WO2014047189A2

WO2014047189A2 - Systems and methods for crowd sourcing decision making

Info

Publication number: WO2014047189A2
Application number: PCT/US2013/060426
Authority: WO
Inventors: Benjamin Waldman; Zachary WALDMAN
Original assignee: Mumm.Com
Priority date: 2012-09-19
Filing date: 2013-09-18
Publication date: 2014-03-27
Also published as: WO2014047189A3

Abstract

A method for receiving feedback from a plurality of users includes providing a user interface executing on an electronic device, the interface displaying a portion of each of a first and second image, the portion of each of the first and second image positioned next to each other separated by a slider, the slider configured such that when the slider is moved in a first direction, the first direction being towards the first image, more of the portion of the second image is displayed. The method further includes detecting that the slider was moved in the first direction. The method further includes determining that the second image was chosen, based on the detecting that the slider was moved in the first direction.

Description

SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR CROWD SOURCING DECISION MAKING

BACKGROUND

Social media allows users to share their opinions with others. However, a convenient and easy way to setup aggregate, collate and tabulate user preference data with intuitive controls (especially those usable with smart phones) that may work in the context of social media and can be created on any topic is not currently available.

SUMMARY

Disclosed herein are embodiments of Systems And Methods for Crowd Sourcing Decision Making, hereinafter referred to as "MuMM." Every day we make thousands of choices: some big, some small. MuMM (which stands for Make Up My Mind) leverages the responsiveness of social interaction to get help and help others in making decisions.

In one embodiment, a method for receiving feedback from a plurality of users includes providing a user interface executing on an electronic device, the interface displaying a portion of each of a first and second image, the portion of each of the first and second image positioned next to each other separated by a slider, the slider configured such that when the slider is moved in a first direction, the first direction being towards the first image, more of the portion of the second image is displayed. The method further includes detecting that the slider was moved in the first direction. The method further includes determining that the second image was chosen, based on the detecting that the slider was moved in the first direction. Optionally, the first and second images represent a choice of the user. In one configuration, the method further includes receiving a "confirm" indication prior to the determining that the second image was chosen. In one alternative, the method further includes detecting that the slider was moved in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and activating a purchase option based on the detecting that the slider was moved in a second direction. Optionally, the method includes detecting that the slider was moved in a second direction opposite of the first direction and displaying more of the portion of the first image. In one embodiment, the method includes transmitting an indicator that the second image was chosen to an aggregator; increasing a count representative of choices of the second image; and calculating which of the first and second image was chosen more often. In one alternative, the user interface displays a portion of each of a third and fourth image, the portion of each of the third and fourth image positioned next to each other separated by a second slider, the second slider configured such that when the second slider is moved in a second direction, the second direction being towards the third image, more of the portion of the fourth image is displayed, wherein the third and fourth image are of similar subject matter as the first and second image, and the third and fourth image are part of an advertisement. Optionally, the slider may be moved to display all of the first image and when the slider is moved to display all of the first image, a video associated with the first image is played. Alternatively, the slider may be moved to display all of the first image and when the slider is moved to display all of the first image, music associated with the first image is played.

In another embodiment, a method of presenting a choice on a smart device includes presenting a first MuMM frame, the first MuMM frame including a first and second overlaid image, the first MuMM frame displaying the first image on a first side of a slider and the second image on the second side of the slider, wherein the slider is movable.

The method further includes receiving an indication that a user has moved the slider in a first direction, the first direction towards the first side of the slider. The method further includes displaying more of the second image based on receiving the indication. The method further includes determining that the user has selected the second image based on a position of the slider. In one configuration, the method includes presenting a second MuMM frame, the second MuMM frame related to the first MuMM frame based on the subject matter of the first and second overlaid image of the first MuMM frame. Optionally, the second MuMM frame is provided by an advertiser.

In another embodiment, a method of creating a MuMM frame using a smart device includes providing a first and second image, the first and second image each representative of a choice. The method further includes providing a question or statement explaining the choice represented by the first and second image. The method further includes providing one or more recipients to receive the MuMM frame. The method further includes creating a MuMM frame having a first and second overlaid image, the first MuMM frame displaying the first image on a first side of a slider and the second image on the second side of the slider, wherein the slider is movable, the position of the slider representative of a response of a user.

