Idea generation facilitation device and method

Abstract

To provide a technology which can quantify a ripeness situation of brain writing or an idea generation process similar thereto, and promote advance of the idea generation process.SOLUTION: An idea generation facilitation device: calculates a similarity degree between an idea of a former person and an added idea; shows a ripeness situation of the idea generation process as a parameter by using progress information of the idea generation process and the similarity degree; and outputs facilitation information corresponding to the parameter.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a technique for supporting idea creation. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, it has become important for businesses to generate high-quality ideas that will create innovative value and bring about innovation in the world. Common methods for generating ideas include Osborn's checklist, mind mapping, and brainwriting.

[0003] Brainwriting is a method in which a paper is prepared on which a theme for generating ideas and related ideas are written, and the paper is passed around among multiple participants in turn, with participants referring to the ideas written by the previous person and adding ideas that have been polished up. In brainwriting, the theme for generating ideas is written on the first line of the paper. The first participant writes a certain number of ideas (for example, 3 to 4) related to the theme, one in each column of the second line, and passes the paper to the second person. The second and subsequent participants refer to the ideas written by the previous person and write more developed ideas in each column of the next line, and pass the paper to the next person. By repeating this process, better ideas are created that take into account the ideas of all the participants. Patent Document 1 describes a method for generating ideas using brainwriting. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2021-157509 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Patent Document 1 describes a device and method that allows participants in brainwriting to refer to and create ideas online. This allows participants to create ideas through brainwriting even if they are not physically close to each other. In addition, since there is no need to pass around paper between participants, there is no need for participants to meet at a set time, and participants can participate in brainwriting at a time that is convenient for them. On the other hand, it is considered to be more difficult to sense the progress of idea generation from the atmosphere of the room and to grasp how refined the ideas have become, compared to when participants gather together to conduct brainwriting. Thus, in order to effectively conduct brainwriting online, appropriate facilitation is required.

[0006] Patent Document 1 describes the basic functions of online brainwriting, but does not describe quantifying the maturity of brainwriting.It also does not describe the function of facilitating brainwriting (promoting the progress of the idea creation process).

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a technique that can quantify the maturity of brainwriting or similar idea creation processes and can promote the progress of the idea creation process. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The idea creation facilitation device of the present invention calculates the similarity between the previous person's idea and an added idea, represents the maturity state of the idea creation process as a parameter using progress information of the idea creation process and the similarity, and outputs facilitation information corresponding to the parameter. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the idea creation facilitation device of the present invention, it is possible to quantify the maturity of brainwriting or a similar idea creation process and to promote the progress of the idea creation process. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 shows an example of a hardware configuration of an idea creation facilitation device 100 according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of an idea creation facilitation device 100. [Diagram 3] 13 shows an example of data of brainwriting progress information 208. [Figure 4] An example of data of the idea generation situation determination result 209 is shown. [Diagram 5] 13 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the idea similarity calculation unit 201. [Figure 6] 13 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the idea generation status determination unit 202. [Figure 7] 13 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the facilitation information output unit 203. [Figure 8] 8 shows an example of the facilitation information output screen 801 displayed by the facilitation information output unit 203 in S703, S705, and S707. [Figure 9] 8 shows an example of the facilitation information output screen 801 displayed by the facilitation information output unit 203 in S703, S705, and S707. [Figure 10] FIG. 11 is a functional block diagram of an idea creation facilitation device 100 in embodiment 3. [Figure 11] 2 shows an example of data of the idea generation situation determination condition table 211. [Figure 12] 13 shows an example of data in the facilitation information creation condition table 212. [Figure 13] 13 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the idea generation status determination unit 202 in the third embodiment. [Figure 14] 13 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the facilitation information output unit 203. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] <Embodiment 1> 1 shows an example of a hardware configuration of an idea creation facilitation device 100 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The idea creation facilitation device 100 is an information processing device (computer) used in the development and maintenance of a software system. The idea creation facilitation device 100 may be realized virtually as a cloud server provided by a cloud system.

[0012] 1, the idea creation facilitation device 100 includes a processor 101, a main memory device 102, an auxiliary memory device 103, an input device 104, an output device 105, and a communication device 106. These are connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other via a communication means such as a bus (not shown).

