the name of the journal in which the paper was published, the publication date, the title, the content of the text, the author's name, the author's affiliation, keywords created from the content of the paper, cited documents, and reference information.

Patent DB122 is a database of published domestic and international patents, and specifically stores, for example, patent titles, application numbers, application dates, publication numbers, publication dates, inventor names, applicant names, examination request information, patent allowance information, information on foreign applications, patent numbers, and registration dates.

Newspaper DB123 is a database of articles published in various newspapers, and specifically stores, for example, the name of the newspaper in which the article was published, the publication date, the article content, keywords created from the article content, and the name of the article creator.

Statistical DB124 is a database of statistical information provided by the government, public institutions, and industry associations. Specifically, it stores information on, for example, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry's "Industrial Statistics," the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications' Statistics Bureau's "Population Census," and the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association's "Number of Four-Wheel Vehicles Produced."

SNSDB125 is a database of information posted on various social networks, and specifically stores information provided by social network operating companies, for a fee or free of charge, in accordance with the Act on the Protection of Personal Information, for example.

Other company homepage 126 is information obtained from the homepages of other companies or various organizations, and is stored on the sites of those other companies or various organizations. Specifically, other company homepage 126 stores, for example, information about the products produced by the company in question (product name, model number, specifications, price, delivery date), the company's or organization's business strategy, business plans, performance and financial information, account settlement information, information about ESG (Environment, Social, Governance), and technology development information for the other company or organization.

Government homepage 127 is information obtained from the homepage of the government or a government-affiliated public organization, and is stored on the site of the government or a government-affiliated public organization. Government homepage 127 stores information on policies, budgets, research and development based on policies, information on laws, regulations, guidelines, and various statistical information.

<Example of hardware configuration of problem exploration support device (server 101, terminal 102)>
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a problem exploration support device. The problem exploration support device 200 includes a processor 201, a storage device 202, an input device 203, an output device 204, and a communication interface (communication IF) 205. The processor 201, the storage device 202, the input device 203, the output device 204, and the communication IF 205 are connected via a bus 206. The processor 201 controls the problem exploration support device 200. The storage device 202 serves as a working area for the processor 201. The storage device 202 is a non-transitory or temporary recording medium that stores various programs and data. Examples of the storage device 202 include a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a hard disk drive (HDD), and a flash memory. The input device 203 inputs data. The input device 203 includes, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, a touch panel, a numeric keypad, a scanner, a microphone, and a sensor. The output device 204 outputs data. The output device 204 includes, for example, a display, a printer, and a speaker. The communication IF 205 connects to a network and transmits and receives data.

<Example of functional configuration of server 101>
3 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the server 101. The server 101 has an information collection unit 301, an information analysis unit 302, and an information display unit 303. Specifically, the information collection unit 301, the information analysis unit 302, and the information display unit 303 are realized, for example, by causing the processor 201 to execute a program stored in the storage device shown in FIG.

The information collection unit 301 has a search function 311 and an external website crawling function 312. The search function 311 is a function that searches the in-house database group 110 and the external database group 120 by inputting search keywords. The external website crawling function 312 is a function that automatically collects information from specified websites among other companies' websites 126 and government websites 127.

The information analysis unit 302 has a data analysis function 321, a user knowledge combination function 322, and a medical interview function 323. The data analysis function 321 is a function that analyzes data collected by the information collection unit 301. The user knowledge combination function 322 is a function that associates user knowledge with the analysis results of the data analysis function 321. The medical interview function 323 is a function that checks whether the information collection unit 301 has collected too much or too little information, or whether the user has omitted or missed information.

The information display unit 303 uses the information visualization function 330 to visualize and display the collected information, keywords obtained from the information collected by the information collection unit 301, and knowledge associated with those keywords.

<Problem discovery support flow>
4 is an explanatory diagram showing the flow of problem search support executed by the server 101. The server 101 executes problem search support in ascending order of the numbers of the major items 401. Each major item 401 has medium items 402. For each major item 401, the server 101 executes problem search support in ascending order of the branch numbers of the medium items 402. Next, the flow of problem search support shown in FIG. 4 will be explained using a screen displayed on the terminal 102.

In the following explanation, a major item 401 identified by a number x (x is a number) may be referred to as major item x. Similarly, a medium item 402 identified by a number x-y (y is a number) may be referred to as medium item x-y.

Figure 5 is an explanatory diagram showing Example 1 of a display screen for problem search support. The display screen 500 shown in Figure 5 is displayed on the terminal 102 used by the organizer. The display screen 500 has a past case search area 501 and a problem search support area 502.

The past case search area 501 is an area for searching for cases that have previously been explored using the search function 311, as operated by the organizer. Specifically, for example, the past case search area 501 has a search word input area 511, a search start button 512, and a search result display area 513.

The search word input area 511 is an area that accepts the input of search words. The search start button 512 is a user interface that, when pressed, instructs the server 101 to perform a search process that searches past problem search cases stored in the storage device of the server 101 for past problem search cases that include the search word entered in the search word input area 511. The search result display area 513 displays the case numbers of past problem search cases that the server 101 has searched for when the search start button 512 is pressed as search results.

Although not shown in the figure, by specifying the case number of a past problem search case displayed in the search result display area 513, the terminal 102 can retrieve and display past problem search cases (content keyword timeline display data, content keyword ranking display data, and content keyword map display data, which will be described later) from the server 101.

The problem search support area 502 has a first tab 521 to a fourth tab 524, a main item 1 display area 525, a medium item 1-1 display area 526, and a medium item 1-2 display area 527. The first tab 521 to the fourth tab 524 correspond to the numbers on the main items 401, with the first tab 521 corresponding to "Determining the theme and timing," the second tab 522 corresponding to "Estimating the PEST situation," the third tab 523 corresponding to "Assuming the problem to be solved," and the fourth tab 524 corresponding to "Discussion based on the PEST situation and the problem to be solved." PEST is an acronym combining the initials of Politics, Economy, Society, and Technology.

In Figure 5, the server 101 supports "Determining the Theme and Timing," which has the number "1" in the main item 401, in the problem search support area 502. Therefore, of the first tab 521 to the fourth tab 524, only the first tab 521, which corresponds to "Determining the Theme and Timing," is highlighted.

The main item 1 display area 525 has an operation section 550 including a reuse past data button 551, a new creation button 552, a temporary save button 553, a next step button 554, and a case number 556.

The reuse past data button 551 is a user interface for reusing past problem search cases whose case numbers 556 are displayed in the search result display area 513. When the reuse past data button 551 is pressed, the server 101 receives an instruction to reuse past data from the terminal 102, including the case number of the past problem search case, and extracts the past problem search case associated with the case number from the storage device 202 and sends it to the terminal 102. The terminal 102 receives the past problem search case from the server 101 and reflects it in the medium item 1-1 display area 526 and the medium item 1-2 display area 527.

The Create New button 552 is a user interface for assigning a case number 556 to major item 1 in the problem search case being created, and for setting the medium item 1-1 display area 526 and medium item 1-2 display area 527 to be inputtable. The assigned case number 556 for major item 1 is a string formed by concatenating the number of the currently created problem search case (20210930 in the example of Figure 5; hereafter referred to as the search case number) with the number of the inputtable medium item 402 (1-1 in the example of Figure 5) as a sub-number.

In the example of Figure 5, there are two medium-sized items 402 that can be entered: "1-1 Setting a theme (which is assumed to include the problem to be solved)" and "1-2 Deciding on the timing (when you want to realize the business or product)." For example, "1-1," which has the smallest branch number, is used.

The temporary save button 553 is a user interface that, when pressed, temporarily saves data entered into the medium item 1-1 display area 526 and the medium item 1-2 display area 527 in the storage device 202 of the terminal 102. Each time the temporary save button 553 is pressed, the terminal 102 may transmit the temporarily saved data to the server 101 along with the case number 556, creation date (i.e., the date of transmission to the server 101; the same applies below), and creator name (user name of the terminal 102). This allows the server 101 to save the temporarily saved data in association with the case number 556, creation date, and creator name.

Pressing the next step button 554 temporarily saves the data entered into the medium item 1-1 display area 526 and the medium item 1-2 display area 527 in the storage device 202 of the terminal 102, and moves on to the next step, "Estimation of PEST Status," which is numbered "2" in the main item 401. Specifically, for example, pressing the next step button 554 transitions to the display screen 600 in Figure 6.

When the next step button 554 is pressed, the terminal 102 may transmit the data saved at the time of pressing to the server 101 along with the case number 556, creation date, and creator name. This allows the server 101 to save the data saved at the time of pressing in association with the case number 556, creation date, and creator name.

The medium item 1-1 display area 526 is an area that displays information related to the medium item 1-1, and specifically includes, for example, a medium item 1-1 display 561, a theme name input field 562, and a theme summary input field 563. The medium item 1-1 display 561 is an area that displays the name of the medium item 1-1, "1-1 Setting a theme (presumably including the problem to be solved)."

The theme name input field 562 is an area that accepts and displays the input of the theme name that is presumed to include the problem to be solved according to sub-item 1-1, via operation of the organizer's terminal 102. The theme summary input field 563 is an area that accepts and displays the input of the theme summary that is presumed to include the problem to be solved according to sub-item 1-1, via operation of the organizer's terminal 102.

The medium item 1-2 display area 527 is an area that displays information related to the medium item 1-2, and specifically includes, for example, a medium item 1-2 display 571, an expected timing input field 572, a comment input field 573, and a creation history display area 574. The medium item 1-2 display 571 is an area that displays the name of the medium item 1-2, "1-2 Deciding on the timing (for realizing the business or product)."

The expected time input field 572 is an area that accepts and displays input of the expected time when the problem to be solved will exist, according to sub-item 1-2, via operation of the organizer's terminal 102. The comment input field 573 is an area that accepts and displays input of comments about the problem to be solved, according to sub-item 1-2, via operation of the organizer's terminal 102. The creation history display area 574 is an area that displays past comments entered in the comment input field 573 as creation history.

