Information processing apparatus, information processing method, and program

Abstract

To select an icon by reflecting a tendency specific to a user.SOLUTION: An information processing apparatus for selecting, from among q icons, p icons to be displayed in a predetermined area of a display screen of an application program operating on a terminal device of a user to receive a service provided via a network, wherein p<q, and p and q are natural numbers, each of the q icons is capable of providing a child service related to the service in response to an operation of the user, An information processing apparatus that calculates a posterior index for each target user, the posterior index being obtained by correcting, in accordance with an action of the target user, an initial index calculated on the basis of a use state of each child service in a user group serving as a population, performs ranking processing on q icons on the basis of the posterior index for each target user, and displays p icons in descending order of ranking in a predetermined area of an application program used by the target user.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing device, an information processing method, and a program. Regarding. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, application programs that run on smartphones and other devices have been widely used to receive services provided via networks, such as e-commerce and electronic payments. These types of services often offer various derivative services, and the application program's display screen provides an icon for invoking (launching) the service. Services may also be provided via an interface in the form of a mini-app. Because the size of an application program's display screen is limited, the number of icons that can be displayed may be small compared to the number of icons provided. Research is ongoing into which icons should be prioritized for display. Patent Document 1 describes ranking icons (mini-apps) based on first information indicating total sales of a product or service and second information indicating the number of times the product or service has been selected by users. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7481567 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The technology described in Patent Document 1 does not take into consideration how to reflect the user's unique tendencies in operations and behavior in the rankings. As such, with the conventional technology, there are cases where it is not possible to select an icon that reflects the user's unique tendencies.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of such circumstances, and one of its objectives is to provide an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and a program that can perform icon selection reflecting the unique tendencies of users.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] One aspect of the present invention is an information processing apparatus that selects p icons displayed in a predetermined area of a display screen of an application program operating on a user's terminal device to receive a service provided via a network from among q icons (p < q, where p and q are natural numbers). Each of the q icons can provide a sub-service related to the service in response to a user's operation. A calculation unit calculates a post-indicator value for each target user by correcting an initial indicator value calculated based on the usage status of each of the sub-services in the user group serving as the population according to the behavior of the target user. A ranking processing unit performs ranking processing on the q icons based on the post-indicator value for each target user and displays the top p icons in order in the predetermined area of the application program used by the target user.

Effects of the Invention

[0007] According to one aspect of the present invention, icon selection can be performed reflecting the unique tendencies of users.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008] [Figure 1] It is a diagram showing a basic mode of a physical store type electronic payment. [Figure 2] It is a diagram showing an example of a configuration for performing electronic payment (terminal payment) using a payment application. [Figure 3] It is a diagram showing an example of the content of user information 172. [Figure 4] It is a diagram showing an example of the content of franchise / store information 174. [Figure 5]FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an outline of a processing flow when a user scan is performed. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an outline of the processing flow when a store scan is performed. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration for performing electronic payment (card payment) using a payment card. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a top screen IM1 of payment application 20. [Figure 9] 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration and usage environment of an information processing device 300 that executes the main part of the display icon control. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an outline of processing by the information processing device 300. [Figure 11] FIG. 1 shows how the probability distribution changes for three icons as the number of counted views (and clicks) increases. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a method for counting the number of views and clicks. [Figure 13] 10 is a diagram showing an example of a result of processing by a ranking processing unit 330. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] [overview] Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, an embodiment of an information processing device, an information processing method, and a program according to the present invention will be described. The information processing device selects an icon displayed in a predetermined area on the display screen of an application program for receiving a service provided via a network. The service may be various services, but in the following description, an electronic payment service will be used as an example. More specifically, the electronic payment service is used to make payments at a store in the real world (physical store). In connection with the electronic payment service, various sub-services such as investment, user-to-user communication, and tax payment may be provided.