[0013] The processor 101 is configured using, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or an MPU (Micro Processing Unit). The processor 101 reads and executes a program stored in the main memory device 102, thereby realizing various functions of the idea creation facilitation device 100. The main memory device 102 is a device that stores programs and data, and is, for example, a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a non-volatile semiconductor memory (NVRAM (Non Volatile RAM)), etc.

[0014] The auxiliary storage device 103 is, for example, a hard disk drive, an SSD (Solid State Drive), an optical storage device (CD (Compact Disc), DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), etc.), a storage system, an IC card, a read / write device for a recording medium such as an SD memory card or an optical recording medium, a storage area of ​​a cloud server, etc. The programs and data stored in the auxiliary storage device 103 are loaded into the main storage device 102 as needed.

[0015] The input device 104 is, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, a touch panel, a card reader, a voice input device, etc. The output device 105 is a user interface that provides the user with various information such as the progress and results of processing, and is, for example, a screen display device (liquid crystal monitor, LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), graphic card, etc.), a voice output device (speaker, etc.), a printer, etc. For example, the idea creation facilitation device 100 may be configured to input and output information to and from other devices via the communication device 106.

[0016] The communication device 106 is a wired or wireless communication interface that realizes communication with other devices via a communication means such as a LAN or the Internet, and examples thereof include a NIC (Network Interface Card), a wireless communication module, a USB (Universal Serial Interface) module, and a serial communication module.

[0017] 2 is a functional block diagram of the idea creation facilitation device 100. The idea creation facilitation device 100 includes an idea similarity calculation unit 201, an idea submission status determination unit 202, a facilitation information output unit 203, and an information storage unit 204. These functions are realized, for example, by the processor 101 reading and executing a program stored in the main storage device 102 or the auxiliary storage device 103. These functions may be realized, for example, by hardware (such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit)) included in the idea creation facilitation device 100.

[0018] The information storage unit 204 stores the added idea 205, the previous person's idea 206, idea similarity information 207, brainwriting progress information 208, idea generation status determination result 209, and facilitation information 210 in the auxiliary storage device 103. In addition to these pieces of information, the information storage unit 204 stores information appropriately referenced or generated by the idea similarity calculation unit 201, the idea generation status determination unit 202, and the facilitation information output unit 203. The information storage unit 204 manages the information stored in the auxiliary storage device 103 by, for example, a file system or a DBMS (DataBase Management System).

[0019] The idea similarity calculation unit 201 reads an added idea 205 and a previous person's idea 206 from the information storage unit 204, creates idea similarity information 207, and stores it in the information storage unit 204. The idea generation status determination unit 202 reads the idea similarity information 207 and brainwriting progress information 208 from the information storage unit 204, creates an idea generation status determination result 209, and stores it in the information storage unit 204. The facilitation information output unit 203 reads the idea generation status determination result 209 from the information storage unit 204, creates facilitation information 210, stores it in the information storage unit 204, and outputs it to the output device 105.

[0020] FIG. 3 shows an example of data of the brainwriting progress information 208. The brainwriting progress information 208 is information about the current progress of brainwriting that is used when the idea generation status determination unit 202 creates the idea generation status determination result 209. The brainwriting progress information 208 is a list of pairs of viewpoints 301 and values ​​302. The viewpoint 301 describes a viewpoint about the progress of brainwriting, and the value 302 describes a specific value corresponding to the viewpoint. The viewpoint 301 includes, for example, a number 303 indicating the number of people who are currently submitting an idea, a number of weeks 304 indicating how many times the participant who is currently submitting an idea has brushed up on the idea, and a deadline 305 indicating the deadline for brainwriting. Note that these are examples of the viewpoint 301, and other viewpoints may be used as the viewpoint 301 as long as they are information that can be used to create the idea generation status determination result 209.

[0021] FIG. 4 shows an example of data of the idea generation status determination result 209. The idea generation status determination result 209 is data created by the idea generation status determination unit 202. The idea generation status determination result 209 is recorded information indicating how far idea generation has progressed, which is used when the facilitation information output unit 203 creates the facilitation information 210. The idea generation status determination result 209 is composed of a list of pairs of viewpoints 401 and values ​​402. The viewpoint 401 describes a viewpoint regarding how far idea generation has progressed, and the value 402 describes a specific value corresponding to the viewpoint. The viewpoint 401 includes a time lapse 403 indicating how much time has passed since the start of idea generation, a convergence status 404 indicating whether the ideas are converging or diverging, and a degree 405 indicating the degree of the convergence status. Note that these are just examples of perspectives 401, and as long as the information can be used to create the facilitation information 210, the idea-generating status determination section 202 may create idea-generating status determination results 209 that include perspectives other than these, and use them as perspectives 401.

