Methods, apparatus and data structures for providing a user interface which facilitates decision making

Abstract

A user interface for facilitating a decision making process, such as planning a trip. A unified view of various types of information related to an event may be provided. The unified view may be presented in a simulated three-dimensional environment having different types of information depicted on different windows. Different types of information related to a common event may be visually linked. A window showing a articular type of information may be brought into a focus view for closer inspection by a user. Alternative decisions may be depicted to permit vagueness or uncertainty, particularly at early iterations in the decision making process.

Description

§ 1. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001]§ 1.1 Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention concerns a user interface which facilitates a decision making process, for example, for planning a trip. In particular, the present invention concerns a user interface that visually links related information rendered in multiple windows. Alternative choices may be visually depicted. [0003]§ 1.2 Related Art [0004]§ 1.2.1 The Problem of Decision Making and Planning [0005] Over the past few decades, two trends have permitted computer users to access a wealth of data and information. The first trend was the explosion in the amount of relatively inexpensive data storage means. The second trend was the increasing interconnection of computers, first by local area networks (or “LANs”), and more recently by wide area networks (or “WANs”) which may be private, such as intranets for example, or public, such as the Internet for example. Both of these trends are expected to continue. [0006] Although ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0021] The present invention may further provide a graphical user interface in which the relationship between information in various windows is visually depicted, for example using color and colored rays. The colored rays may be translucent so that they do not occlude any information “behind” them.

[0022] The present invention may simulate a three dimensional environment including different windows or planes having the different types of information. The windows or planes may be related to one another as surfaces of a folded paper, or as facets of a geometric object that are connected with one another. The present invention may permit any plane or window to be brought into a normal, head on, view (referred to as “focus view”) and depicted at a centered position on the display. In this regard, the present invention may permit the user to navi

Problems solved by technology

Although computer users now can access a wealth of data and information, challenges in interpreting data and using data and information to complete tasks remain.

However, many tasks involve making decisions based on a number of factors (or choices) and are subject to initial uncertainty or vagueness.

Choices in a group of factors may limit choices in that group or another group.

Unfortunately, the GUIs discussed in the Explorer and VICKI articles are two dimensional and depict data related to various factors in the same way.

Therefore, it is believed that these GUIs are not as useful when various types of data or information are best depicted in different ways.

Unfortunately, as with the GUIs discussed in the Attribute Explorer and VICKI articles, the GUI discussed in the Influence Explorer article is one dimensional and depicts data related to

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