Figure 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an example 2 of the display screen for problem search support. The display screen 600 shown in Figure 6 is displayed on the terminal 102 used by the organizer when the next step button 554 in Figure 5 is pressed. The display screen 600 has, in the problem search support area 502, first tab 521 to fourth tab 524, an operation unit 601, a DB search condition setting area 602 for medium item 2-1 "PEST information collection," a search result summary list display area 603, and a search result detail list display area 604. Note that Figure 6 also displays the past case search area 501 shown in Figure 5, but this is omitted for ease of explanation.

Also, in Figure 6, the server 101 supports "Estimation of PEST Status," which is numbered "2" in the major category 401, in the problem search support area 502. Therefore, of the first to fourth tabs 521 to 524, only the second tab 522, which corresponds to "Estimation of PEST Status," is highlighted.

The operation unit 601 has a reuse past data button 611, a new creation button 612, a temporary save button 613, a next step button 614, a previous step button 615, and a case number 616.

The reuse past data button 611 is a user interface for reusing past problem search cases whose case numbers are displayed in the search result display area 513. When the reuse past data button 611 is pressed, the server 101 receives an instruction to reuse past data from the terminal 102, including the case number of the past problem search case, and extracts the past problem search case associated with the case number from the storage device 202 and sends it to the terminal 102. The terminal 102 receives the past problem search case from the server 101 and reflects it in the DB search condition setting area 602, search result summary list display area 603, and search result detail list display area 604.

The Create New button 612 is a user interface for assigning a case number 616 for major item 2 in the problem search case being created and setting the DB search condition setting area 602 to be inputtable. The assigned case number 616 for major item 2 is a string consisting of the problem search case number created this time (20210930 in the examples of Figures 5 and 6) and the number of the inputtable medium item 402 (2-1 in the example of Figure 6) concatenated as a sub-number.

The temporary save button 613 is a user interface that, when pressed, temporarily saves the data entered in the DB search condition setting area 602 and the display data in the search result summary list display area 603 and the search result detail list display area 604 in the storage device 202 of the terminal 102. Each time the temporary save button 613 is pressed, the terminal 102 may transmit the temporarily saved data to the server 101 along with the case number 616, creation date, and creator name (user name of the terminal 102). This allows the server 101 to save the temporarily saved data in association with the case number 616, creation date, and creator name.

The next step button 614 is a user interface for requesting a screen transition. When pressed, the data entered in the DB search condition setting area 602 and the display data in the search result summary list display area 603 and search result detail list display area 604 are temporarily saved in the storage device 202 of the terminal 102, and the screen transition proceeds to the next step, "Analyze PEST Information," which is numbered "2-2" in the medium item 402. Specifically, for example, pressing the next step button 614 transitions to the display screen 900 in Figure 9.

When the next step button 614 is pressed, the terminal 102 may transmit the data saved at the time of pressing to the server 101 along with the case number 616, creation date, and creator name. This allows the server 101 to save the data saved at the time of pressing in association with the case number 616, creation date, and creator name.

Pressing the previous step button 615 temporarily saves the data entered into the DB search condition setting area 602 and the display data in the search result summary list display area 603 and search result detail list display area 604 in the storage device 202 of the terminal 102, and returns to the previous step. In the example of Figure 6, the number of the medium item 402 is "2-1," so the display content of the problem search support area 502 is the content including the number "1-2" of the medium item 402, which is the previous step, i.e., the main item 1 display area 525, medium item 1-1 display area 526, and medium item 1-2 display area 527 shown in Figure 5.

The DB search condition setting area 602 is an area for setting search conditions for collecting information from the in-house database group 110 and the external database group 120 in the "PEST information collection" section of sub-item 2-1.

Specifically, for example, the DB search condition setting area 602 has one or more search keyword input fields 621, an information source selection pull-down menu 622 corresponding to the search keyword input field 621, and a search start button 623.

The search keyword input field 621 is an area that accepts and displays search keywords entered by operating the organizer's terminal 102. The information source selection pull-down 622 is a user interface for selecting the search destination (such as the in-house database group 110 or the external database group 120) for the search keyword entered in the search keyword input field 621 to the left. The search start button 623 is a user interface for starting a search using the search criteria, which are the search keyword and the information source that will be the search destination selected in the information source selection pull-down 622 to the right.

When the search start button 623 is pressed, the terminal 102 searches the search destination information source selected for the search keyword using that search keyword and obtains search results from the search destination information source. Alternatively, the terminal 102 may send search conditions to the server 101, and the server 101 may execute a search using the search conditions and send the search results to the terminal 102.

Furthermore, in this search process, the problem exploration support device 200 that performs the search may search for document data that includes multiple keywords that are all from the same information source selected in the information source selection pull-down 622, from that same information source.

Furthermore, in this search process, the problem exploration support device 200 that performs the search may simply search for document data that matches the search keywords, or may search for document data in the top N (N is any integer greater than or equal to 1) cosine similarity with the search keywords, or document data whose cosine similarity with the search keywords is greater than or equal to a threshold value.

The search result summary list display area 603 is an area that displays a search result summary list. The search result summary list is a list of information that shows an overview of the search results found according to the search conditions (search keywords and search source) set in the DB search condition setting area 602.

The search result detail list display area 604 is an area that displays the search result detail list. The search result detail list is list information that shows the details of the search result selected in the search result summary list.

Figure 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a search result summary list displayed in the search result summary list display area 603. The search result summary list 700 has the following fields: number 701, search keyword 702, information source 703, title 704, information creation date 705, detailed content display 706, and usage judgment 707. A combination of values for each field on the same line forms an entry that indicates one search result.

Number 701 is a number assigned in ascending order. Search keyword 702 is the character string entered in search keyword input field 621. Information source 703 is the search destination selected using the information source selection pull-down 622 to the right of search keyword input field 621 in which search keyword 702 was entered. Title 704 is the title or summary included in the data indicating the search results. For example, it is the title set in the document data that is the search result, or if the document data is a web page, it is, for example, the character string between title tags.

The information creation date 705 is the date on which the search result information was created. Specifically, for example, it is the date on which the information was uploaded to the search target database, the creation date recorded in the document data that is the search result, or, if the document data that is the search result is a web page, the publication date written in the web page, URL (Uniform Resource Locator), or source code.

The detailed content display 706 is an input area that accepts operation of the organizer's terminal 102, using a check mark to indicate whether or not an entry should be displayed in the search result detailed list display area 604. Detailed data for entries with a check mark is displayed in the detailed content display 706.

The usage decision 707 is an input field that accepts, via operation on the organizer's terminal 102, information indicating whether the organizer will use the search results for that entry. Entries with an "O" entered are search results that the organizer has decided to use, and entries with an "X" entered are search results that the organizer has decided not to use.

Figure 8 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a detailed search result list displayed in the detailed search result list display area 604. The detailed search result list display area 604 displays a number 801, search keywords 802, information source 803, and a detailed search result list 810.

The number 801, search keyword 802, and information source 803 are the number 701, search keyword 702, and information source 703 of the entry for which a check mark has been entered in the detailed content display 706 in Figure 7.

The search result details list 810 shows details of entries for which a check mark has been entered in the detailed content display 706 in Figure 7, and has the following fields: number 811, title 812, information creation date 813, content words 814, and usage judgment 815.

The number 811 is a number assigned in ascending order. The title 812 and information creation date 813 are the title 704 and information creation date 705 of the entry for which a check mark has been entered in the detailed content display 706 in Figure 7.

Content words 814 are terms related to the search keywords included in the search results, such as nouns, adjectives, verbs, and adverbs, which indicate substantive content. Specifically, content words 814 may be the top M (M is any integer greater than or equal to 1) terms in the document data that are the search results, in terms of the number of times their distance (number of characters) from the search keywords is within a predetermined distance, or terms whose distance from the search keywords is within a predetermined distance a threshold or more.

In addition, content words 814 may be determined, for example, by vectorizing the search keywords and terms in the document data that are search results using word2vec, a vectorization technique used in natural language processing, and selecting the top M terms with the highest cosine similarity to the search keywords, or terms with a cosine similarity to the search keywords that is equal to or greater than a threshold value.

The acquisition of content words 814 may be performed by the terminal 102, or the server 101 may perform the acquisition in response to a request from the terminal 102 and send the acquired content words 814 to the terminal 102.

Usage decision 815 is an input field that accepts, via operation on the organizer's terminal 102, information indicating whether or not the user will use the search results for that entry. Entries with an "O" entered are search results that the organizer has decided to use, and entries with an "X" entered are search results that the organizer has decided not to use. The terminal 102 may reflect the input results of usage decision 815 in usage decision 707.

Figure 9 is an explanatory diagram showing Example 3 of the display screen for problem search support. The display screen 900 shown in Figure 9 is displayed on the terminal 102 used by the organizer when the next step button 614 in Figure 6 is pressed. In the problem search support area 502, the display screen 900 has the first tab 521 to the fourth tab 524, a list display area 901 for the medium item 2-2 "Analysis of PEST information," and a consideration input area 902 for the medium item 2-3 "Considerations based on the analysis results of PEST information."

Also, in Figure 9, as in Figure 6, the server 101 supports "Estimation of PEST Status," which has the number "2" in the major item 401, in the problem search support area 502. Therefore, of the first to fourth tabs 521 to 524, only the second tab 522, which corresponds to "Estimation of PEST Status," is highlighted.

The list display area 901 has an operation unit 911, a search result list display area 912, a data load button 913, a first display area 914, a first display button 915, a second display area 916, a second display button 917, a third display area 918, and a third display button 919.

The operation unit 911 has a new creation button 932, a temporary save button 933, a next step button 934, a previous step button 935, and a case number 936.

The Create New button 932 is a user interface for assigning a case number 936 to major item 2 in the problem exploration case being created, enabling display data in the list display area 901, and setting the consideration input area 902 to be inputtable. The assigned case number 936 for major item 2 is a string formed by concatenating the problem exploration case number created this time (20210930 in the examples of Figures 5, 6, and 9) with the number of the medium item 402 (2-2 in the example of Figure 9) as a sub-number.

In the example of Figure 9, there are two medium-sized items 402 that can be entered: "2-2 Analysis of PEST information" and "2-3 Considerations based on the results of the PEST information analysis." For example, "2-2," which has the smallest branch number, is used.

