Recurring User Interaction Sequences for Shortcut Navigation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional database management techniques in cloud computing environments struggle to efficiently identify and utilize recurring sequences of user interactions, leading to inefficient and incomplete reporting of user activities, and difficulty in identifying other users who may benefit from the information.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a system that detects recurring sequences of user interactions within applications, automatically generating shortcuts or 'hot targets' for frequently accessed features, and providing them in the navigation interface based on predefined thresholds, allowing users to access these features with fewer clicks.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of information

If conventional database management techniques are used to track user activities, then complete reporting of user activities can be achieved, but the system complexity and resource consumption increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecompleteness of user activity reportingVSAvoidsystem complexity for tracking user activities

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system pre-defines sequences of user interactions as templates before monitoring begins. These templates specify expected sequences of actions (e.g., login → view dashboard → access report → logout) that users might perform. By having these sequences predetermined, the system avoids the complexity of dynamically analyzing and storing every possible user action combination, while still achieving complete reporting of actual user activities by matching observed actions against the predefined templates.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Loss of information

If all user interactions are monitored and reported in detail, then complete activity information is available, but the time required to process and analyze this data increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecompleteness of user activity informationVSAvoidtime to process user activity data

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system pre-configures sequences of user interactions that are expected to be valuable or recurring. Instead of processing all raw user interaction data, the system only processes interactions that match these pre-defined sequences, significantly reducing processing time while maintaining completeness of information for the sequences that matter most to the organization.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system extracts only the relevant portions of user interaction data that match predefined sequences, rather than processing and storing all user activities. This extraction approach filters out unnecessary data processing while preserving complete information about the sequences of interest, reducing overall processing time without losing critical activity information.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Loss of information

If manual reporting of user activities is implemented, then users can provide activity information, but the reporting process becomes inefficient and not timely

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveavailability of user activity reportsVSAvoidefficiency of reporting process

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system automatically monitors and captures user interactions without requiring users to manually report their activities. Users simply perform their normal tasks while the system silently tracks their interactions against predefined sequences, automatically generating reports when matches are found. This eliminates the inefficiency of manual reporting while ensuring timely, accurate capture of user activity information.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

4Loss of information

If detailed tracking of user interactions is implemented, then complete activity data is collected, but identifying patterns and recurring sequences becomes difficult

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecompleteness of user interaction dataVSAvoiddifficulty of identifying interaction patterns

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSDifficulty of detecting and measuring

Solution Approach 1:

The system pre-defines the sequences of interactions that represent meaningful patterns before data collection begins. These predefined sequences serve as templates for pattern recognition, allowing the system to automatically identify when users follow these patterns without requiring complex real-time analysis. This approach maintains complete data collection while making pattern identification straightforward through template matching.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS12468689B2Identifying recurring sequences of user interactions with an application

Publication Date: 2025.11.11 SALESFORCE INC

AI summary

Disclosed are database systems, computing devices, methods, and computer program products for identifying recurring sequences of user interactions with an application. In some implementations, a server of a database system provides a user interface of the application for display at a computing device. The database system stores data objects identifying a first plurality of user interactions with the application. The server receives information representing a second plurality of user interactions with the application. The server updates the database system to further identify the second user interactions. The server identifies a recurring sequence of user interactions from the first and second user interactions as resulting in a first target state of the application. The server updates the database system to associate the recurring sequence of user interactions with the first target state of the application.