[0010] [Electronic payment methods at brick-and-mortar stores] FIG. 1 illustrates the basic aspects of brick-and-mortar electronic payments. Essentially, brick-and-mortar electronic payments involve three parties: a medium M held by a user U, store equipment E, and a payment system S. The medium M may be a portable computer device such as a smartphone or a credit card. The store equipment E is located in a brick-and-mortar store (hereinafter simply referred to as the store) and may include a POS device, a wireless communication device, a credit card reader, a printed code image such as a QR Code (registered trademark), or a display device displaying the code image. In brick-and-mortar electronic payments, information that can identify the user and information about the payment amount are first shared unidirectionally or bidirectionally between the medium M and the store equipment E. At this time, either the medium M or the store equipment E optically reads various information from a code image displayed by the other, provides information via near-field communication (NFC), or reads the PAN (primary account number) using a credit card reader. Then, either the medium M or the store equipment E (the party that obtains information from the other) transmits the payment information required for the payment to the payment system S via a network NW. Both the medium M and the store equipment E may send some information to the payment system S. The payment system S manages various information about the user U and performs electronic payments between the store and the user U in various ways. Electronic payments are performed using either or both of a prepaid system and a postpaid system, or by other methods. In addition, electronic payments may also include so-called online shopping, which is performed between the user's terminal device and the payment system. The network NW includes, for example, the Internet, a LAN (Local Area Network), a wireless base station, a provider device, etc. The various devices that communicate via the network NW, which will be described below, are assumed to have communication devices such as network cards and wireless communication modules.

[0011] [Configuration (Terminal Payment)] 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration for performing electronic payment (terminal payment) using a payment app. This electronic payment is performed mainly by a payment app 20 running on a user terminal device 10, which is one of the media M, one or more store payment terminal devices 30 and one or more store code images 40, which are one of the store facilities E, and a payment server 100, which constitutes part of a payment system S. The payment server 100 communicates with the user terminal device 10, the store payment terminal device 30, and one or more information terminals 50 via a network NW.

[0012] The user terminal device 10 is, for example, a portable terminal device such as a smartphone or tablet terminal. The user terminal device 10 is a computer device having at least an optical reading function, a communication function, a display function, an input acceptance function, and a program execution function. In the following description, components for realizing these functions are referred to as a camera, a communication device, a touch panel, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), etc. In the user terminal device 10, a processor such as a CPU executes a payment application 20, which operates in cooperation with the payment server 100 to provide electronic payment services to users. The payment application 20 is installed in the user terminal device 10 from, for example, an application distribution server (not shown), and controls the camera, communication device, touch panel, etc. of the user terminal device 10.

[0013] Store payment terminal device 30 is installed, for example, in a store. Store payment terminal device 30 is a computer device (or a collection of these) that has at least a product price acquisition function, an optical reading function, a program execution function, and a communication function. Store payment terminal device 30 includes a so-called POS (Point of Sale) device, and the POS device may have a product price acquisition function and an optical reading function.

[0014] The store code image 40 is placed in a store and is a code image such as a QR code (registered trademark) printed on a paper or plastic medium. The store code image 40 may be displayed on a display placed in the store (or on a display of a terminal device such as a smartphone or tablet terminal).

[0015] The information terminal 50 is used by the operator of the affiliated store who oversees the stores. In electronic payment services, customers who provide goods or services are treated as affiliated stores (brands), and one or more stores exist under the affiliated store. An affiliated store may operate only one store. The information terminal 50 is a smartphone, tablet terminal, personal computer, etc. An affiliated store interface 55 runs on the information terminal 50. The affiliated store interface 55 may be an affiliated store app or a web page displayed by a general-purpose browser. The affiliated store interface 55 accepts coupon settings and the like from the affiliated store operator and transmits them to the payment server 100. By executing the affiliated store interface 55, the information terminal 50 may have the function of displaying a code image corresponding to the store code image 40 or reading a code image displayed by the user terminal device 10 (in the latter case, an optical reading function is required).

[0016] The payment server 100 communicates with the credit card server 200 via a network NW. The payment server 100 has, for example, a content provider 110, an information management unit 120, a payment processing unit 130, and a storage unit 170. The components other than the storage unit 170 are realized by, for example, a hardware processor such as a CPU executing a program (software). Some or all of these components may be implemented using a large scale integration (LSI), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or the like. The program may be realized by hardware (including circuitry) such as a Gate Array (GPU) or a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), or may be realized by a combination of software and hardware. The program may be stored in advance in a storage device (a storage device with a non-transitory storage medium) such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or flash memory, or may be stored in a removable storage medium (a non-transitory storage medium) such as a DVD or CD-ROM, and installed in the storage device by inserting the storage medium into a drive device.

[0017] The storage unit 170 is a HDD, flash memory, RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. The storage unit 170 may be a NAS (Network Attached Storage) device that can be accessed by the payment server 100 via a network. The storage unit 170 stores information such as user information 172 and affiliated store / shop information 174.

