User Connection Degree Measurement via Hierarchy Feature Codes
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Solution Overview
Problem
User search functions in organizational settings fail to provide meaningful search results due to their inability to consider the relationship between users, leading to ineffective organization of search results, especially in complex hierarchical structures.
Innovation Solution
The system determines a connection degree between users by generating feature codes based on report line and location hierarchies, which are then compared to organize search results in order of relevance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If search results are organized alphabetically, then the organization is simple and fast, but no additional information is provided to the searching user and relationships are ignored
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the search result organization into multiple dimensions: alphabetical ordering for basic organization and connection degree ranking for relationship-based ordering. This allows the system to maintain fast alphabetical sorting while adding a separate layer of relationship-based organization that preserves user connection information.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a new dimension for organizing search results by adding connection degree as a ranking criterion alongside traditional alphabetical ordering. This multi-dimensional approach allows users to view results both alphabetically and by their relationship strength to the searching user, preventing loss of relationship information while maintaining organizational simplicity.
2Loss of information
If users are placed in similar departments at the beginning of search results, then departmental context is provided, but users in varying operational levels within complex hierarchical structures cannot be differentiated
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies local quality by making the connection degree metric sensitive to different hierarchical contexts. Rather than using a single departmental grouping criterion, the system calculates connection degrees that locally adapt to the specific hierarchical level and reporting structure of each user, allowing precise differentiation within complex organizational hierarchies while preserving departmental context.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter used for ranking from simple departmental affiliation to a computed connection degree parameter that incorporates multiple hierarchical factors including reporting relationships, organizational level, and departmental context. This parameter transformation enables precise differentiation of users at varying operational levels while maintaining departmental groupings.
3Loss of information
If feature codes are generated and compared to determine connection degree, then search results can be organized by relevance, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates simplified copies of hierarchical relationship data in the form of feature codes. Instead of performing complex real-time analysis of the entire organizational hierarchy, the system pre-computes and stores condensed feature code representations of user profiles and relationships, enabling fast comparison and ranking without requiring the full complexity of the original hierarchical structure to be processed each time.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary action by pre-generating feature codes for all users based on their profile data and hierarchical relationships. These feature codes are computed in advance and stored, so that when search results need to be organized by connection degree, the system only needs to compare pre-computed codes rather than analyzing the complete hierarchical structure in real-time, thus reducing system complexity during operation.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems, methods, and computer-readable media are provided for determining a connection degree between users. Upon receiving user data, a report line hierarchy tree is updated, the hierarchy tree including user reporting information and relationships within an organization received from user profile data. A report line feature code is determined for each user by a feature code generator based on the report line hierarchy tree and stored in a data store. A location hierarchy tree is generated based on physical location information from the user profile data. A location feature code is determined for each user based on the location hierarchy tree and is also stored in the data store. To determine a connection degree between one or more users the feature codes including either or both of the report line feature codes and the location feature codes of the users are retrieved from the data store and compared.