The temporary save button 933 is a user interface that, when pressed, temporarily saves the data displayed in the list display area 901 and the data entered in the consideration input area 902 in the storage device 202 of the terminal 102. Each time the temporary save button 933 is pressed, the terminal 102 may transmit the temporarily saved data to the server 101 along with the case number 936, creation date, and creator name (user name of the terminal 102). This allows the server 101 to save the temporarily saved data in association with the case number 936, creation date, and creator name.

The Next Step button 934 is a user interface for requesting a screen transition, which, when pressed, temporarily saves the data displayed in the list display area 901 and the data entered in the consideration input area 902 in the storage device 202 of the terminal 102 and moves to the next step, "Assumptions for the problem to be solved," which is numbered "3" in the main item 401. Specifically, for example, pressing the Next Step button 934 transitions to display screen 1400 in Figure 14.

When the next step button 934 is pressed, the terminal 102 may transmit the data saved at the time of pressing to the server 101 along with the case number 936, creation date, and creator name. This allows the server 101 to save the data saved at the time of pressing in association with the case number 936, creation date, and creator name.

Pressing the previous step button 935 temporarily saves the data displayed in the list display area 901 and the data entered in the consideration input area 902 in the storage device 202 of the terminal 102, and returns to the previous step. In the example of Figure 9, the number of the medium item 402 is "2-2," so the display content of the problem search support area 502 is the content including the number "2-1" of the medium item 402, which is the previous step, i.e., the DB search condition setting area 602, search result summary list display area 603, and search result detail list display area 604 shown in Figure 6.

The search result list display area 912 is an area that displays the search result summary list 700 or the search result detail list 810. The data load button 913 is a user interface that, when pressed, loads the search result summary list 700 or the search result detail list 810 into the search result list display area 912. Although details are not shown, the organizer can select whether to load the search result summary list 700 or the search result detail list 810.

The first display area 914 is a display area that displays a content word timeline (described later in Figure 10). The first display button 915 is a user interface that, when pressed, displays the content word timeline in the first display area 914.

The second display area 916 is a display area that displays content word rankings (described later in Figure 11). The second display button 917 is a user interface that, when pressed, displays the content word rankings in the second display area 916. The third display area 918 is a display area that displays a content word map (described later in Figures 12 and 13). The third display button 919 is a user interface that, when pressed, displays the content word map in the third display area 918.

The consideration input area 902 has a consideration input field 920. The consideration input field 920 is an area that accepts and displays input of considerations based on the analysis results of the PEST information. The analysis results of the PEST information are at least one of the search result summary list 700, search result detail list 810, content word timeline, content word ranking, and content word map.

The content word timeline, content word ranking, and content word map may be generated and displayed by the terminal 102 in accordance with the loaded search result detail list 810, or may be generated by the server 101 in accordance with the search result detail list 810 and output to the terminal 102 upon receiving a display request sent from the terminal 102 by pressing the display buttons 915, 917, and 919.

Figure 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a content word timeline displayed in the first display area 914. The content word timeline 1001 is a line graph with the information creation date 813 on the horizontal axis and the count number of content words 814 on the vertical axis. The range of the horizontal axis indicated by the display period 1002 can be changed by the organizer's operation. The count number on the vertical axis is the number of times the content word 814 appears in the search results. In Figure 8, the server 101 may configure the terminal 102 to exclude from the content word timeline 1001 content words 814 identified by entries whose usage judgment 815 is set to "x", or may configure the content words 814 to be displayed on the content word timeline 1001 without being excluded and with an explanation that the usage judgment 815 is "x".

Figure 11 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a content word ranking displayed in the second display area 916. The content word ranking 1101 is a bar graph with the horizontal axis representing the count of content words 814 and the vertical axis representing the content words 814. The information creation date 1102 is the information creation date 813, when the information that became the basis for the content words 814 was created. Note that the information creation date 1102 can be changed by the organizer's operation. When the information creation date 1102 is changed, the content word ranking 1101 for the changed information creation date 1102 is displayed. It is also possible to display the content word ranking counted over a period that includes an arbitrary number of days specified by the cumulative date 1103, before and after the information creation date 1102. In this case, the cumulative date 1103 can also be changed by the organizer's display. When the cumulative date 1103 is changed, the content word ranking 1101 for the period reflecting the changed cumulative date 1103 is displayed. In FIG. 8, the server 101 may configure the terminal 102 to exclude from the content word ranking 1101 the content words 814 identified by entries for which the usage judgment 815 is set to "x", or may configure the terminal 102 to display the content words 814 in the content word ranking 1101 with an explanation that the usage judgment 815 is "x" without excluding them.

Figure 12 is an explanatory diagram showing display example 1 of a content word map displayed in the third display area 918. The content word map 1200 is an undirected graph showing the relationships between content words 814. Circular nodes represent content words 814. The larger the circular node, the greater the count of that content word 814.

The line segments between nodes are edges that indicate the relationship between their content words 814; the shorter the edge, the stronger the relationship between the content words 814. The two nodes at either end of an edge indicate, for example, content words 814 that co-occur in the same document data. For example, the content word 814 of node A exists in searched document data α but not in searched document data β, the content word 814 of node D exists in both document data α and β, and the content word 814 of node E does not exist in document data α but does exist in document data β. In this case, nodes A and D are connected by an edge, and nodes D and E are also connected by an edge, but nodes A and E are not connected by an edge.

In addition, nodes of content words 814 included in the same document data are also connected by edges. The content word map 1200 exists, for example, in a vector space when the content words 814 are vectorized, and the closer the nodes are, the closer the meanings of the two content words 814 are. Edges may also indicate the similarity between content words 814 rather than the relationship between them. In this case, the higher the similarity, the shorter the edge. Edges may also be hidden when the similarity falls below a certain level.

Note that a node is created on the information creation date 813 of its content word 814. An edge is created on the most recent information creation date 813 of the information creation dates 813 of the content words 814 of the nodes on both ends.

The content word map 1200 is created using the content words 814 counted at the date and time specified in the date and time 1201. The date and time 1201 can be changed by the organizer. When the date and time 1201 is changed, the content word map 1200 for the changed date and time 1201 is displayed.

The information source selection pull-down 1202 is a user interface for selecting the search destination (such as the internal databases 110 or the external databases 120) for the search keyword that is the source of the content word 814. Options include, for example, only the internal databases 110, only the external databases 120, or either the internal databases 110 or the external databases 120. In Figure 12, "Internal databases + external databases" is selected, indicating either the internal databases 110 or the external databases 120. The content words 814 displayed as nodes in the content word map 1200 are included in the search results from the search destination selected in the information source selection pull-down 1202.

Figure 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a second display example of a content term map displayed in the third display area 918. Figure 13 is an example of the display when the information source selection pull-down 1202 in Figure 12 is changed from "Internal databases + external databases" to "External databases only." This change in information source narrows the search destinations containing the content words 814 to be displayed to the external databases 120, thereby reducing the number of counts of content words 814 displayed as nodes. In the content term map 1300 displayed after the information source selection pull-down 1202 is changed, some nodes and edges that no longer exist are displayed with dotted lines, and the size of some nodes whose counts have decreased is reduced compared to the content term map in Figure 12.

Therefore, the organizer can intuitively see which content words 814 do not exist in the external database group 120 and which content words 814 have had their counts reduced.

Furthermore, even when changing from the content word map 1300 shown in Figure 13 to the content word map 1200 shown in Figure 12, the organizer can intuitively see which content words 814 exist in the in-house database group 110 and which content words 814 have increased in count.

Note that Figure 13 shows an example where "External databases only" is selected in the information source selection pull-down 1202, but the same applies when "Internal databases only" is selected. In this case, the organizer can intuitively see which content words 814 do not exist in the internal databases 110 and which content words 814 have had their counts reduced.

Similarly, when "Internal databases only" is selected in the information source selection pull-down menu 1202 in Figure 13, if the content word map 1300 shown in Figure 13 is changed to the content word map 1200 shown in Figure 12, the organizer can intuitively see which content words 814 exist in the external databases 120 and which content words 814 have increased in count.

In FIG. 8, the server 101 may configure the terminal 102 to exclude from the content word maps 1200 and 1300 the content words 814 identified by entries for which the usage judgment 815 is set to "X", or may configure the terminal 102 to display the content words 814 in the content word maps 1200 and 1300 with an explanation that the usage judgment 815 is "X" without excluding them.

Figure 14 is an explanatory diagram showing Example 4 of the problem search support display screen. The display screen 1400 shown in Figure 14 is displayed on the terminal 102 used by the organizer when the next step button 934 in Figure 9 is pressed. In the problem search support area 502, the display screen 1400 has the first tab 521 to the fourth tab 524, a list redisplay area 1401 for the main item 3, "Assumptions for the problem to be solved," and an assumption input area 1402 for the medium item 3-1, "Assumptions for the problem to be solved based on the results of the investigation."

Also, in FIG. 14, the server 101 supports "Assumptions for the problem to be solved," which has the number "3" in the major item 401, in the problem search support area 502. Therefore, of the first to fourth tabs 521 to 524, only the third tab 523, which corresponds to "Assumptions for the problem to be solved," is highlighted.

The list redisplay area 1401 has an operation unit 1410, a first redisplay area 1432, a first redisplay button 1433, a second redisplay area 1434, a second redisplay button 1435, a third redisplay area 1436, and a third redisplay button 1437.

The operation section 1410 has a new creation button 1412, a temporary save button 1413, a next step button 1414, a previous step button 1415, and a case number 1416.

The Create New button 1412 is a user interface for assigning a case number 1416 to major item 3 in the problem search case being created, enabling display data to be displayed in the list redisplay area 1401, and setting the assumption input area 1402 to be inputtable. The assigned case number 1416 for major item 3 is a string formed by concatenating the problem search case number created this time (20210930 in the examples of Figures 5, 6, 9, and 14) with the number of medium item 402 (3-1 in the example of Figure 14) as a sub-number.

The temporary save button 1413 is a user interface that, when pressed, temporarily saves the displayed data in the list redisplay area 1401 and the input data in the assumption input area 1402 in the storage device 202 of the terminal 102. Each time the temporary save button 1413 is pressed, the terminal 102 may transmit the temporarily saved data to the server 101 along with the case number 1416, creation date, and creator name (user name of the terminal 102). This allows the server 101 to save the temporarily saved data in association with the case number 1416, creation date, and creator name.