[0018] The content providing unit 110 has, for example, a function of a web server, and provides information (content) for displaying various screens of the electronic payment service to the user terminal device 10. The content providing unit 110 provides the content to the user terminal device 10 in the form of a web page, and provides the user terminal device 10 with parameters required for the payment application 20 to render an image.

[0019] The information management unit 120 edits, adds, deletes, etc., user information 172 and affiliated store / shop information 174, and manages them.

[0020] 3 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of user information 172. User information 172 is information in which, for example, user URL, account ID, phone number, password, registration date, charge balance, electronic money type, terminal payment method, card payment method, various history information, identity verification flag, name, address, date of birth, email address, bank account, deferred payment settings, deferred payment condition information, etc. are associated with each other. Hereinafter, a user instance (electronic payment account) in which this information is associated may be referred to as an account. In the figure, items marked with "-" indicate that they are not set.

[0021] The user URL is used for remittance processing between users. When registering for the electronic payment service, registration of a phone number and password is required. The account ID is issued to the user by the payment server 100. The registration date is the date on which the user registered for the electronic payment service (the date on which the account was created). The charge balance is information indicating the balance of electronic money that the user has set by transferring money to the account in advance. Remittance methods include depositing money into an ATM (Automatic Teller Machine) of a designated service provider (bank) or transferring money from a registered bank account. The type of electronic money is information indicating, for example, whether the electronic money can be withdrawn or can only be used for electronic payments. The terminal payment method is setting information indicating whether the user will make electronic payment using the charge balance (balance payment) or by deferred payment in terminal payment. The card payment method is setting information indicating whether the user will make electronic payment using the charge balance (balance payment) or by deferred payment in card payment. The various historical information includes charge history, which is a record of the user transferring money to the electronic payment service in advance to increase the charge balance, and payment history, which shows the details of the payments made by the user for each payment (date and time, store ID of the store where the purchase was made, payment amount, payment method, etc.).

[0022] The identity verification flag is information indicating whether or not the user has completed identity verification using an ID document. Deferred payment can be selected if identity verification has been completed, and the user with account ID "002" in the figure has not completed identity verification and can only select balance payment as the terminal payment method. The bank account is the account number of a bank account that can be used to deposit funds into the electronic payment service. Deferred payment settings is information indicating whether or not the settings have been completed to make deferred payment selectable. Deferred payment condition information is information indicating various conditions such as the deferred payment limit and the amount used for the current month.

[0023] 4 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of affiliated store / store information 174. The affiliated store / store information 174 includes, for example, a first table 174A in which an affiliated store ID and a store ID are associated with a store URL, a second table 174B in which an affiliated store ID is associated with an affiliated store name and sales amount (described above), and a third table 174C in which a store ID is associated with a store ID. In addition to this information, the affiliated store / store information 174 may also include information such as the category of the affiliated store or store, the store's location, and payment patterns.

[0024] The payment processing unit 130 performs various processes for electronic payment. There are two methods for terminal payment: a first method (user scan) and a second method (store scan), which will be explained below.

[0025] FIG. 5 shows an overview of the process flow when a user scan is performed. First, the user terminal device 10, with the payment application 20 running, reads and decodes the store code image 40 using its optical reading function (S1). The store code image 40 contains store URL information. The payment application 20 sends first payment information, including the store URL and the user's account ID, to the payment server 100 (S2). The payment server 100 searches the affiliated store / store information 174 using the affiliated store ID and store ID corresponding to the store URL, acquires information about the affiliated store name and store name (S3), and sends this to the payment application 20 (S4). The user enters the payment amount into the payment application 20 on the screen displaying the affiliated store name and store name (S5). The payment application 20 then generates second payment information including at least the payment amount and sends it to the payment server 100 (S6).

[0026] If the "Terminal Payment Method" in the user information 172 of the user is set to "Balance Payment," the payment processing unit 130 of the payment server 100 performs electronic payment based on the received second payment information (S7-1). At this time, the payment processing unit 130 performs electronic payment by, for example, decreasing the charge balance managed in association with the user ID and increasing the item value of the affiliated store's sales proceeds. The item value of the affiliated store's sales proceeds is not used as electronic money itself, for example, but rather the amount corresponding to the item value of the sales proceeds is transferred to a bank account in a cycle determined by an agreement between the affiliated store and the electronic payment service. On the other hand, if the "Terminal Payment Method" is set to "Deferred Payment," the payment processing unit 130 transmits the first payment information and the second payment information to the credit card server 200 to request electronic payment (S7-2). The credit card server 200 performs electronic payment by adding the payment amount to the user's monthly usage amount based on the received information and deducting the monthly usage amount from the user's bank account after the closing date (S7-3).

