Instant Messaging Contact List Reordering by Interaction Frequency
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Solution Overview
Problem
Instant messaging clients face challenges in managing large contact lists, requiring users to scroll through numerous contacts to find relevant ones, even when configured to display only online or group contacts, leading to a cumbersome user experience.
Innovation Solution
A method of selecting contacts for presentation in a display region by identifying subsets based on predefined criteria such as contact interaction and online status, generating lists that combine and reorder these subsets to prioritize relevant and active contacts, ensuring they are easily accessible without extensive scrolling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If the IM client displays all contacts in the contact list, then the user can see all available contacts, but the user must scroll through a large number of contacts to find relevant ones, increasing the time and effort required to locate specific contacts
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the contact list into multiple subsets based on different criteria (online status, interaction frequency, groups). Instead of displaying all contacts in a single list, the system creates multiple organized subsets that can be displayed separately or combined, allowing users to quickly locate contacts without scrolling through the entire list.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameters used to organize and display contacts by introducing multiple sorting criteria (online/offline status, interaction frequency, group membership). The system dynamically adjusts which contacts are displayed and in what order based on these parameters, enabling users to find relevant contacts more efficiently without manually scrolling through all contacts.
2Ease of operation
If the IM client configures to display only online contacts or contacts in particular groups, then the number of contacts to scroll through is reduced, but the displayed contacts may not include the contacts in which the user is most interested
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple contact subsets based on different criteria (online status, interaction frequency, group membership) into a unified display. Instead of requiring users to switch between different filtered views, the system combines these subsets and applies reordering based on interaction frequency, ensuring that the most relevant contacts are prominently displayed regardless of their online status or group membership.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic reordering of contacts based on interaction frequency. The contact list is not static but continuously adapted based on user behavior patterns, automatically adjusting which contacts are displayed and in what order. This dynamic approach ensures that contacts the user is most interested in are always prominently displayed, while still maintaining the ability to filter by online status or group when needed.
3Loss of time
If the IM client displays a subset of contacts to reduce scrolling, then the user experience is improved, but the contact management and filtering mechanisms become more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service contact management by automatically organizing and reordering contacts based on interaction frequency and other criteria. Instead of requiring users to manually configure complex filtering rules, the system autonomously analyzes user behavior patterns and dynamically adjusts the contact list organization, reducing the perceived complexity for users while still providing advanced organizational capabilities.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and systems of presenting a quick list of contacts to an instant messaging user are disclosed. A set of contacts is identified. From the set of contacts, a first subset is selected based on first predefined criteria and a second subset is selected from second predefined criteria. The first and second predefined criteria may include contact interaction criteria, user activity criteria, and connectedness criteria. From the first and second subsets, one or more lists of contacts are generated. The one or more lists may be displayed in a display region of an instant messaging application.