[0022] Fig. 5 is a flow chart for explaining the operation of the idea similarity calculation unit 201. Each step in Fig. 5 will be explained below.

[0023] (FIG. 5: Step S501) The idea similarity calculation unit 201 reads the added idea 205 and the previous person's idea 206 from the information storage unit 204. The added idea 205 and the previous person's idea 206 are stored in advance in the information storage unit 204 by the user using the input device 104, the communication device 106, or the like. Alternatively, the user may store the added idea 205 and the previous person's idea 206 in a location accessible to the idea creation facilitation device 100 in advance, input the location to the idea similarity calculation unit 201, and the idea similarity calculation unit 201 may access the specified location. Alternatively, when a participant accesses the idea creation facilitation device 100 to input an idea, the input idea itself may be read.

[0024] (FIG. 5: Steps S502 to S504) The idea similarity calculation unit 201 calculates the similarity between the added idea 205 and the previous person's idea 206 by the following procedure. First, the added idea 205 and the previous person's idea 206 are vectorized (S502). As a vectorization method, a commonly known TF-IDF (Term Frequency-Inverse Document Frequency) or a method using distributed representation of text data may be adopted. Next, a cosine similarity between the vector corresponding to the added idea 205 and the vector corresponding to the previous person's idea 206 is obtained (S503). An algorithm other than the cosine similarity may be used as the similarity calculation algorithm. Next, the obtained cosine similarity is stored in the information storage unit 204 as idea similarity information 207 (S504).

[0025] Fig. 6 is a flow chart for explaining the operation of the idea generation status determination unit 202. Each step in Fig. 6 will be explained below.

[0026] (Figure 6: Step S601) The idea-throwing status determination unit 202 reads the idea similarity information 207 and the brainwriting progress information 208 from the information storage unit 204. The brainwriting progress information 208 is stored in advance in the information storage unit 204 by the user using the input device 104, the communication device 106, or the like. Alternatively, the user may store the brainwriting progress information 208 in advance in a location accessible to the idea creation facilitation device 100, and the user may input the location to the idea-throwing status determination unit 202, which may then access the specified location. The number of participants 303 and the number of weeks 304 may be determined by the idea-throwing status determination unit 202 itself by acquiring all ideas already input by the participants (i.e., the user does not need to input them separately).

[0027] (Figure 6: Steps S602 to S604) The idea generation status determination unit 202 calculates the time lapse 403. First, the value 302 corresponding to the number 303 of the brainwriting progress information 208 is obtained, and it is determined whether the value 302 is smaller than a predetermined threshold, for example, 5 (S602). If the determination result is YES, the value 402 of the time lapse 403 is set to "early" (S603). If the determination result is NO, the value 402 of the time lapse 403 is set to "late" (S604).

[0028] (Figure 6: Step S606) The idea generation status determination unit 202 calculates the degree 405. For example, a value obtained by subtracting the similarity stored as the idea similarity information 207 from a predetermined threshold, for example, 0.5, is set as the value 402 of the degree 405.

[0029] (Figure 6: Steps S607 to S609) The idea generation status determination unit 202 calculates the convergence status 404. First, it is determined whether the degree 405 is greater than 0 (S607). If the determination result is YES, it sets the value 402 of the convergence status 404 to "divergence" (S608). If the determination result is NO, it sets the value 402 of the convergence status 404 to "convergence" (S609).

[0030] (Figure 6: Step S610) The idea generation status determination unit 202 stores the calculated time lapse 403 , convergence status 404 , and degree 405 as an idea generation status determination result 209 in the information storage unit 204 .

[0031] Fig. 7 is a flow chart for explaining the operation of the facilitation information output unit 203. Each step in Fig. 7 will be explained below.