Pressing the Next Step button 1414 temporarily saves the display data in the list redisplay area 1401 and the input data in the assumption input area 1402 in the storage device 202 of the terminal 102, and moves to the next step, "Discussion (based on the PEST situation and the problem to be solved)," which is numbered "4" in the major item 401. Specifically, for example, pressing the Next Step button 1414 transitions to the display screen 1500 in Figure 15.

When the next step button 1414 is pressed, the terminal 102 may transmit the data saved at the time of pressing to the server 101 along with the case number 1416, creation date, and creator name. This allows the server 101 to save the data saved at the time of pressing in association with the case number 1416, creation date, and creator name.

Pressing the previous step button 1415 temporarily saves the display data in the list redisplay area 1401 and the input data in the assumption input area 1402 in the storage device 202 of the terminal 102, and returns to the previous step. In the example of Figure 14, the number of the medium item 402 is "3-1," so the display content of the problem search support area 502 is the content including the number "2-3" of the medium item 402, which is the previous step, i.e., the list display area 901 and consideration input area 902 shown in Figure 9.

The first redisplay area 1432 is a display area that redisplays the content word timeline 1001. The first redisplay button 1433 is a user interface that, when pressed, redisplays the content word timeline 1001 in the first redisplay area 1432.

The second redisplay area 1434 is a display area that redisplays the content word rankings 1101. The second redisplay button 1435 is a user interface that, when pressed, redisplays the content word rankings 1101 in the second redisplay area 1434. The third redisplay area 1436 is a display area that redisplays the content word maps 1200 and 1300. The third redisplay button 1437 is a user interface that, when pressed, redisplays the content word maps 1200 and 1300 in the third redisplay area 1436.

The assumption input area 1402 has an assumption input field 1420. The organizer makes an assessment based on the content word timeline 1001, content word ranking 1101, and content word map 1200 redisplayed in the first redisplay area 1432, second redisplay area 1434, and third redisplay area 1436, respectively, and hypothesizes the problem to be solved. The assumption input field 1420 is an area that accepts and displays input of assumptions for the problem to be solved based on the organizer's assessment results.

Figure 15 is an explanatory diagram showing display screen example 5 for problem search support. Display screen 1500 shown in Figure 15 is displayed on the terminal 102 used by the organizer when the next step button 1414 in Figure 14 is pressed. Display screen 1500 has, in the problem search support area 502, first tab 521 to fourth tab 524, and a discussion setting area 1501 for major item 4, "Discussion based on the PEST situation and the problem to be solved."

Also, in FIG. 15, the server 101 supports "Discussion (based on the PEST situation and issues to be solved)," which has the number "4" in the major category 401, in the problem search support area 502. Therefore, of the first tab 521 to the fourth tab 524, only the fourth tab 524, which corresponds to "Discussion (based on the PEST situation and issues to be solved)," is highlighted.

The issue search support area 502 has an operation unit 1510, a participant registration area 1520, a comment input area 1530, and a meeting setting area 1540.

The operation section 1510 has a new creation button 1512, a temporary save button 1513, a participation request button 1514, a previous step button 1515, and a case number 1516.

The Create New button 1512 is a user interface for assigning a case number 1516 to major item 4 in the problem search case being created, and for setting up the problem search support area 502 so that data can be entered and displayed. The assigned case number 1516 for major item 4 is a string formed by concatenating the problem search case number created this time (20210930 in the examples of Figures 5, 6, 9, 14, and 15) with the number of medium item 402 (4-1 in the example of Figure 15) as a sub-number.

The temporary save button 1513 is a user interface that, when pressed, temporarily saves the display data and input data in the problem exploration support area 502 in the storage device 202 of the terminal 102. Each time the temporary save button 1513 is pressed, the terminal 102 may transmit the temporarily saved data to the server 101 along with the case number 1516, creation date, and creator name (user name of the terminal 102). This allows the server 101 to save the temporarily saved data in association with the case number 1516, creation date, and creator name.

The participation request button 1514 is a user interface that, when pressed, causes the server 101 to send a participation request message to each terminal 102 of other users registered as participants in the participant registration area 1520 to confirm their intention to participate in the conference.

Pressing the previous step button 1515 temporarily saves the display data and input data in the problem search support area 502 in the storage device 202 of the terminal 102 and returns to the previous step. In the example of Figure 15, the number of the middle item 402 is "4-1," so the display content of the problem search support area 502 is the content including the number "3-1" of the middle item 402, which is the previous step, i.e., the list redisplay area 1401 and assumption input area 1402 shown in Figure 14.

The participant registration area 1520 is an area for registering other users within the company as participants, and includes an affiliation pull-down menu 1521, a name pull-down menu 1522, and an add participant button 1523. The affiliation pull-down menu 1521 is a user interface for selecting the participant's affiliation. The name pull-down menu 1522 is a user interface for selecting the name of another user within the company. Due to drawing limitations, two sets of affiliation pull-down menus 1521 and name pull-down menus 1522 are displayed in Figure 15, but there may be one set of affiliation pull-down menus 1521 and name pull-down menus 1522, or three or more sets. The add participant button 1523 is a user interface for adding participants, and when pressed, a set of affiliation pull-down menus 1521 and name pull-down menus 1522 is added to the participant registration area 1520. The organizer can select the affiliation and name of the new in-house user using the newly added affiliation pull-down menu 1521 and name pull-down menu 1522.

Server 101 is connected to an employee database (not shown), which stores the names and affiliations of other users. Therefore, the names and affiliations of other users are displayed as selectable options in the affiliation pull-down menu 1521 and name pull-down menu 1522.

The comment input area 1530 is an area where the organizer can enter comments regarding the request for discussion from participants.

The conference setting area 1540 is an area where the organizer and participants can set up a conference, and includes an online conference system setting button 1541 and a conference room reservation button 1542.

The online conference system settings button 1541 is a user interface for setting the date and time of an online conference and generating an invitation URL using the online conference system.

When the online conference system settings button 1541 is pressed, the organizer's terminal 102 sends the data registered in the participant registration area 1520 to the server 101. The organizer's terminal 102 sets the date and time of the online conference using the online conference system. As a result, the online conference system generates an invitation URL for the online conference associated with this date and time and sends it to the server 101.

The server 101 generates display information that includes at least the set date and time of the online conference, the problem search case number obtained by removing the subnumber from the case number 1516 (20210930 in the example in Figure 15), and the data entered and displayed in the medium item 1-1 display area 526 and the medium item 1-2 display area 527, and generates a URL that can access the display information.

Then, when the participation request button 1514 is pressed, the server 101 sends a participation request message including the generated URL and the comment entered in the comment input area 1530 to the terminal 102 of the participant registered in the participant registration area 1520.

The conference room reservation button 1542 is a user interface for reserving a conference room within the company. When the conference room reservation button 1542 is pressed, the organizer's terminal 102 sends the data registered in the participant registration area 1520 to the server 101. The organizer's terminal 102 reserves the conference room name, which is the date and time of the conference and the conference location information, using a conference room reservation system (not shown). In response, the conference room reservation system generates this date and time of the conference and the conference location information and sends it to the server 101.

The server 101 generates display information that includes at least the set date and time of the meeting, the location of the meeting, the problem search case number obtained by removing the subnumber from the case number 1516 (20210930 in the example in Figure 15), and the data entered and displayed in the medium item 1-1 display area 526 and the medium item 1-2 display area 527, and generates a URL that can access the display information.

Then, when the participation request button 1514 is pressed, the server 101 sends a participation request message including the generated URL and the comment entered in the comment input area 1530 to the terminal 102 of the participant registered in the participant registration area 1520.

Figure 16 is an explanatory diagram showing an example 6 of a display screen for problem discovery support. The display screen 1600 shown in Figure 16 is displayed on the terminals 102 of the organizer and participants. Specifically, for example, when a URL that can access the display information included in the participation request message described above is specified on the participant's terminal 102, the display screen 1600 is displayed on the participant's terminal 102.

The display screen 1600 has, in the problem search support area 502, the first tab 521 to the fourth tab 524, and a discussion participation request display area 1601 for the sub-item 4-2 "Sharing analysis results and issues to be resolved" of the main item 4 "Discussion based on the PEST situation and issues to be resolved."

Also, in FIG. 16, the server 101 supports "Discussion (based on the PEST situation and issues to be solved)," which has the number "4" in the major category 401, in the problem search support area 502. Therefore, of the first tab 521 to the fourth tab 524, only the fourth tab 524, which corresponds to "Discussion (based on the PEST situation and issues to be solved)," is highlighted.

The discussion participation request display area 1601 has a content display area 1610, a meeting details display area 1620, a comment input area 1630, a join button 1640, and a non-participation button 1650.

The content display area 1610 has a case number 1611, a theme name display area 1612, a theme overview display area 1613, an expected time frame display area 1614, a comment display area 1615, a creation history display area 1616, a considerations display area 1617 based on analysis of PEST information, a button 1618 for displaying details of the PEST information analysis, a hypothesis display area 1619 for the problem to be solved, and a comment display area 1670 for discussion requests.

The case number 1611 is automatically assigned by the server 101 and is a string consisting of the problem search case number created this time (20210930 in the examples of Figures 5, 6, 9, 14, and 15) concatenated with the number of the medium item 402 (4-2 in the example of Figure 16) as a sub-number. The theme name display area 1612 is an area that displays the theme name entered in the theme name input field 562 of the medium item 1-1 display area 526. The theme summary display area 1613 is an area that displays the theme summary entered in the theme summary input field 563 of the medium item 1-1 display area 526. The expected time display area 1614 is an area that displays the expected time entered in the expected time input field 572 of the medium item 1-2 display area 527. The comment display area 1615 is an area that displays the comment entered in the comment input field 573 of the medium item 1-2 display area 527. The creation history display area 1616 is an area that displays the creation history displayed in the creation history display area 574 of the medium item 1-2 display area 527.

The consideration display area 1617 based on the analysis of PEST information displays the considerations entered in the consideration input field 920 of the medium-item 2-3 display area 902. The detailed display button 1618 for the PEST information analysis content is a user interface for displaying details of the content word timeline, content word ranking, and content word map in the analysis of the medium-item 2-2 PEST information that formed the basis of the consideration. When the detailed display button 1618 is pressed, a window (not shown) separate from the content display area 1610 appears, and it is possible to redisplay the content word timeline 1001 in Figure 10, the content word ranking 1101 in Figure 11, and the content word map 1200 in Figure 12 within that window. The assumption display area 1619 for the problem to be solved displays the content entered in the input field 1420 of the medium-item 3-1 display area 1402. The comment display area 1670 for the discussion request displays the content entered in the comment input field 1530 for setting the discussion partner in medium-item 4-1.