[0027] Then, the payment processing unit 130 sends a payment completion notice (information for displaying a payment completion screen) to the payment app 20 via the content providing unit 110 (S8), and the payment app 20 displays the payment completion screen (S9). When the store code image 40 is displayed on a display installed in the store, the store code image 40 may include information on the payment amount in addition to the store URL. In this case, the procedure for the user to input the payment amount is omitted, and the information on the payment amount is included in the first payment information and sent to the payment server 100. Information on the affiliated store name and store name may be included and displayed on the payment completion screen.

[0028] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an overview of the processing flow when a store scan is performed. First, when the payment app 20 is launched, when a payment operation is performed using the payment app 20, when an automatic update timing (e.g., every minute) occurs, and at other timings, the payment app 20 sends a request to issue a one-time code to the payment server 100 (S11). The payment processing unit 130 of the payment server 100 generates a one-time code (S12) and sends it to the payment app 20 (S13). The payment app 20 displays a code image, such as a QR code or barcode, generated based on the one-time code (S14). The user holds (presents) the display surface of the user terminal device 10 over the store payment terminal device 30, and the store payment terminal device 30 reads and decodes the code image using its optical reading function to obtain the one-time code, etc. (S15). The store payment terminal device 30 then generates payment information including the one-time code, payment amount, affiliated store ID, store ID, etc., and sends it to the payment server 100 (S16). The payment amount information is acquired in advance by reading a barcode or manually entering it.

[0029] The payment processing unit 130 of the payment server 100 identifies the user corresponding to the one-time code based on the received information, and if the "terminal payment method" in the user information 172 of the user is set to "balance payment," it performs electronic payment based on the received second payment information (S17-1). The processing content at this time is the same as the processing of S7-1 in FIG. 5. On the other hand, if the "terminal payment method" is set to "post-payment," the payment server 100 transmits the first payment information and the second payment information to the credit card server 200 to request electronic payment (S17-2). The credit card server 200 adds the payment amount to the user's monthly usage amount based on the received information, and performs electronic payment by deducting the monthly usage amount from the user's bank account after the closing date (S17-3).

[0030] Then, the payment processing unit 130 transmits a payment completion notification to the payment application 20 via the content providing unit 110 (S18), and the payment application 20 displays a payment completion screen (S19).

[0031] It should be noted that electronic payment may be made using only one of the above patterns. The "account ID" described above may be used in conjunction with other information that can be used as a user's identification, such as Also, issuing a one-time code during store scanning can be simplified. The payment application 20 displays a code image generated based on the user's account ID. In this case, the payment server 100 identifies the user corresponding to the one-time code. Instead of specifying the user ID, the user corresponding to the account ID is specified.

[0032] It should be noted that the "post-payment" settlement may be performed within the settlement server 100, rather than being managed by the credit card server 200. In this case, the components such as the settlement card 60 and the credit card server 200 may be omitted.

[0033] [Configuration (Card Payment)] 7 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration for performing electronic payment (card payment) using a payment card. This electronic payment is performed mainly using a payment card 60, which is one of the media M, a credit card processing terminal 70, which is one of the store facilities E, a payment server 100, which constitutes part of a payment system S, and a credit card server 200. The credit card server 200 communicates with the credit card processing terminal 70 via a network NW.

[0034] The credit processing terminal 70 is installed in the store, similar to the store payment terminal device 30. The credit processing terminal 70 includes, for example, a credit card reader and a POS device. The credit card terminal reads a personal identification number (PIN) from an inserted or held-up credit card and compares it with the PIN entered by the user. It also transmits a primary account number (PAN) read from the credit card to the credit card server 200 via the POS device. The POS device cooperates with the credit card terminal to transmit information such as the payment amount to the credit card server 200. A payment agent (acquirer) server may be interposed between the credit processing terminal 70 and the credit card server 200; however, for simplicity, the following description omits the explanation of the payment agent server. The payment card 60 is, for example, similar to a commonly used credit card, with a communication chip embedded in the card substrate. The communication chip incorporates a storage medium storing the PIN and communicates with an external device via a contactor (or a wireless antenna). Alternatively, the payment card 60 may be a magnetic card. The information (messages) sent and received when using a credit card include an authorization message for authentication and a sales message for conveying the payment amount, but detailed explanations distinguishing between these will be omitted below.