[0032] (FIG. 7: Steps S701 to S703) The facilitation information output unit 203 reads the idea generation status determination result 209 from the information storage unit 204 (S701). The facilitation information output unit 203 determines whether the time elapsed 403 is "later stage", the convergence status 404 is "convergence", and the degree 405 is a predetermined threshold, for example, -0.3 or less (S702). If the determination result is YES, it is determined that the ideas have converged, so the facilitation information 210 recommending the end of idea generation is created and displayed on the facilitation information output screen 801 (S703), and the process ends. If the determination result is NO, the process proceeds to the next process.

[0033] (FIG. 7: Steps S704 to S705) The facilitation information output unit 203 judges whether the convergence status 404 is "convergence" and the degree 405 is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold, for example, -0.3 (S704). If the judgement result is YES, the facilitation information 210 is created recommending that the idea be changed since it is too similar to the previous person's idea, and is displayed on the facilitation information output screen 801 (S705), and the process ends. If the judgement result is NO, the process proceeds to the next step.

[0034] (FIG. 7: Steps S706 to S707) The facilitation information output unit 203 judges whether the convergence status 404 is "divergence" and the degree 405 is a predetermined threshold, for example, 0.3 or more (S706). If the judgment result is YES, the facilitation information 210 is created recommending that the idea of ​​the previous person be associated with the idea of ​​the previous person because the idea is too different from that of the previous person, and is displayed on the facilitation information output screen 801 (S707), and the process ends. If the judgment result is NO, the process ends.

[0035] (FIG. 7: Steps S702 to S707: Supplementary Note) 7, it has been described that facilitation information is selected depending on whether the degree is equal to or lower than a threshold (S702, S704) or whether the degree is equal to or higher than a threshold (S706). This threshold may be divided into more detailed categories, and different facilitation information may be output depending on the range of the threshold. For example, if the degree is extremely low in S704, a message may be output to the effect that the idea is extremely similar to the previous person's idea (not simply too similar, but very similar).

[0036] 8 shows an example of a facilitation information output screen 801 displayed by the facilitation information output unit 203 in S703, S705, and S707. The facilitation information output screen 801 has an idea registration field 802 and a facilitation information field 803.

[0037] The idea registration section 802 has a predetermined number of columns (for example, three) for a predetermined idea generation theme, and participants can enter ideas in each of the columns.

[0038] The facilitation information column 803 displays, for each column in the idea registration column 802, the facilitation information 210 created through processing by the idea similarity calculation section 201, the idea submission status determination section 202, and the facilitation information output section 203, with the idea 205 added to the idea submitted by the last person and the idea immediately before that as the previous person's idea 206.

[0039] By checking the facilitation information 210, the participants in the brainwriting can check the progress of the brainwriting and can also determine how they should proceed with generating ideas in the future.

[0040] <Embodiment 2> In the second embodiment of the present invention, an example will be described in which the time change of the degree 405 is displayed as a graph on the facilitation information output screen 801 described in the first embodiment. The other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

[0041] 9 shows an example of the facilitation information output screen 801 displayed by the facilitation information output unit 203 in S703, S705, and S707. The facilitation information output screen 801 has an idea registration field 802 and a convergence / divergence degree transition graph 901.

[0042] The convergence / divergence degree trend graph 901 displays, as a line graph, the trend of the degree 405 calculated through processing by the idea similarity calculation unit 201 and the idea generation status determination unit 202, for each column of the idea registration field 802, with the idea 205 to which the N+1th idea has been added and the Nth idea as the previous person's idea 206.

[0043] By checking the convergence / divergence degree transition graph 901, participants in brainwriting can check how much ideas have progressed at what point in brainwriting, at what point they were stuck on generating ideas, or whether the ideas have sufficiently diverged or converged, etc. In other words, the transition of the degree 405 can also be used as facilitation information.

[0044] <Embodiment 3> In the third embodiment of the present invention, a configuration example with extensibility will be described by extracting the judgment logic of the idea generation status judgment unit 202 in the first embodiment as an idea generation status judgment condition table 211, and extracting the output logic of the facilitation information output unit 203 as a facilitation information creation condition table 212. The other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

[0045] 10 is a functional block diagram of the idea creation facilitation device 100 in the present embodiment 3. In addition to the configuration described in the embodiment 1, the information storage unit 204 stores an idea generation status determination condition table 211 and a facilitation information creation condition table 212. These tables are configured so that the user of the idea creation facilitation device 100 can rewrite them.