The conference details display area 1620 displays conference details and includes a conference date and time display area 1621 and a conference location display area 1622. The conference date and time display area 1621 displays the conference date and time. The conference location display area 1622 displays the conference location.

The comment input area 1630 is an area where participants can enter comments. The participate button 1640 is a user interface that allows participants to indicate their intention to participate in the conference. The non-participate button 1650 is a user interface that allows participants to indicate their intention not to participate in the conference.

When the "Do Not Participate" button 1650 is pressed, a message indicating that the participant will not be attending the conference and the comment entered in the comment input area 1630 are sent from the participant's terminal 102 to the organizer's terminal 102 via the server 101. No further screen transitions occur on the terminal 102 on which the "Do Not Participate" button 1650 is pressed.

On the other hand, when the participate button 1640 is pressed, a message indicating that the participant will participate in the conference and the comment entered in the comment input area 1630 are sent from the participant's terminal 102 to the organizer's terminal 102 via the server 101.

Also, when the join button 1640 is pressed, if the location of the conference is an "online conference," an invitation URL for the online conference is sent from the server 101 to the participant's terminal 102.

Furthermore, when the Participate button 1640 is pressed, the participant's device 102 moves to the next step, intermediate item 4-3, "Discussion on the analysis results and the content of the problem to be solved." Specifically, for example, pressing the Participate button 1640 transitions to display screen 1700 in Figure 17.

Figure 17 is an explanatory diagram showing an example 7 of the problem discovery support display screen. Due to drawing limitations, Figure 17 focuses on the fourth tab 524. The display screen 1700 in Figure 17 is displayed on the terminals 102 of the organizer, who is the organizer of the meeting, and the participants.

The display screen 1700 supports the medium item 4-3, "Discussion on the analysis results and the content of the issues to be solved," in the problem search support area 502. Therefore, only the fourth tab 524, which corresponds to "Discussion on the analysis results and the content of the issues to be solved," is highlighted.

The problem search support area 502 has a graph display area 1701. The graph display area 1701 displays a count result timeline 1710 and content word maps 1721-1723.

The counting result timeline 1710 is a graph whose horizontal axis represents the time including the date and time of the conference, and whose vertical axis represents the number of comments made by conference participants in the content word map and the number of views of the content word map by conference participants. Corresponding content word maps 1721-1723 are displayed in association with the date on the time axis. Each time the server 101 obtains a comment from a participant's terminal 102, it counts the number of comments for that day. The server 101 also counts the number of times the participant's terminal 102 displays the display screen 1700 as the number of views. The server 101 reflects the counting results of the number of comments and views in the counting result timeline 1710.

Content word maps 1721-1723 are content word maps created using content words 814 counted by the dates and times displayed in date and time display areas 1751-1753, respectively. Content word map 1721 is the oldest of content word maps 1721-1723 (the date in date and time display area 1751 is 2019/05/01). Content word map 1722 is content word map 1721 with nodes C, H, J, and K and bold edges added. Note that the date content word map 1722 was created (2021/05/01), shown in date and time display area 1752, is the date the organizer made content word map 1721, the basis for this discussion, publicly available to meeting participants. Content word map 1723 is content word map 1722 with nodes L and edges between nodes G and L added. The date on which the content word map 1723 shown in the date and time display area 1753 was created (2021/06/08) is the date on which the conference was held by the organizer.

In this way, by displaying content word maps 1721-1723 of search cases for the same issue at different dates and times, you can intuitively see the increase or decrease in the count of content words 814 for the same node, the presence or absence of content words 814 themselves, and the connection relationships and semantic similarities between nodes.

Also, in Figure 17, speech bubble display objects 1731 to 1734 are displayed in the content word map 1723.

Bubble display objects 1731-1734 are display objects that contain comments entered by the organizer or participants from their terminals 102, the date the comments were entered, and the name of the person who entered the comments. Balloon display objects 1731-1734 are associated with, for example, nodes, edges, or other existing balloon display objects through the operation of the organizer or participant who entered the comments. In FIG. 17, balloon display objects 1731 and 1733 are associated with nodes K and L, respectively; balloon display object 1732 is associated with the edge between nodes B and C; and balloon display object 1734 is associated with existing balloon display object 1731.

Specifically, for example, for speech bubble display object 1731, the comment, the date the comment was entered, and the name of the person who entered the comment are associated with a content word 814 indicating node K, along with an identifier indicating that they are associated with the node.

For speech bubble display object 1732, the comment, the date the comment was entered, and the name of the person who entered the comment are associated with the content word 814 representing nodes B and C, along with an identifier indicating that they are associated with the edge between the nodes. For speech bubble display object 1733, node L representing a new content word was added by a participant, associated with node G, and the date of addition and the name of the person who added the comment are associated with the content word 814 representing node L, along with an identifier indicating that node L was added.

Furthermore, for speech bubble display object 1734, the comment, the date the comment was entered, and the name of the person who entered the comment are associated with the comment in speech bubble display object 1731, along with an identifier indicating that the comment is associated with the comment.

In this way, each time a comment is added, it is associated with nodes, edges, and previously entered comments, creating a tree structure.

Furthermore, when speech bubble display objects 1731-1734 are generated, they are also reflected on the terminals 102 of the other participants in the conference. For example, when a new speech bubble display object 1733 is generated at a certain terminal 102, that terminal 102 transmits the speech bubble display object 1733 to the server 101. The server 101 then transmits the received speech bubble display object 1733 to the terminals 102 of conference participants other than the one that generated the speech bubble display object 1733. As a result, the speech bubble display object 1733 generated by a certain participant in the conference is displayed in the content word map 1723 of the terminals 102 of the other participants.

The content word maps 1721-1723 also have a comment chronological display adjustment section 1740. The comment chronological display adjustment section 1740 has a time axis 1741 and a slider 1742. The slider 1742 can be moved on the time axis 1741 by operation of the host or participant on the terminal 102. For example, the right end of the time axis 1741 indicates the current date, and the left end indicates the input date of the oldest speech bubble display object 1731 among the speech bubble display objects 1731-1734. Therefore, the further to the left the slider 1742 is positioned, the further back in time it specifies a date and time from the current date and time. Figure 17 shows an example where the slider 1742 is positioned at the right end of the time axis 1741.

That is, content word maps 1721-1723 are displayed or disappear depending on the position of slider 1742. For example, when slider 1742 is located at the left end of time axis 1741, only speech bubble display object 1731 is displayed, and speech bubble display objects 1732-1734 disappear. On the other hand, when slider 1742 is located at the right end of time axis 1741, speech bubble display objects 1731-1734 are displayed. Also, when slider 1742 is located at the center of time axis 1741, only speech bubble display objects 1731 and 1732 are displayed, and speech bubble display objects 1733 and 1734 disappear; however, when slider 1742 is moved to the left of the center, speech bubble display object 1732 disappears. Note that speech bubble display object 1733 is an object related to the addition of node L by a participant, and therefore node L and the edge between node L and node G also disappear when speech bubble display object 1733 disappears.

Also, in the above explanation, the balloon display object disappears, but it is not limited to disappearance; it can also be displayed as a dotted line or semi-transparently.

Figure 18 is an explanatory diagram showing an example in which the slider 1742 is positioned to the left of the center of the time axis 1741, with only the balloon display object 1731 displayed and the balloon display objects 1732 to 1734 disappearing. The date and time display area 1753 displays the date corresponding to the slider's position on the time axis 1741.

Figure 19 is an explanatory diagram showing an example in which the slider 1742 is positioned to the right of the center of the time axis 1741, with only the balloon display objects 1731 and 1732 displayed and the balloon display object 1733 disappearing. The date and time display area 1753 displays the date corresponding to the slider's position on the time axis 1741.

Note that while Figure 17 does not display the information source selection pull-down menu 1202 shown in Figures 12 and 13, the information source selection pull-down menu 1202 may be displayed in the content term maps 1721-1723. This allows the conference participant's terminal 102 to switch the information source to be searched, and makes it possible to display the content term maps 1721-1723 corresponding to the switched search destination.

The information displayed in Figure 17 is generated by the server 101 based on the search results stored in the server 101 and sent to the terminal 102 for display.

In this way, by sharing comments from participants with the organizer and all participants, the organizer and all participants can grasp all the necessary information without any omissions, which can encourage other users to become aware of, discover, and have inspiration. It also reduces the dependency on specific users within a company, where a certain task is handled by a specific user and only that user knows how to do it. It also enables decision-making that is in line with the organization's standards and direction.

The comment time series display adjustment unit 1740 can also present the organizer and all participants with changes in the connections between comments over time, thereby supporting their awareness, discovery, and inspiration. For example, triggered by a comment from a certain user, the organizer collects PEST information again after the meeting (subitem 2-1), and again obtains comments from participants during a discussion about the analysis results and the content of the problem to be solved. This repetition creates a loop of collecting PEST information ⇒ analyzing ⇒ obtaining comments during the discussion ⇒ collecting PEST information ⇒ ..., improving the efficiency of problem identification.

Figure 20 is an explanatory diagram showing an example 8 display screen for problem discovery support. The display screen 2000 shown in Figure 20 is displayed on the organizer's terminal 102 after the meeting has ended.

In Figure 20, the server 101 supports "Discussion (based on the PEST situation and issues to be solved)," which has the number "4" in the major category 401, in the problem search support area 502. Therefore, of the first tab 521 to the fourth tab 524, only the fourth tab 524, which corresponds to "Discussion (based on the PEST situation and issues to be solved)," is highlighted.

In the problem search support area 502, the display screen 2000 has a first tab 521 to a fourth tab 524, an operation area 2001 for major item 4 "Discussion (based on the PEST situation and the problem to be solved)," a discussion memo input area 2002 for medium item 4-3 "Discussion on the analysis results and the content of the problem to be solved," and a problem input area 2003 for medium item 4-4 "Determining the problem to be solved."