[0035] The credit card server 200 communicates with the payment server 100 via a network NW. The credit card server 200 includes, for example, an information management unit 210, a credit interface 220, a payment allocation unit 230, a credit payment processing unit 240, and a memory unit 270. The components other than the memory unit 270 are implemented by, for example, a hardware processor such as a CPU executing a program (software). Some or all of these components may be implemented by hardware (including circuitry) such as an LSI, ASIC, FPGA, or GPU, or may be implemented by a combination of software and hardware. The program may be stored in advance in a storage device such as an HDD or flash memory (a storage device with a non-transitory storage medium), or may be stored in a removable storage medium (a non-transitory storage medium) such as a DVD or CD-ROM, and installed in the storage device by inserting the storage medium into a drive device. The memory unit 270 stores information such as card user information 272.

[0036] The information management unit 210 edits, adds, deletes, etc., and manages the card user information 272. The card user information 272 is information in which, for example, information unique to a user (e.g., PAN), a card payment method, and the user's account ID (used by the payment server 100) are associated with one another. The card payment method is setting information that indicates whether the user will make electronic payment using the charged balance (balance payment) or deferred payment when making a card payment.

[0037] The credit interface 220 determines whether the BIN (Bank Identification Number) in the PAN included in the message received from the credit processing terminal 70 is a code for the company, and if it is a code for the company, passes the message received from the credit processing terminal 70 to the payment allocation unit 230, and if it is not a code for the company, discards the received message.

[0038] The payment allocating unit 230 refers to the card user information 272 of the user corresponding to the message obtained from the credit interface 220, and determines whether the "card payment method" is set to "post-payment." If the "card payment method" is set to "post-payment," the payment allocating unit 230 notifies the credit interface 220 of this and passes the message obtained from the credit interface 220 to the credit payment processing unit 240. On the other hand, if the "card payment method" is set to "balance payment," the payment allocating unit 230 adds the user's account ID to the message obtained from the credit interface 220 and sends it to the payment server 100, requesting electronic payment. When requested to make electronic payment, the payment server 100 performs the same processes as S7-1 in Figure 5 and S17-1 in Figure 6.

[0039] The credit interface 220 checks the PAN and expiration date, and verifies whether the cumulative payment amount exceeds the current month's upper limit, etc. The credit payment processing unit 240 adds the payment amount to the user's monthly usage amount based on the information contained in the message obtained from the payment allocation unit 230, and performs electronic payment by deducting the monthly usage amount from the user's bank account after the closing date.

[0040] [Display Icon Control] The following describes the display icon control in the payment application 20. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the top screen IM1 of the payment application 20. The top screen IM1 is an example of the display screen of the application program, but the display screen of the application program may be other screens. On the top screen IM1, there are a region A1 where a code image and the current terminal payment method are displayed, a region A2 where main icons for activating the main functions in electronic payment services such as scan and send are arranged, and a region A3 (an example of a predetermined region) where icons (p icons in the claims) for providing sub-services such as coupons and public charges are arranged. In the illustrated example, six positions SL1 to SL6 are prepared as the display locations of the icons, so n = 6. It is considered that SL-1 has the highest visibility and is the easiest to operate, and then the subsequent positions with smaller numbers after SL- are defined as better display positions. Therefore, in the ranking process described later, the higher-ranked icons are assigned to the display locations with smaller numbers after SL-. In the region A3, there are icons for instructing the transition to the user's favorite display screen and icons (labeled "all") for the screen where all q icons (n < m, n and m are natural numbers) are displayed, but these are not subject to ranking and are fixedly displayed.

[0041] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration and usage environment of the information processing apparatus 300 that executes the main part of the display icon control. The information processing apparatus 300 communicates with, for example, the payment server 100 and / or the user terminal device 10. In the figure, the information processing apparatus 300 is shown as a separate device from the payment server 100, but the information processing apparatus 300 may be a function of the payment server 100 (may be included in the payment server 100). Also, only the ranking processing unit 330 among the configurations described below may be installed in the payment server 100, and may be appropriately distributed and arranged.