[0046] 11 shows an example of data in the idea generation status determination condition table 211. The idea generation status determination condition table 211 records information that defines the determination logic used when the idea generation status determination unit 202 creates the idea generation status determination result 209. The idea generation status determination condition table 211 is made up of a list of data including a viewpoint 1101, a data type 1102, a value 1103, and a condition 1104. The viewpoint 1101 describes the viewpoint 401 of the idea generation status determination result 209, and a corresponding data type 1102 is determined for each viewpoint. The data type 1102 includes an enumeration type that can take a predetermined finite number of values, and a numeric type that can take a numeric value. Other data types may be set for the data type 1102.

[0047] A viewpoint 1101 whose data type 1102 is an enumerated type has values ​​1103 that the viewpoint 1101 can take written in multiple lines. The idea generation status determination condition table 211 writes, for each line, what condition 1104 must be satisfied for the viewpoint 1103 to be taken. For each viewpoint 1101, the conditions 1104 are written exclusively and comprehensively, so that only one of them is always true. Instead of the conditions 1104 being exclusive, if there are multiple conditions 1104 that are true, the first one written may be adopted, so that the conditions 1104 are treated as being virtually exclusive. Alternatively, a condition 1104 such as "other" may be written in the last line, so that the conditions are treated as being virtually comprehensive.

[0048] A viewpoint 1101 whose data type 1102 is a numeric type corresponds to one row, its value 1103 is entered as "-", and a formula for calculating the value 1103 of the viewpoint 1101 is entered in the condition 1104.

[0049] The user can also add a record to the idea generation status determination condition table 211. The first to third lines in FIG. 11 correspond to S602, S607, and S606 described in FIG. 6, respectively. The fourth line in FIG. 11 is a newly added record. As a result, when the idea generation status determination unit 202 executes the flowchart in FIG. 6, a new parameter called "circulation degree" is calculated as a parameter representing the maturity state of the idea creation process. How to use the calculated "circulation degree" needs to be defined separately, for example, as a new record in the facilitation information creation condition table 212.

[0050] 12 shows an example of data in the facilitation information creation condition table 212. The facilitation information creation condition table 212 records information that defines the judgment logic used when the facilitation information output unit 203 creates and displays the facilitation information 210. The facilitation information creation condition table 212 is made up of a list of data including conditions 1201 and facilitation information 1202. Furthermore, the conditions 1201 are made up of multiple columns corresponding to the viewpoints 401 of the idea generation status judgment results 209. Each row of the facilitation information creation condition table 212 describes what kind of facilitation information 1202 should be output when what condition 1201 is satisfied.

[0051] In the condition 1201 column, an expression expressing the range of the value 402 of each viewpoint 401 is described.

[0052] In the case of an enumerated viewpoint 401, either the values ​​402 that the viewpoint 401 can take are written as is, or the symbol "!" indicating negation is written at the beginning of the values. When the values ​​402 are written as is, it is considered that the conditions for the viewpoint 401 are met when the value 402 of the viewpoint 401 is the written value 402. When the symbol "!" indicating negation is written at the beginning of the value 402, it is considered that the conditions for the viewpoint 401 are met when the value 402 of the viewpoint 401 is different from the written value 402.

[0053] In the case of a numeric viewpoint 401, one of the symbols "<", ">", "<=", ">=", "=", or "!=" is written at the beginning of a value 402 that the viewpoint 401 can take. In the case of a numeric viewpoint 401, it is considered that the condition related to the viewpoint 401 is satisfied when a formula is formed by connecting the beginning of the written expression with the value 402 of the corresponding viewpoint 401.

[0054] For each row of the facilitation information creation condition table 212, when the condition relating to all viewpoints 401 included in the condition 1201 is satisfied, the row is considered to satisfy the condition 1201.

[0055] The facilitation information 1202 column describes the facilitation information 210 that should be displayed when the row satisfies the condition 1201 .

[0056] The conditions defined in each row of the facilitation information creation condition table 212 are applied in order from the smallest row number. For example, it is first determined whether the condition in the first row of Fig. 12 is satisfied, and if it is satisfied, the facilitation information 1202 in the first row is output. If it is not satisfied, the second and subsequent rows are similarly determined.

[0057] The fourth line in Fig. 12 is a new condition added in correspondence with the fourth line in Fig. 11. If none of the conditions in the first to third lines in Fig. 12 are met, it is further determined whether the condition in the fourth line (whether the circulation parameter is "high") is met. If met, the facilitation information 1202 in the fourth line is output.

