Multidimensional Graph for Travel Itinerary Comparison
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users face challenges in efficiently finding and comparing travel itineraries due to the complexity of multiple flight combinations, making it difficult to articulate preferences such as cost, airlines, departure and arrival times, and duration of intermediate stops.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that utilize a multidimensional graph to display travel itineraries, where each itinerary is represented by a point on the graph with coordinates for departure and arrival times, and an icon's attributes convey price and airline information, allowing users to visualize and filter options interactively.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional list formats are used to display travel itineraries, then detailed information can be provided, but users find it difficult to compare multiple flight combinations efficiently
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the traditional one-dimensional list format into a two-dimensional scatter plot graph, where the x-axis represents departure time and the y-axis represents arrival time. This dimensional transformation enables users to visually compare multiple flight combinations across different time dimensions simultaneously, making it easier to identify patterns and preferences without requiring complex manual comparison processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses color coding to represent different airlines on the scatter plot graph. Each airline is assigned a distinct color, allowing users to quickly identify and compare flights from different carriers at a glance. This visual encoding simplifies the articulation of airline preferences and enables rapid comparison across multiple itineraries without requiring detailed textual information.
2Loss of information
If multiple flight combinations are displayed in detail, then comprehensive information is provided, but the interface becomes complex and difficult to use
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the comprehensive itinerary information into distinct visual elements on the scatter plot. Each flight combination is represented as a separate point, with different visual attributes (position, color, size) encoding different aspects of the itinerary such as departure time, arrival time, airline, and duration. This segmentation allows users to process multiple pieces of information simultaneously without feeling overwhelmed by a single complex data structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent maps multiple itinerary attributes onto the two-dimensional graph space and uses visual encoding (color, size, position) to represent them. By transforming tabular data into a graphical representation where spatial position and visual properties encode different dimensions of flight information, the system maintains information completeness while significantly improving ease of use through intuitive visual processing.
3Productivity
If detailed itinerary information is presented in traditional formats, then users have access to all attributes, but it takes more time to identify preferred options
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies color coding to represent different airlines on the scatter plot, enabling users to quickly scan and identify flights from preferred carriers at a glance. This visual encoding eliminates the need to read through detailed text descriptions for each flight, significantly reducing the time required to compare multiple options and identify preferred itineraries based on airline preferences.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transforms detailed itinerary data into a visual spatial representation where time dimensions are mapped to graph coordinates. Users can simultaneously perceive multiple flight combinations across different departure and arrival times through the scatter plot layout, enabling rapid identification of preferred options based on time preferences without sequentially reviewing each itinerary in detail.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods of this disclosure are directed to displaying travel itineraries. In some implementations, a system receives a search request for a travel itinerary, and identifies a candidate travel itinerary that includes a departure time, an arrival time, a duration, and a price. The system generates a first coordinate on a first axis of a multidimensional graph corresponding to the departure time, and a second coordinate on a second axis corresponding to the arrival time. The system generates a location on the multidimensional graph for the first coordinate and the second coordinate that indicates the duration of the candidate travel itinerary. The system creates a data structure for the candidate travel itinerary and allocates an icon to the data structure. The system sets an attribute of the icon based on the price of the candidate travel itinerary, and provides the icon for display with the multidimensional graph.