The operation area 2001 has an operation section 2010. The operation section 2010 has a new creation button 2012, a temporary save button 2013, a register button 2014, and a case number 2016.

The Create New button 2012 is a user interface for assigning a case number 2016 to major item 4 in the issue search case being created, and for enabling data entry in the discussion memo input area 2002 and the issue input area 2003. The assigned case number 2016 for major item 4 is a string formed by concatenating the number of the issue search case being created (20210930 in the examples of Figures 5, 6, 9, 14, 15, and 20) with the number of medium item 402 (4-4 in the example of Figure 20) as a sub-number.

In the example of Figure 20, there are two medium-sized items 402 that can be entered: "4-3 Discuss the analysis results and the content of the issues to be solved" and "4-4 Determine the issues to be solved." For example, "4-4," which has the highest branch number, is used.

The temporary save button 2013 is a user interface that, when pressed, temporarily saves the data entered in the discussion memo input area 2002 and the issue input area 2003 in the storage device 202 of the terminal 102. Each time the temporary save button 2013 is pressed, the terminal 102 may transmit the temporarily saved data to the server 101 along with the case number 2016, creation date, and creator name (user name of the terminal 102). This allows the server 101 to save the temporarily saved data in association with the case number 2016, creation date, and creator name.

The register button 2014 is a user interface that, when pressed, sends the data entered in the discussion memo input area 2002 and the issue input area 2003 to the server 101 along with the case number 2016, creation date, and creator name (user name of the terminal 102), and registers it in the storage device 202 of the server 101. This allows the server 101 to store the data sent at the time the button is pressed, in association with the case number 2016, creation date, and creator name.

The discussion note input area 2002 has a discussion note input field 2020. The discussion note input field 2020 is an area that accepts and displays input of discussion notes held during the meeting regarding the analysis results and the content of the issues to be solved. The organizer enters discussion notes into the discussion note input field 2020 based on the results of the discussion. The display screen 2000 may be displayed on the organizer's terminal 102 after the meeting has ended. In this case, participants can also add discussion notes to the discussion note input field 2020.

The task input area 2003 has a task input field 2030. The task input field 2030 is an area that accepts and displays input of the task to be solved. The organizer inputs the task to be solved into the task input field 2030, taking into account the results of the discussion and also referring to the content entered in the assumption input field 1420 for the task to be solved in Figure 14.

<Problem search support sequence by problem search support system 100>
FIG. 21 is a sequence diagram showing a first example of a problem search support sequence by the problem search support system 100. As shown in FIG.

Step S2101: The organizer's terminal 102 displays the display screen 500 including the medium items 1-1 and 1-2 shown in FIG. 5. Specifically, for example, the organizer's terminal 102 accesses the server 101 and logs in, thereby receiving display information for displaying the display screen 500 from the server 101 and displaying the display screen 500. Note that by pressing the Reuse Past Data button 551 or the Create New button 552, a case number 556 is assigned, and the medium item 1-1 display area 526 and the medium item 1-2 display area 527 become available for input.

Step S2102: When the temporary save button 553 is pressed, the organizer's terminal 102 transmits the theme name entered in the medium item 1-1 display area 526 and the time period entered in the medium item 1-2 display area 527 to the server 101, along with the case number 556, the organizer's username (creator), and the creation date.

Step S2103: When the Next Step button 554 is pressed, the organizer's terminal 102 sends a screen transition request to the server 101 regarding the display information for the next step, "Collecting PEST Information" for medium item 2-1. At this time, the most recent theme name entered in the medium item 1-1 display area 526, the most recent time entered in the medium item 1-2 display area 527, the case number 556, the username of the organizer who created it, and the creation date are also sent along with the request.

Step S2104: The server 101 associates the theme name, time period, case number 556, user name of the creator/organizer, and creation date transmitted in step S2102 or S2103 and stores them in the storage device 202.

Step S2105: When the server 101 receives a screen transition request for the display information of "Collecting PEST Information" for medium item 2-1 due to the pressing of the next step button 554, it references the case number 556 to identify that the next step is medium item 2-1, and sends the display information for that next step to the organizer's terminal 102.

Step S2106: When the organizer's terminal 102 receives the display information for the next step in step S2105, it uses that display information to display the display screen 600, which includes the medium item 2-1 shown in Figure 6. Note that by pressing the Reuse Past Data button 611 or the Create New button 612, a case number 616 is assigned, and the DB search condition setting area 602 becomes available for input.

Step S2107: When the start search button 623 is pressed, the organizer's terminal 102 sends the search conditions, which are the search keywords and the information source to be searched selected in the information source selection pull-down menu 622 to the right of them, along with the case number 616 to the server 101.

Step S2108: The server 101 performs a search using the search conditions received in step S2107.

Step S2109: The server 101 transmits the search results for the collection of PEST information searched in step S2108 to the organizer's terminal 102 along with the case number 616.

Step S2110: The organizer's terminal 102 displays the search result summary list 700 and search result detail list 810, which are the search results for the collection of PEST information searched in step S2108, as shown in Figures 7 and 8.

Step S2111: When the temporary save button 613 is pressed, the organizer's terminal 102 sends a save request for the search result summary list 700 and search result detail list 810 obtained in step S2110 to the server 101 along with the case number 616.

Step S2112: The server 101 associates the search result summary list 700 and search result detail list 810 for which a save request has been made with the case number 616 and saves them in the storage device 202.

Step S2113: When the next step button 614 is pressed, the organizer's terminal 102 sends to the server 101 a screen transition request for displaying the next step, sub-item 2-2 "Analysis of PEST Information" and sub-item 2-3 "Considerations Based on the Analysis Results of PEST Information." At this time, the search result summary list 700, search result detail list 810, the search conditions set in the DB search condition setting area 602, the case number 616, the user name of the organizer who created the item, and the creation date are also sent along with the request.

Step S2114: The server 101 associates the search result summary list 700, search result detail list 810, search conditions set in the DB search condition setting area 602, case number 616, user name of the organizer who created the item, and creation date sent in step S2113, and saves them in the storage device 202.

Step S2115: When the server 101 receives a screen transition request for display information for the next steps, "Analysis of PEST Information" in medium item 2-2 and "Considerations Based on the Analysis Results of PEST Information" in medium item 2-3, as a result of pressing the Next Step button 614, it references the case number 616 to identify that the next steps are medium items 2-2 and 2-3, and sends the display information for the next steps to the organizer's terminal 102.

Step S2116: When the organizer's terminal 102 receives the display information for the next step in step S2115, it uses that display information to display the display screen 900, which includes the next step, medium item 2-2 "Analysis of PEST Information" and medium item 2-3 "Considerations Based on the Analysis Results of PEST Information." Pressing the New Item button 932 assigns a case number 936, and the search result list display area 912, first display area 914, second display area 916, and third display area 918 become displayable, and the consideration input area 902 becomes available for input.

Step S2117: When the temporary save button 933 is pressed, the organizer's terminal 102 sends the consideration entered in the consideration input field 920 to the server 101 along with the case number 936, the organizer's username (who created the consideration) and the creation date.

Step S2118: The server 101 associates the discussion, case number 936, the username of the organizer who created it, and the creation date, and stores them in the storage device 202.

Step S2119: When the Next Step button 934 is pressed, the organizer's terminal 102 sends a screen transition request to the server 101 regarding the display information for the next step, "Assumptions for the problem to be solved," in Medium Item 3-1. At this time, the request is also sent along with the considerations, case number 936, the organizer's username (who created the item), and the creation date.

Step S2120: The server 101 associates the discussion, case number 936, the username of the organizer who created it, and the creation date sent in step S2119 and stores them in the storage device 202.

Step S2121: When the server 101 receives a screen transition request for display information for the next step, "Assumptions for the problem to be solved," of medium-sized item 3-1, which is the next step, upon pressing the next step button 934, it references the case number 936 to identify that the next step is medium-sized item 3-1, and sends the display information for that next step to the organizer's terminal 102.

Step S2122: When the organizer's terminal 102 receives the display information for the next step in step S2121, it uses that display information to display the display screen 1400, which includes the next step, medium item 3-1, "Assumptions for the problem to be solved." Note that pressing the New button 1412 assigns a case number 1416, enables the first re-display area 1432, second re-display area 1434, and third re-display area 1436 to be displayed, and enables input into the assumption input area 1402.

Step S2123: When the temporary save button 1413 is pressed, the organizer's terminal 102 sends the assumption entered in the assumption input field 1420 to the server 101 along with the case number 1416, the organizer's username (who created it), and the creation date.

Step S2124: The server 101 associates the assumption, the case number 1416, the username of the organizer who created it, and the creation date, and stores them in the storage device 202.

Step S2125: When the Next Step button 1414 is pressed, the host's terminal 102 sends a screen transition request to the server 101 regarding the display information for the next step, "Setting the discussion partner" in medium item 4-1. At this time, the assumption, case number 1416, the user name of the host who created the item, and the creation date are also sent along with the request.

Step S2126: The server 101 associates the discussion, case number 1416, the username of the organizer who created it, and the creation date sent in step S2125 and stores them in the storage device 202.

Step S2127: When the server 101 receives a screen transition request for the display information of the next step, "Discussion Partner Settings" for medium item 4-1, due to the pressing of the Next Step button 1414, it references the case number 1416 to identify that the next step is medium item 4-1, and sends the display information for that next step to the host's terminal 102.

Step S2128: When the organizer's terminal 102 receives the display information for the next step in step S2127, it uses that display information to display the display screen 1500, which includes the next step, medium item 4-1, "Setting discussion partners." Note that pressing the New button 1512 assigns a case number 1516, makes the affiliation pull-down 1521 and name pull-down 1522 selectable in the participant registration area 1520, and enables input into the comment input area 1530 and conference setting area 1540.

Step S2129: When the temporary save button 1513 or the participation request button 1514 is pressed, the organizer's terminal 102 sends a participation request message along with the case number 1516 to the server 101 and proceeds to Figure 22.

Figure 22 is a sequence diagram showing example 2 of a problem exploration support sequence using the problem exploration support system 100.