[0058] Fig. 13 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the idea generation status determination unit 202 in the embodiment 3. Each step in Fig. 13 will be explained below.

[0059] (FIG. 13: Step S1301) The idea generation status determination unit 202 reads the idea similarity information 207 , the brainwriting progress information 208 , and the idea generation status determination condition table 211 from the information storage unit 204 .

[0060] (FIG. 13: Steps S1302 to S1309) The idea generation status determination section 202 performs S1303 to S1308 for all the viewpoints 1101 in the idea generation status determination condition table 211 (the variable on the flowchart is viewpoint V).

[0061] (FIG. 13: Steps S1303 to S1304) The idea generation status determination unit 202 determines whether the data type 1102 is an enumeration type (S1303). If the data type 1102 is not an enumeration type (S1303: No), the value obtained by the formula described in the condition 1104 is set as the value 402 of the viewpoint 1101 (S1304), and the process proceeds to step S1309.

[0062] (FIG. 13: Steps S1305 to S1308) If the data type 1102 is an enumeration type (S1303: Yes), steps S1305 to S1308 are carried out for all rows corresponding to that viewpoint 1101. First, it is determined whether the condition 1104 is true (S1306). If it is true, the value written in the value 1103 is set as the value 402 of that viewpoint 1101 (S1307), and the process proceeds to step S1309. If it is not true, the loop process is repeated until the final row is reached (S1308).

[0063] (FIG. 13: Step S1310) The idea generation status determination unit 202 creates all the values ​​402 calculated for each viewpoint 1101 as an idea generation status determination result 209 , and stores it in the information storage unit 204 .

[0064] Fig. 14 is a flowchart explaining the operation of the facilitation information output unit 203. Each step in Fig. 14 will be explained below.

[0065] (FIG. 14: Step S1401) The facilitation information output unit 203 reads the idea generation status determination result 209 and the facilitation information creation condition table 212 from the information storage unit 204 .

[0066] (FIG. 14: Steps S1402 to S1405) The facilitation information output unit 203 performs S1403 to S1404 for all rows of the facilitation information creation condition table 212.

[0067] (FIG. 14: Steps S1402 to S1404) The facilitation information output unit 203 first determines whether the condition 1201 written on that line is satisfied (S1403). If the condition 1201 is satisfied, the facilitation information output unit 203 displays the corresponding facilitation information 210 on the facilitation information output screen 801, recommends an appropriate action (S1404), and ends the process. If the condition 1201 is not satisfied, the process proceeds to the next line, and the loop process is repeated until the final line is reached (S1405).

[0068] According to the idea generation facilitation device 100 of the third embodiment, by using the idea generation status determination condition table 211 and the facilitation information creation condition table 212, it is possible to output appropriate facilitation information adapted to various conditions in brainwriting.

[0069] <Modifications of the present invention> The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and includes various modified examples. For example, the above-described embodiment has been described in detail to clearly explain the present invention, and it is not necessary to include all of the configurations described. In addition, a part of an embodiment can be replaced with a configuration of another embodiment. In addition, a configuration of another embodiment can be added to a configuration of an embodiment. In addition, a part of the configuration of each embodiment can be added to, deleted from, or replaced with a part of the configuration of another embodiment.

[0070] In the above embodiment, the similarity calculation method in the flowchart of FIG. 5 is just one example, and other similarity calculation methods may be adopted.

[0071] In the above embodiment, the method of calculating time passage 403 in the flowchart of Fig. 6 is just one example, and other methods of calculating time passage 403 may be used. Furthermore, the method of calculating degree 405 in the flowchart of Fig. 6 is just one example, and other methods of calculating degree 405 may be used. Furthermore, the method of calculating convergence status 404 in the flowchart of Fig. 6 is just one example, and other methods of calculating convergence status 404 may be used.

[0072] 6 has been described as calculating the time passage 403, the convergence state 404, and the degree 405, and outputting them as the idea generation status determination result 209. Values ​​may be found for other perspectives and included in the perspective 401 and value 402 of the output idea generation status determination result 209. In this case, if there is information necessary for calculating the added perspective 401 and value 402, it may be included in advance as the perspective 301 and value 302 of the brainwriting progress information 208.

