Meetings Graph Effectiveness Analysis via Model Comparison

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Solution Overview

Problem

The widespread adoption of meeting technology has increased the frequency and volume of ineffective meetings, making it challenging to discern what makes a meeting effective, despite advanced technologies like calendar software and video conferencing, as participant behavior during meetings varies greatly.

Innovation Solution

The implementation of a meetings graph system that generates a graph representative of a meeting, comparing it to a model meetings graph to determine effectiveness, and surfaces this indication in user interfaces, such as calendar applications, to enhance meeting organization and participation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If meeting technology is widely adopted to increase meeting frequency and accessibility, then ease of operation and collaboration opportunities improve, but the volume of ineffective meetings increases and meeting effectiveness becomes harder to discern

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveease of scheduling and conducting meetingsVSAvoidmeeting effectiveness

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements feedback by analyzing participant behavior data (gaze tracking, speech recognition, interaction patterns) and providing insights about meeting effectiveness. This feedback loop allows organizers to understand what made a meeting effective or ineffective, enabling continuous improvement of future meetings while maintaining the ease of conducting them through technology.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces subjective human judgment about meeting effectiveness with automated analysis systems. Instead of relying on participants' subjective assessments, the system uses computational analysis of behavioral data, speech patterns, and interaction metrics to objectively determine meeting effectiveness, thereby resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and productivity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

2Measurement precision

If advanced meeting technology is employed to track and analyze participant behavior, then measurement precision of meeting effectiveness improves, but device complexity and data processing requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprecision of meeting effectiveness assessmentVSAvoidcomplexity of behavior tracking system

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system achieves multi-functionality by using a unified technology platform that performs multiple tasks: scheduling meetings, tracking participant behavior through gaze and speech analysis, analyzing interaction patterns, and generating effectiveness assessments. This universal system reduces overall complexity compared to having separate specialized systems for each function while maintaining high measurement precision.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The system employs self-service mechanisms by automatically collecting, processing, and analyzing participant behavior data without requiring manual intervention. The gaze-tracking and speech-recognition systems autonomously capture data, and the analysis algorithms automatically interpret this data to generate meeting effectiveness assessments, thereby reducing operational complexity while improving measurement precision.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

3Loss of information

If gaze-tracking and speech recognition technology are used to observe participant behavior, then information about meeting dynamics is captured, but loss of participant privacy and comfort increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveinformation about participant behaviorVSAvoidparticipant privacy intrusion

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system extracts only the specific behavioral data elements necessary for assessing meeting effectiveness (gaze direction, speech patterns, interaction frequency) while excluding personal identifiable information and sensitive private data. By selectively extracting only the relevant behavioral metrics needed for the analysis, the system minimizes privacy intrusion while still capturing sufficient information about meeting dynamics.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Data Source

PatentUS10296861B2Identifying the effectiveness of a meeting from a meetings graph

Publication Date: 2019.05.21 MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING LLC

AI summary

Disclosed herein are systems, methods, and software to enhance meeting technology. In an implementation, a meetings graph may be generated for a meeting between various participants in the meeting. An effectiveness of the meeting may be identified based at least in part on a comparison of the meetings graph to a model meetings graph for a model meeting. An indication of the effectiveness of the meeting may then be communicated to at least an application for surfacing in a user interface to the application.