Step S2201: When the server 101 receives a participation request message from the organizer's terminal 102 in step S2129, it references the case number 1516, identifies the next step as medium item 4-2, "Sharing analysis results and issues to be solved," and automatically generates a case number 1611 for that step. The server 101 transmits display information for medium item 4-2, "Sharing analysis results and issues to be solved," along with the case number 1611, to the terminals 102 of other users registered as participants in the participant registration area 1520.

The server 101 identifies the theme name, theme summary, expected time frame, comments, creation history, considerations based on analysis of the PEST information, analysis content of the PEST information, assumptions about the issues to be solved, and comments in the discussion request that were entered on the organizer's terminal 102 using the problem exploration case number included in the case number 1516. As a result, the display information for sub-item 4-2 "Sharing analysis results and issues to be solved" includes the theme name, theme summary, expected time frame, comments, creation history, considerations based on analysis of the PEST information, analysis content of the PEST information, assumptions about the issues to be solved, and comments in the discussion request that were entered on the organizer's terminal 102, as identified by the problem exploration case number included in the case number 1516.

Step S2202: The participant's device 102 displays the display screen 1600, which includes sub-item 4-2, "Sharing analysis results and issues to be solved."

Step S2203: When the participant presses the participate button 1640 or the non-participate button 1650, the participant's terminal 102 sends a participation message or non-participation message along with the case number 1611 to the server 101.

Step S2204: The server 101 sends the display information for the next step, medium item 4-3, "Discussion on the analysis results and the content of the issues to be solved," along with the case number 1611, to the terminal 102 of the participant who sent the participation message.

Step S2205: When the participant's device 102 receives the display information for the next step in step S2204, it uses that display information to display the display screen 1700, which includes sub-item 4-3, "Discussion on the analysis results and the content of the problem to be solved."

Step S2206: The participant's terminal 102 sends the comment information entered into the content word maps 1721-1723 by the participant's operation, along with the case number 1611, to the server 101.

Step S2207: The server 101 updates the content word maps 1721-1723 with the comment information entered from the participant's terminal 102.

Step S2208: The server 101 forwards the comment information sent from the participant's terminal 102 along with the case number 1611 to the other participant's terminal 102.

Step S2209: The other participants' terminals 102 update the content word maps 1721-1723 with the comment information entered from the participants' terminals 102 and display them on the screen. The conference then begins.

Step S2210: The organizer's terminal 102 displays the display screen 2000 including the medium items 4-3 and 4-4 shown in FIG. 20. Specifically, for example, the organizer's terminal 102 accesses the server 101 and logs in after the date and time of the conference. The server 101 determines whether the login date and time has passed the date and time of the conference set by the organizer.

If the time has passed, the server 101 transmits to the organizer's terminal 102 the display information for the next step of item 4-2, case number 1611, before the meeting was held, which is item 4-3, "Discussion on the analysis results and the content of the issues to be solved," and item 4-4, "Decision on the issues to be solved." As a result, the display screen 2000 shown in FIG. 20 is displayed on the organizer's terminal 102.

Note that by pressing the New button 2012, a case number 2016 is assigned, and the discussion memo input area 2002 and the issue input area 2003 become available for input.

Step S2211: When the temporary save button 2013 or the registration button 2014 is pressed, the organizer's terminal 102 sends the discussion notes entered in the discussion note input area 2002 and the assignment entered in the assignment input area 2003 to the server 101, along with the case number 2016, the organizer's username as creator, and the creation date. If the registration button 2014 is pressed, processing on the organizer's terminal 102 ends.

Step S2212: The server 101 associates the discussion notes, issue, case number 2016, the username of the organizer who created them, and the creation date sent in step S2211, and stores them in the storage device 202. This completes processing on the server 101.

By executing this procedure between server 101 and terminal 102, problem exploration using the "problem exploration type" can be smoothly supported. Therefore, for example, in the B2B manufacturing industry, market trends and corporate VoC can be properly understood, improving product development efficiency.

The problem exploration support device described above can also be configured as follows (1) to (11).

(1) The problem exploration support device 200 is a server 101 or a terminal 102 having a processor 201 that executes a program and a storage device 202 that stores the program. The processor 201 is configured with a set of nodes that indicate content words 814 and a set of edges that connect two nodes in the set of nodes based on the relationship between the two content words 814 indicated by the two nodes. The processor 201 executes an acquisition process that acquires a content word map 1200 whose content changes under a plurality of different conditions, and an output process that, when a specific condition is accepted in the content word map 1200 acquired by the acquisition process, outputs the content word map 1200 in a displayable form based on the content under the specific condition.

If the issue exploration support device 200 is the server 101, the issue exploration support device 200 executes, as an acquisition process, a process of generating a content term map 1200 based on the content terms 814 in the search result detail list 810 saved in step S2114. Then, as an output process, the issue exploration support device 200 executes, as step S2115, a process of transmitting the generated content term map 1200 to the organizer's terminal 102 as next step display information.

If the issue exploration support device 200 is the organizer's terminal 102, the issue exploration support device 200 executes, as an acquisition process, a process of receiving next step display information including a content word map from the server 101 in step S2115. Then, as an output process, the issue exploration support device 200 executes a process of displaying the content word map included in the next step display information in the third re-display area 1436 of the display screen 1400 shown in FIG. 14.

(2) In the problem exploration support device 200 described in (1) above, the condition is a time period, and in the output process, when a specific time period is accepted in the content word map, the processor 201 outputs a content word map in a displayable manner based on the content at the specific time period.

When the problem exploration support device 200 is a server 101, the problem exploration support device 200 receives a specific time period from the organizer's terminal 102 and generates a content word map based on the content at the specific time period. Then, the problem exploration support device 200 executes, as output processing, a process of transmitting the generated content word map to the organizer's terminal 102.

When the problem exploration support device 200 is the organizer's terminal 102, when a specific time period is accepted by the organizer's operation in the displayed content word map, the problem exploration support device 200 executes, as output processing, a process of displaying a content word map based on the content at the specific time period. Note that the content word map based on the content at the specific time period may be generated on the organizer's terminal 102, or may be generated on the server 101 as described above.

(3) In the problem exploration support device 200 described in (2) above, the time period is the date and time of comment input, and the processor 201 executes an addition process in response to the input of the comment to add comment information including the comment and the input date and time to the content word map, and in the output process, when a specific time period is accepted, the processor 201 outputs the content word map in a manner that allows comments whose input date and time are before the specific time period as a result of the addition process to be displayed.

When the issue exploration support device 200 is a server 101, the issue exploration support device 200 receives comments entered on the organizer's terminal 102 from the organizer's terminal 102 and adds them to the content word map as an addition process. Then, when a specific period is accepted on the organizer's terminal 102, the issue exploration support device 200 receives the specific period from the organizer's terminal 102, generates a content word map including comments whose input date and time are before the specific period, and transmits the content word map to the participant's terminal 102 as an output process.

When the issue exploration support device 200 is the organizer's terminal 102, the issue exploration support device 200 executes, as an addition process, a process of accepting comment input and adding comment information including the comment and the input date and time to the content term map. Then, when a specific period is accepted, the issue exploration support device 200 executes, as an output process, a process of displaying comments whose input date and time are before the specific period as a result of the addition process on the content term map.

(4) In the problem exploration support device 200 described in (3) above, in the addition process, the processor 201 adds comment information by associating it with the node upon input of a comment for the node.

When the problem exploration support device 200 is a server 101, the problem exploration support device 200 receives comments on nodes entered on the organizer's terminal 102, associates the comment information with the node, and adds it to the content word map as an additional process.

When the problem exploration support device 200 is the organizer's terminal 102, when a comment on a node is input, the problem exploration support device 200 performs an additional process in which the comment information is associated with the node and added to the content word map.

(5) In the problem exploration support device 200 described in (3) above, in the adding process, the processor 201 adds the comment information by inputting a comment for the edge, in association with the edge.

When the problem exploration support device 200 is a server 101, the problem exploration support device 200 receives comments on edges entered on the organizer's terminal 102, associates the comment information with the edge, and adds it to the content word map as an additional process.

When the problem exploration support device 200 is the organizer's terminal 102, when a comment on an edge is input, the problem exploration support device 200 performs an additional process in which the comment information is associated with the edge and added to the content word map.

(6) In the problem exploration support device 200 described in (3) above, in the addition process, the processor 201 adds the comment information by inputting the comment for the comment information that was input before the addition by the addition process, in association with the comment information that was input.

When the problem exploration support device 200 is a server 101, the problem exploration support device 200 receives comments on already-entered comment information entered on the organizer's terminal 102, and performs the additional processing of associating the comment information with the already-entered comment information and adding it to the content word map.

When the problem exploration support device 200 is the organizer's terminal 102, when a comment is entered in response to previously entered comment information, the problem exploration support device 200 executes, as an additional process, a process of associating the comment information with the previously entered comment information and adding it to the content word map.

(7) In the problem exploration support device 200 described in (2) above, the time period is a date and time including the date of the meeting, and the content word map is composed of a set of nodes and a set of edges acquired at different times. In the output process, when a date and time including a specific meeting date is specified, the processor 201 outputs, in a displayable manner, a specific content word map composed of the set of nodes and the set of edges acquired up to the date and time including the specific meeting date.

When the problem exploration support device 200 is a server 101, when a date and time including a specific event date is specified on the organizer's terminal 102, the problem exploration support device 200 receives the date and time including the specific event date from the organizer's terminal 102, generates a specific content word map composed of a set of nodes and a set of edges acquired up to the date and time including the specific event date, and transmits this to the organizer's terminal 102 as output processing.

When the problem exploration support device 200 is the organizer's terminal 102, when a date and time including a specific event date is specified, the problem exploration support device 200 executes, as output processing, a process of displaying a specific content word map composed of a set of nodes and a set of edges acquired up to the date and time including the specific event date. Note that the specific content word map may be generated on the organizer's terminal 102, or may be generated on the server 101 as described above.

(8) In the problem exploration support device 200 described in (7) above, the content word map includes comments input at different times, and in the output process, when a date and time including the specific event date is specified, the processor 201 outputs a specific content word map that is configured from the set of nodes, the set of edges, and the comments acquired up to the date and time including the specific event date in a displayable manner.

When the problem exploration support device 200 is a server 101, the problem exploration support device 200 receives a date and time including a specific event date from the organizer's terminal 102, generates a specific content word map composed of a set of nodes, a set of edges, and comments acquired up to the date and time including the specific event date, and transmits the map to the organizer's terminal 102 as output processing.