[0073] In the above embodiment, it has been described that the idea generation status determination unit 202 determines the maturity status of the idea creation process according to the procedure in Fig. 6. The values ​​representing the maturity status such as "early", "late", "convergence", and "divergence" in Fig. 6 are only examples, and the maturity status does not necessarily have to be represented by such character string information. For example, the elapsed time can be represented by a numerical value, and the convergence status can also be represented by a numerical value. Alternatively, information equivalent to these character strings may be represented by a numerical parameter. For example, the numerical value 0 may represent "early", and the numerical value 1 may represent "late".

[0074] In the third embodiment, it has been explained that the idea generation status determination condition table 211 and the facilitation information creation condition table 212 can be rewritten by the user. Rewriting here includes not only changing the conditions themselves, but also adding or deleting conditions. For example, when a record is added to the facilitation information creation condition table 212 (i.e., when a new condition is defined), a new condition determination is added in addition to S702, S704, and S706 in Fig. 7, and facilitation information to be output when the condition is met is defined. When a record is deleted from the facilitation information creation condition table 212, the condition determination and facilitation information corresponding to that record are deleted from S702, S704, and S706 in Fig. 7.

[0075] In the third embodiment, it has been explained that the user can rewrite the condition 1104 (FIG. 11) and the condition 1201 (FIG. 12). These conditions can define the conditional expressions themselves, or can define references to functions or modules that define logic for determining the conditions. For example, it is possible to define the name of a module that describes the process for determining whether the convergence state is "divergence" or "convergence."

[0076] In the above embodiment, the facilitation information may be information in any format other than the message format. For example, data describing information similar to the messages described in the above embodiment may be output in any format. Alternatively, the parameters (elapsed time, degree, convergence status, etc.) used by the idea generation status determination unit to determine the maturity status of the idea generation process may be output as the facilitation information.

[0077] In the above embodiment, brainwriting has been described as an example of an idea creation process, but the present invention can be applied to other idea creation processes. That is, the present invention can be applied to an idea creation process in which a participant provides an idea, and the next participant provides an additional idea to that idea, and the process is repeated. [Explanation of symbols]

[0078] 100 Idea Creation Facilitation Device 101 Processor 102 Main storage 103 Auxiliary storage device 104 Input Devices 105 Output Device 106 Communication Equipment 201 Idea Similarity Calculation Department 202 Idea Generation Status Judgment Section 203 Facilitation information output section 204 Information storage section 205 Added Ideas 206 previous ideas 207 Idea Similarity Information 208 Brainwriting Progress Information 209 Idea Generation Status Assessment Results 210 Facilitation Information 211 Idea generation situation judgment condition table 212 Facilitation information creation condition table 301 Viewpoint 302 Value 303 How many people? 304 Week 305 Deadline 401 Viewpoint 402 Value 403 Time has passed 404 Convergence Status 405 degrees 801 Facilitation information output screen 802 Idea registration section 803 Facilitation Information Column 901 Convergence / divergence degree transition graph 1101 Viewpoint 1102 Data Types 1103 Value 1104 Condition 1201 Condition 1202 Facilitation Information

Claims

1. An idea creation facilitation device that supports an idea creation process, a similarity calculation unit that calculates a similarity between a first idea provided by a first participant and a second idea added by a second participant to the first idea; a status determination unit that determines a maturity status of the idea creation process by using progress information indicating a progress of the idea creation process and the similarity; a facilitation information output unit that outputs facilitation information for promoting the progress of the idea creation process based on the maturity status; Equipped with the status determination unit expresses the maturity status by parameters using the progress information and the similarity; The facilitation information output unit identifies the facilitation information corresponding to the maturity status based on the maturity status represented by the parameters, The facilitation information output unit outputs the specified facilitation information. An idea creation facilitation device characterized by the above.

2. the similarity calculation unit obtains a first vector obtained by vectorizing the first idea and a second vector obtained by vectorizing the second idea, The similarity calculation unit calculates the similarity between the first idea and the second idea by calculating a vector similarity between the first vector and the second vector.