[0042] The information processing device 300 includes, for example, an information collecting unit 310, a calculating unit 320, a ranking processing unit 330, and a storage unit 370. The components other than the storage unit 370 are realized by, for example, a hardware processor such as a CPU executing a program (software). Some or all of these components may be realized by hardware (including circuitry) such as an LSI, ASIC, FPGA, or GPU, or may be realized by a combination of software and hardware. The program may be stored in advance in a storage device such as an HDD or flash memory (a storage device with a non-transitory storage medium), or may be stored in a removable storage medium (a non-transitory storage medium) such as a DVD or CD-ROM, and installed in the storage device by inserting the storage medium into a drive device.

[0043] The storage unit 370 is a HDD, flash memory, RAM, etc. The storage unit 370 may be a NAS device that the payment server 100 can access via a network. The storage unit 370 stores information such as sample data 372 and a post-indicator value 374 for each user.

[0044] Information collection unit 310 collects information required for calculation by calculation unit 320 from payment server 100. For example, information collection unit 310 collects user operation history including icon operation history, display history of each screen of payment app 20, purchase history of products or services in sub-services presented by icon operation, and the like for as many users as possible, and stores the collected information as sample data 372 in storage unit 370. This information is obtained, for example, from various historical information in the user information of payment server 100, performance information for each sub-service managed by payment server 100, and the like.

[0045] The calculation unit 320 calculates a posterior index value for each target user by correcting the initial index value, which is calculated based on the usage status of each child service in a user group that constitutes a population, in accordance with the behavior of the target user. Each of the initial index value and the posterior index value is obtained by sampling from a probability distribution that estimates each of the initial index value and the posterior index value. That is, for example, the calculation unit 320 generates a random number between 0 and 1, and calculates each of the initial index value and the posterior index value by using the random number as an input value for a probability density function that represents the probability distribution.

[0046] The probability distribution is a combination of a first probability distribution that estimates the operation status of the icon and a second probability distribution that estimates the performance status of the child service. More specifically, calculation unit 320 calculates the initial index value and the posterior index value by multiplying a value obtained by sampling from the first probability distribution by a value obtained by sampling from the second probability distribution. The initial index value is a value common to all users, and the posterior index value is calculated for each user and stored in storage unit 370 as per-user posterior index value 374.

[0047] The first probability distribution that estimates the operation status of an icon is, for example, an estimate of the CTR (Click Through Rate), and is defined by a beta distribution (Beta) with the number of clicks (strictly speaking, the number of taps, operations, or selections) as the first parameter and the number of views (the number of times displayed) as the second parameter. In the following explanation, the first probability distribution is assumed to be the probability distribution of the CTR.

[0048] On the other hand, the second probability distribution estimating the performance status of the child services is, for example, the GMV (Gross Merchandise Value) for each child service, and is defined by a lognormal distribution. Instead of GMV, any value that quantifies conversions (behavior favorable to the service provider) in the child service may be set as the performance status of the child service. In the following explanation, the second probability distribution is assumed to be the probability distribution of GMV.

[0049] First, the posterior index value will be explained. u m The probability distribution (probability density function for determining the posterior index value) of CTR is expressed by Equation (1). u m is the first probability distribution that estimates the CTR of icon m for target user u. GMV u m is the second probability distribution that estimates the GMV of the child service corresponding to icon m of target user u. u m is the number of clicks on icon m by target user u. u m is the number of views of the icon m of the target user u (i.e., the number of times the screen including the area A3 is displayed). u m is the average GMV of the child service corresponding to icon m of target user u, and σ 2u m is the variance of the GMV of the child service corresponding to icon m of target user u.

[0050]

number

[0051] Ranking processing unit 330 performs ranking processing on q icons based on the posterior index value for each target user, selects p icons from the top, and notifies payment server 100 of the processing results. Payment server 100 notifies payment application 20 of the icons to be displayed in area A3 based on the processing results. In response to this, ranking processing unit 330 causes the selected icons to be displayed in area A3 of payment application 20 used by the target user.

[0052] 10 is a diagram showing an outline of the processing by the information processing device 300. The sample data 372 is acquired as described above.

[0053] The calculation unit 320 calculates the initial index value by processing each icon for the user population as follows.