When the problem exploration support device 200 is the organizer's terminal 102, when a date and time including a specific event date is specified, the problem exploration support device 200 executes, as output processing, a process of displaying a specific content word map composed of a set of nodes, a set of edges, and comments acquired up to the date and time including the specific event date. Note that the specific content word map may be generated on the organizer's terminal 102, or may be generated on the server 101 as described above.

(9) In the problem exploration support device 200 described in (7) above, the processor 201 executes a counting process that counts the number of comments entered for each of a plurality of content word maps, and a generation process that generates a counting result timeline 1710 as a graph that associates the counting results from the counting process with dates and times including the date of the meeting. In the output process, the processor 201 displays the counting result timeline 1710 generated by the generation process, and displays the specific content word map for each date and time including the date of the meeting on the counting result timeline 1710, associated with the date and time including the date of the meeting.

When the problem exploration support device 200 is a server 101, the problem exploration support device 200 executes counting processing and generation processing, transmits the counting result timeline 1710 to the terminals 102 of the organizer and participants, and executes output processing to transmit the specific content word map for each date and time, including the date of the meeting, on the counting result timeline 1710 to the terminals 102 of the organizer and participants as the next step display information of step S2204 so that the specific content word map can be displayed on the terminals 102 of the organizer and participants in association with the date and time including the date of the meeting.

When the problem exploration support device 200 is each of the organizer's and participant's terminals 102, the problem exploration support device 200 executes counting processing and generation processing, displays the counting result timeline 1710 generated by the generation processing, and executes, as output processing, a process of displaying the specific content word map for each date and time including the date of the meeting on the counting result timeline 1710 in association with the date and time including the date of the meeting. Note that the specific content word map may be generated on the organizer's terminal 102, or may be generated on the server 101 as described above.

(10) In the problem exploration support device 200 described in (1) above, the condition is the information source (in-house database group 110, external database group 120) from which the content words 814 are obtained, and in the output process, when the processor 201 receives the designation of a specific information source in the content word map, it outputs a content word map in a displayable manner, with the content words 814 obtained from the specific information source as nodes.

When the problem exploration support device 200 is a server 101, when the host's terminal 102 receives a designation of a specific information source in the content word map, the problem exploration support device 200 generates a content word map in which the content words 814 obtained from the specific information source are nodes, and transmits the content word map to the host's terminal 102 as output processing.

When the problem exploration support device 200 is the organizer's terminal 102, when the designation of a specific information source is accepted in the content word map, the problem exploration support device 200 displays a content word map in which the content words 814 acquired from the specific information source are used as nodes. Note that the content word map may be generated on the organizer's terminal 102, or may be generated on the server 101 as described above.

In this way, it is possible to switch information sources and display a content word map that corresponds to the new information source.

(11) The problem exploration support device 200 is a server 101 having a processor 201 that executes a program, a storage device 202 that stores the program, and a communication IF 205 that can communicate with a group of terminals, and is capable of accessing information sources (a group of internal databases 110, a group of external databases 120) that store a group of document data.

The processor 201 executes a first output process that outputs first screen information, which allows the user to input a theme that is estimated to include the problem to be solved and a timeframe in which the user would like to achieve the goal by solving the problem, to the terminal 102 of the conference organizer among the group of terminals. As a result, the display screen 500 is displayed on the organizer's terminal 102.

When a screen transition request is received from the first screen displayed on the host's terminal based on the first screen information, the processor 201 executes a second output process that outputs second screen information, on which search conditions for searching the information source can be entered, to the host's terminal. As a result, the display screen 600 is displayed on the host's terminal 102.

When search results are obtained by searching the information sources based on the search criteria, the processor 201 executes a generation process to generate a content word map composed of a set of nodes indicating content words 814 related to the search criteria and a set of edges connecting two nodes in the set of nodes based on the relationship between the two content words 814 indicated by the two nodes.

The processor 201 executes a third output process that outputs third screen information to the organizer's terminal, which is capable of displaying the search results and the content word map generated by the generation process, and in which a character string indicating a consideration of the search results or the content word map can be input. As a result, the display screen 900 is displayed on the organizer's terminal 102.

When a screen transition request is made by pressing the Next Step button 934 on the display screen 900 displayed on the organizer's terminal 102 based on the third screen information, the processor 201 executes a fourth output process that outputs fourth screen information, into which a character string indicating a hypothesis for the problem to be solved can be entered, to the organizer's terminal. As a result, display screen 1400 is displayed on the organizer's terminal 102.

When a screen transition request is made by pressing the next step button 1414 on the display screen 1400 displayed on the host's terminal 102 based on the fourth screen information, the processor 201 executes a fifth output process that outputs fifth screen information to the host's terminal, which allows the user to select the date, time, and participants of the meeting to discuss the problem to be solved. As a result, display screen 1500 is displayed on the host's terminal 102.

When a screen transition request is made by pressing the participation request button 1514 on the display screen 1500 displayed on the organizer's terminal 102 based on the fifth screen information, the processor 201 executes a sixth output process that outputs sixth screen information capable of displaying the content word map on the participant's terminal to the participant's terminal. As a result, display screen 1700 is displayed on the organizer's and participant's terminals 102.

When the date and time of the meeting has passed, the processor 201 executes a seventh output process that outputs seventh screen information, into which a character string indicating the task to be solved can be input, to the host's terminal. As a result, the display screen 2000 is displayed on the host's terminal 102.

In this manner, a series of display screens transition in ascending order of the medium items 402. Therefore, if no problem exists, the user can be requested to provide or obtain the information necessary for problem search, thereby appropriately supporting problem search. Furthermore, since processing up to the fifth output process is performed between the server 101 and the organizer's terminal 102, no communication regarding the target discussion occurs between the server 101 and other users' terminals 102 until then. This reduces the load on the server 101.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and includes various modifications and equivalent configurations within the spirit of the appended claims. For example, the above-described embodiments have been described in detail to clearly explain the present invention, and the present invention is not necessarily limited to configurations that include all of the described configurations. Furthermore, part of the configuration of one embodiment may be replaced with the configuration of another embodiment. Furthermore, the configuration of another embodiment may be added to the configuration of one embodiment. Furthermore, part of the configuration of each embodiment may be added to, deleted from, or replaced with other configurations.

Furthermore, the aforementioned configurations, functions, processing units, processing means, etc. may be realized in part or in whole in hardware, for example by designing them as integrated circuits, or may be realized in software by having the processor 201 interpret and execute programs that realize the respective functions.

Information such as programs, tables, and files that implement each function can be stored in storage devices such as memory, hard disks, and SSDs (Solid State Drives), or on recording media such as IC (Integrated Circuit) cards, SD cards, and DVDs (Digital Versatile Discs).

Furthermore, the control lines and information lines shown are those considered necessary for explanation, and do not necessarily represent all control lines and information lines necessary for implementation. In reality, it is safe to assume that almost all components are interconnected.

100 Problem Search Support System 101 Server 102 Terminal 103 Network 104 Online Conference System 110 In-house Database Group 120 External Database Group 200 Problem Search Support Device 201 Processor 202 Storage Device 301 Information Collection Unit 302 Information Analysis Unit 303 Information Display Unit

Claims (8)

A problem exploration support device having a processor that executes a program and a storage device that stores the program,
The processor:
An acquisition process for acquiring an undirected graph consisting of a set of nodes indicating content words retrieved from a document data group related to the search for a problem to be solved , a set of edges connecting two nodes in the set of nodes based on the relationship between the two content words indicated by the two nodes, and comment information which is a comment and the input date and time of the comment ;
an output process for displayably outputting , when the time period is accepted, a specific comment whose input date and time is before the time period in the undirected graph ;
A problem exploration support device characterized by executing the above. 2. The problem exploration support device according to claim 1,
the set of nodes includes a node having the comment information;
In the output process, the undirected graph in which the specific comment is associated with a specific node having the specific comment is output in a displayable manner.
A problem exploration support device characterized by: 2. The problem exploration support device according to claim 1,
the set of edges includes an edge having the comment information;
In the output process, the undirected graph in which the specific comment is associated with a specific edge having the specific comment is output in a displayable manner.
A problem exploration support device characterized by: 2. The problem exploration support device according to claim 1,
In the output process, the processor, upon input of the specific comment for the comment information, outputs the undirected graph in a displayable manner, in which the comment information is associated with the specific comment and specific comment information that is the input date and time of the specific comment.
A problem exploration support device characterized by: 2. The problem exploration support device according to claim 1,
the specific time period is a date and time including the date of the meeting,
the undirected graph is configured by a set of the nodes and a set of the edges acquired at different times,
In the output process, when a date and time including a specific event date is specified, the processor outputs, in a displayable manner, a specific undirected graph configured by the set of nodes and the set of edges acquired up to the date and time including the specific event date.
A problem exploration support device characterized by: 6. The problem exploration support device according to claim 5,
The undirected graph includes comments input at different times,
In the output process, when a date and time including the specific event date is specified, the processor outputs a specific undirected graph configured by the set of nodes, the set of edges, and the comments acquired up to the date and time including the specific event date in a displayable manner.
A problem exploration support device characterized by: 7. The problem exploration support device according to claim 6,
The processor:
a counting process for counting the number of comments input for each of the plurality of undirected graphs;
a generation process for generating a graph that associates the counting results of the counting process with dates and times including the dates on which the conferences are held;
In the output process, the processor outputs the graph generated by the generation process in a displayable manner, and also outputs the specific undirected graph for each date and time on the graph that includes the date of the conference in association with the date and time that includes the date of the conference in a displayable manner.
A problem exploration support device characterized by: A problem exploration support method executed by a problem exploration support device having a processor that executes a program and a storage device that stores the program,
The processor:
An acquisition process for acquiring an undirected graph consisting of a set of nodes indicating content words retrieved from a document data group related to the search for a problem to be solved, a set of edges connecting two nodes in the set of nodes based on the relationship between the two content words indicated by the two nodes, and comment information which is a comment and the input date and time of the comment;
an output process for displayably outputting, when the time period is accepted, a specific comment whose input date and time is before the time period in the undirected graph;
A problem exploration support method characterized by executing the above.