Optionally, the method includes providing an indication of an orientation of the MuMM frame. In one alternative, the one or more recipients are connections on a social network. In one configuration, the one or more recipients are individuals.

In another embodiment, a system for presenting a choice on a smart device includes a server and an application running on the smart device of a user, the application configured to receive a first MuMM frame from the server, the first MuMM frame including a first and second overlaid image, the first MuMM frame displaying the first image on a first side of a slider and the second image on the second side of the slider, wherein the slider is movable. The application is further configured to receive an indication that a user has moved the slider in a first direction, the first direction towards the first side of the slider, displaying more of the second image based on receiving the indication; determining that the user has selected a selection of the second image based on a position of the slider. The application is further configured to send the selection to the server, the server configured to receive the selection, and tabulate the response to the first MuMM frame. Optionally, the server is configured to provide a second MuMM frame to the application. In one configuration, the second MuMM frame is provided by an advertiser. Alternatively, the second MuMM frame is selected based on the subject matter of the first MuMM frame. Optionally, a profile of the user receiving the first and second MuMM frame is also utilized to determine the second MuMM frame. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 shows an example of one embodiment of a MuMM system;

Figs. 2a and 2b show an example of a MuMM interface for voting on a choice;

Fig. 3 shows an example of an interface for designing a MuMM choice;

Fig. 4 shows an example of an interface for choosing images for a MuMM choice; Fig. 5 shows an example of an interface for zooming and centering an image for a MuMM choice;

Fig. 6 shows an interface for receiving additional information concerning the MuMM choice; Fig. 7 shows an example of a review interface for a MuMM system; Fig. 8 shows an example of a MuMM; Fig. 9 shows the example of Fig. 8 where the slider has been moved; and Fig. 10 shows an example of a profile page for the user of a MuMM system.

DESCRIPTION

In one embodiment, MuMM provides a set of interfaces with which a user can interact. A first set of MuMM interfaces provides a system for allowing a user to capture information about a choice on which the user desires feedback. A second set of interfaces provides for users to provide feedback on a choice posted by another user. A third set of interfaces allows a user to search for and review previous choices posted by other users, which may or may not already be resolved.

The three sets of interfaces of a MuMM system, as well as alternative additional interfaces, may be designed to execute on a variety of devices and in a variety of formats. Two common formats are designed to function on a smart phone (or other smart device, smart devices being devices having some sort of Internet connectivity through WiFi, wireless WANs, mobile networks, etc., and those devices enabled to load applications designed for their native operating systems, such as android devices [including tablets] or iphone/ipod/ipad-like devices) and a browser of a personal computer.

The first set of interfaces, referred to herein as "capture/post interfaces," allows the user to capture and post information concerning a choice they desire to present. Posting a MuMM is simple - take a photo of choice A, then a photo of choice B; tag, title, and post. A MuMM can be sent to a specific person, a group of friends, an entire social network, or even the whole MuMM community. MuMMs post to Facebook and/or Twitter automatically and allow users to receive immediate feedback from their audience. Fig. 1 shows an example of a MuMM system 100. A user utilizing smart phone 1 12, tablet 1 14, or laptop 1 16 (either utilizing a wireless connection or a wired connection) captures information concerning two options of a choice. Utilizing a smart phone 112 or tablet 1 14, the user may take a first and second picture of two options. The user may tag the first and second picture with a descriptor, present a title in the form of a question, and then post the choice to the MuMM system. The MuMM system provides a variety of interfaces to enable this function to occur easily. The MuMM system, in some alternatives, may be provided control of the camera of the smart system, such that picture taking occurs through the MuMM app installed on the smart device. Alternatively, the user may access stored pictures in the memory of the smart device and load them into the MuMM system. After all of the information concerning the choice is uploaded through the various networks including a wireless network 106 and the Internet 118 (or other network), the MuMM server 124, virtual server, or group of servers receives the request for the posting of a choice. Alternatively, a user may go through a similar process using a laptop 116, computer 120, or other computing device. The user may access MuMM through a GUI 122 running on a browser or may utilize a separate MuMM application. Since laptop 1 16 and computer 120 are likely to have limited picture taking capabilities, it is likely that the user will obtain images from another source, such as a camera, smart phone, or online image source, and upload into the MuMM system.