2. The idea creation facilitation device according to claim 1,

3. The idea creation process is configured to proceed by repeatedly passing on the ideas provided by each participant to the next participant, The progress information describes a number indicating how many participants the idea creation process has progressed to, the status determination unit estimates an elapsed time of the idea creation process according to the number described in the progress information; The facilitation information output unit uses the elapsed time in addition to the maturity state represented by the parameters to identify the facilitation information corresponding to the maturity state.

2. The idea creation facilitation device according to claim 1,

4. the situation determination unit calculates a convergence degree that quantifies the maturity situation by subtracting the similarity from a first threshold value; The facilitation information output unit identifies the facilitation information corresponding to the maturity state by comparing the degree of convergence with a second threshold.

2. The idea creation facilitation device according to claim 1,

5. The situation determination unit estimates a convergence status indicating whether the idea creation process has converged by comparing the convergence degree with a third threshold value; The facilitation information output unit uses the convergence status in addition to the maturity status represented by the parameters to identify the facilitation information corresponding to the maturity status.

5. The idea creation facilitation device according to claim 4.

6. the situation determination unit calculates a convergence degree that quantifies the maturity situation by subtracting the similarity from a first threshold value; The situation determination unit estimates a convergence status indicating whether the idea creation process has converged by comparing the convergence degree with a third threshold value; The facilitation information output unit outputs the facilitation information indicating that the idea creation process is converging when the elapsed time is equal to or greater than a fourth threshold, the convergence status indicates that the idea creation process is converging, and the degree of convergence is equal to or less than a fifth threshold.

4. The idea creation facilitation device according to claim 3.

7. the situation determination unit calculates a convergence degree that quantifies the maturity situation by subtracting the similarity from a first threshold value; The situation determination unit estimates a convergence status indicating whether the idea creation process has converged by comparing the convergence degree with a third threshold value; When the elapsed time is less than a fourth threshold, the convergence status indicates that the idea creation process is converged, and the degree of convergence is equal to or less than a fifth threshold, the facilitation information output unit outputs the facilitation information encouraging the user to make changes to the idea because the first idea and the second idea are too similar.

4. The idea creation facilitation device according to claim 3.

8. the situation determination unit calculates a convergence degree that quantifies the maturity situation by subtracting the similarity from a first threshold value; The situation determination unit estimates a convergence status indicating whether the idea creation process has converged by comparing the convergence degree with a third threshold value; When the elapsed time is less than a fourth threshold, the convergence status indicates that the idea creation process is diverging, and the degree of convergence is equal to or greater than a fifth threshold, the facilitation information output unit outputs the facilitation information encouraging the user to present an idea related to the first idea because the first idea and the second idea are too different.

4. The idea creation facilitation device according to claim 3.

9. The idea creation facilitation device further includes a user interface that presents the facilitation information to participants in the idea creation process.

2. The idea creation facilitation device according to claim 1,

10. the situation determination unit calculates a convergence degree that quantifies the maturity situation by subtracting the similarity from a first threshold value; The user interface presents the transition of the convergence degree as the facilitation information.

10. The idea creation facilitation device according to claim 9.

11. The idea creation facilitation device further includes a storage unit for storing a situation determination condition table describing conditions for the situation determination unit to determine the maturity situation; the situation determination condition table is configured so that a user of the idea creation facilitation device can rewrite the conditions; The status determination unit determines the maturity status according to the conditions described in the status determination condition table.

2. The idea creation facilitation device according to claim 1,

12. The idea creation facilitation device further includes a storage unit for storing a facilitation information condition table describing conditions under which the facilitation information output unit identifies the facilitation information; the facilitation information condition table is configured so that a user of the idea creation facilitation device can rewrite the conditions; The facilitation information output unit identifies the facilitation information according to the conditions described in the facilitation information condition table.

2. The idea creation facilitation device according to claim 1,

13. An idea creation facilitation method for supporting an idea creation process, comprising: calculating a similarity between a first idea provided by a first participant and a second idea added to the first idea by a second participant; A step of determining a maturity state of the idea creation process using progress information indicating a progress of the idea creation process and the similarity; A step of outputting facilitation information for promoting the progress of the idea creation process based on the maturity status; having In the step of determining the maturity state, the maturity state is expressed by a parameter using the progress information and the similarity; In the step of outputting the facilitation information, the facilitation information corresponding to the maturity status is identified based on the maturity status represented by the parameters; In the step of outputting the facilitation information, the specified facilitation information is output. An idea creation facilitation method characterized by the above.

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