[0054] To obtain the initial probability distribution of the CTR, the calculation unit 320 extracts data of users who clicked the target icon k times (for example, about 5 times) or more from the sample data 372, and sets the extracted data as a first population. Then, the calculation unit 320 multiplies the average value of the CTR in the first population by a constant (for example, 20 times) to obtain the pseudo-click count c m Calculate the number of pseudo-clicks c m Subtracting this gives the pseudo view count v m The calculation unit 320 calculates Beta(c m ,v m- c m ) is the initial probability distribution of CTR, and the initial index value of CTR is calculated by applying random numbers to it and sampling.

[0055] On the other hand, in order to obtain the initial probability distribution of GMV, the calculation unit 320 extracts data of users who have transaction records (payment records) with the child service corresponding to the target icon from the sample data 372, and sets the extracted data as data of the second population. Then, the calculation unit 320 calculates the average GMV μ of the users included in the second population. m and the variance value σ 2 m The calculation unit 320 uses a log-normal distribution with these parameters as the initial probability distribution of GMV, and calculates an initial index value of GMV by applying random numbers to this and performing sampling. The calculation unit 320 then calculates an initial index value by multiplying the initial index value of CTR by the initial index value of GMV. The initial index value is used for users who have no click or view records.

[0056] Furthermore, the calculation unit 320 calculates a post-indicator value for a target user whose click record, view record, etc. have started to accumulate by performing processing for each icon for the target user.

[0057] The calculation unit 320 calculates the number of pseudo clicks c m Add the actual number of clicks by the target users to get the number of clicks c u m The calculation unit 320 also calculates the pseudo view number vm Add the actual number of views of the target users to get the view count v u m The calculation unit 320 calculates Beta(c u m ,v u m- c u m ) is the posterior probability distribution of CTR, and a posterior index value of CTR is calculated by applying random numbers to it and sampling.

[0058] On the other hand, the calculation unit 320 calculates the average GMV μ for the target user based on the formula (2). u m and the variance value σ 2u m Calculate the formula: u m,k is the amount paid by the target user u for the kth time in the child service corresponding to the icon m. The calculation unit 320 calculates the average value μ u m and the variance value σ 2u m The log-normal distribution with the parameter is used as the posterior probability distribution of GMV, and random numbers are applied to it to perform sampling to calculate the posterior index value of GMV.

[0059]

number

[0060] After calculating the posterior index values ​​of CTR and GMV in this way, the calculation unit 320 multiplies them to obtain a posterior index value V (hat) for the icon m of the target user u. u m is calculated and stored in the storage unit 370 as a post-indicator value 374 for each user. The calculation unit 320 repeatedly executes this process for each user and for each icon.

[0061] The calculation unit 320 performs the above process periodically, for example, about once a week. In this case, the "processing for each icon for the user population" may be performed less frequently than the "processing for each icon for the target user." This is because there is no particular problem in reusing the information obtained in the former calculation process in the latter.

[0062] When we look at the posterior indicator value of CTR, due to the nature of the beta distribution, the number of clicks c u m and number of views v u m The larger , the higher the kurtosis of the probability distribution, and the more reliable the sampled values. Figure 11 shows how the beta distribution changes for three icons as the number of counted views (and clicks) increases. We can see that the probability distribution is relatively flat when the number of views is low, but as the number of views increases, peaks appear in the characteristics of each icon and its corresponding child service.

[0063] Here, the calculation unit 320 calculates the posterior index value of the first probability distribution using the number of clicks c u m , number of views v u mWhen counting the number of views, if p icons are displayed in area A3 but none of the p icons are operated, a value smaller than 1 may be added to the number of views. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a method for counting the number of views and clicks. Here, the "value smaller than 1" is set to 0.1. As shown in the figure, after the top screen IM1 is displayed (at this point, p icons are displayed in area A3, so views have occurred), if a screen transition is caused by an operation outside area A3, 1 is added to the number of views of the p icons displayed in area A3. On the other hand, after the top screen IM1 is displayed, if a screen transition is caused by an operation on one of the p icons displayed in area A3, 1 is added to the number of clicks on the operated icon and 1 is added to the number of views of the p icons. This is because, for a user who was not interested in the icons displayed in area A3 in the first place and wanted to quickly scan, etc., it would be excessive to add 1 to the number of views every time the top screen IM1 is displayed. This allows the user's preferences to be more accurately reflected in the posterior index value.

[0064] The processing of the ranking processing unit 330 will be described in more detail. The ranking processing unit 330 calculates the posterior index value V (hat) u m In addition, the ranking process may be performed according to the following priorities: (1) Icons that have been operated (clicked) a predetermined number of times (for example, about twice) or more are ranked higher than icons that have not been operated (clicked). (2) Following (1), the ex-post index value V (hat) u m Sort by highest to lowest. (3) Post-indicator value V (hat) u m If the values ​​are the same, the icons are sorted in alphabetical order (Japanese syllabary or alphabetical order).

[0065] 13 is a diagram showing an example of the results of processing by the ranking processing unit 330. In the diagram, an icon with the icon name (child service name) "rr" has a posterior index value V (hat) um Although its icon name (child service name) is smaller than the icons with "aa" and "dd", it has been clicked more than twice and is therefore ranked higher than them. This allows us to prioritize user preferences over the commercial scale of each child service, and provide a more user-friendly service.

[0066] According to the embodiment described above, icon selection can be performed in a manner that reflects the user's unique tendencies.

[0067] The above describes the form for carrying out the present invention using an embodiment, but the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment, and various modifications and substitutions can be made within the scope that does not deviate from the gist of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0068] E. Store Facilities M medium S payment system 10 User terminal device 20. Payment App 30 Store payment terminal device 40 Store code image 60 Payment Cards 70 Credit card processing terminal 100 Payment Server 200 Credit Card Server 300 Information processing device 310 Information Gathering Department 320 Calculation Department 330 Ranking Processing Unit 370 Storage section

Claims

1. An information processing device that selects p icons from q icons (p<q, p and q are natural numbers) to be displayed in a predetermined area on a display screen of an application program that runs on a user's terminal device in order to receive a service provided via a network, each of the q icons is capable of providing a child service related to the service in response to a user's operation; a calculation unit that calculates a post-indicator value for each target user by correcting an initial indicator value calculated based on the usage status of each of the child services in a user group that is a population in accordance with the behavior of the target user; and a ranking processing unit that performs a ranking process on the q icons based on the posterior index value for each of the target users and displays the p icons in descending order in the predetermined area of ​​the application program used by the target users; An information processing device comprising:

2. the initial index value and the posterior index value are obtained by sampling from probability distributions that estimate the initial index value and the posterior index value, respectively; 2. The information processing device according to claim 1.

3. the probability distribution is a combination of a first probability distribution that estimates the operation status of the icon and a second probability distribution that estimates the performance status of the child service; 3. The information processing device according to claim 2.

4. The first probability distribution is an estimate of a click-through rate (CTR), and is defined by a beta distribution with the number of clicks as a first parameter and the number of views as a second parameter.

4. The information processing device according to claim 3.

5. When calculating the post-previous-article index value of the first probability distribution, if the p icons are displayed in the predetermined area but none of the p icons is operated, the calculation unit adds a value smaller than 1 to the number of views.

5. The information processing device according to claim 4.

6. The second probability distribution is defined by a log-normal distribution of GMV (Gross Merchandise Value) in the child service.

5. The information processing device according to claim 3.

7. the ranking processing unit ranks the icons that have been operated by the target user a predetermined number of times or more in a higher ranking with priority over the posterior index value; 2. The information processing device according to claim 1.

8. An information processing method carried out by an information processing device, in which p icons to be displayed in a predetermined area on a display screen of an application program running on a user's terminal device in order to receive a service provided via a network are selected from q icons (p<q, p and q are natural numbers), each of the q icons is capable of providing a child service related to the service in response to a user's operation; a process of calculating a post-indicator value for each target user by correcting an initial indicator value calculated based on the usage status of each of the child services in a user group that is a population, in accordance with the behavior of the target user; a process of ranking the q icons based on the posterior index value for each of the target users, and displaying the p icons in descending order of their ranking in the predetermined area of ​​the application program used by the target users; An information processing method comprising:

9. A program that causes an information processing device to select p icons from q icons to be displayed in a predetermined area on a display screen of an application program that runs on a user's terminal device to receive a service provided via a network (p<q, p and q are natural numbers), each of the q icons is capable of providing a child service related to the service in response to a user's operation; The information processing device includes: a process of calculating a post-indicator value for each target user by correcting an initial indicator value calculated based on the usage status of each of the child services in a user group that is a population, in accordance with the behavior of the target user; a process of ranking the q icons based on the posterior index value for each of the target users, and displaying the p icons in descending order of their ranking in the predetermined area of ​​the application program used by the target users; A program to execute.

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