The MuMM server 124 receives communications from the various systems utilizing the MuMM system. The MuMM server provides for storing postings of choices, the responses users give, user account and profile information, user presets, and generally all information submitted to and used by the MuMM system. The MuMM server calculates voting percentages, etc. In some configurations, the MuMM system may also collect user demographic information. In some configurations, the MuMM system may collect other information that may occur to those skilled in the art in light of this disclosure, including but not limited to other variables such as demographic, time-of-day, location, and past category preferences. The MuMM system, in some embodiments, may be configured to automatically provide statistics, graphs, or other analyses related to these or other demographic or other identifying information. Therefore, a user may be presented with or may select for calculation, the number of people who are estimated or known to be a certain age and their MuMM choice for example. Once a post is created and shared with a group of the user's choice, the users may access the post and vote. Figs. 2a and 2b show an example of a MuMM interface for voting on a choice. The interface presents a window 210 (may be referred to as a "MuMM frame") with a slider 215 that may be oriented horizontally as shown or vertically. Two images 220, 225 that were chosen by the user are shown. These images are representative of the choice presented. In additional to images being presented, images representative of videos or music or other type of media content may be presented. Additional information about the choices may be accessed via the information button 230. The information button 230 may provide information entered by the user or, alternatively, may activate a web search for the item or present another type of information (in the case of products, it may be specially presented advertisements/ information from the vendor). The slider 215 may be dragged left and right. During dragging, it will reveal more or less of the two images 220, 225 representing each choice. Title or question 235 presents the choice in the user's words. As shown, the starting point for the choice may be not right in the middle and may be shifted depending on which option has been more often selected by users. Alternatively, it may be presented in the middle. Bubble 245 shows what percentage of voters have voted for the winning choice. Comments may be entered and read by users at comment block 240. This version of a MuMM interface also shows a targeted MuMM ad 250 (sometimes referred to as "mini- MuMMs") having a slider 255, based on the choice presented. In this case, the ad offers a similar type of MuMM choice as the primary MuMM choice. In Fig. 2b, after the choice is made, the statistics of the other is shown. The choose 260 and reset 265 buttons are shown as well, allowing the user to lock in their choice or reset the system. Voting on a MuMM is fun and easy. Each MuMM shows a box in which the two pictures are framed, divided by a viewing pane, which allows a user to slide between the two photos. Slide to reveal the full photo of the choice of the user and then simply tap the choose button. Alternatively, upon pulling the slider the whole way, the choice may be locked-in. A user also can leave a comment and read the comments of others once the user has voted. In some alternatives, users who respond earn points, rewards, and incentives based on the frequency, speed, influence of their answers, and other performance criteria. Alternatively to sliding, the user may simply double tap on the selection of their choice. In some embodiments, the user may slide the slider 215 in a direction perpendicular to the slide direction for revealing photos. In Fig. 2a, this would be in the upward or downward direction. This action may automatically link the user to a purchase site for one or more of the items shown. In the case of mini-MuMMs or advertiser sponsored MuMMs, this may be to the site of the vendor for which the advertiser is advertising. Alternatively, a buy option may be provided after a selection is locked in. Alternatively, the user may slide and tap to vote, when using a smart phone or other touch interface.

In the case where videos or music (or other multimedia) are the selected for the MuMM images, 220, 225, various schemes are possible for starting the play of music or video. In one configuration, the music or video related to the displayed images may not begin until a choice is finalized; either by double clicking, sliding the bar completely in one direction, or clicking choose. In another embodiment, play of the music or video begins when the bar is slid fully to one side or the other, but before the choice is locked in. In another configuration, the video or music starts playing when the bar is dragged a set percentage to one side or the other. In another configuration, the video or music starts playing as soon as the bar is slid to one side or the other. The further the user slides the bar to one side, the greater the volume for the song or video. In another configuration, the video or music begins to play as soon as the user slides the slide bar in the direction of one of the videos or music. There currently exists no application that offers the ease of use, unique interactive experience, and, most importantly, a strict focus on binary visual choice other than MuMM. MuMM gives the user an elegant and intuitive interface that guides the user experience and makes it both simple and powerful. MuMM'ing attempts to redefine the process of asking friends for advice.

Capturing consumer data for vendors is critical. MuMM's power lies in the many ways it can be adapted. Besides the usual "what bag should I buy?" or "which menu item should I get?", the concept offers brands and influencers a creative way to engage and interact with their followers in a way that's both simple and fun but also adds a layer of interactivity that makes it more intimate than simply sharing a single photo. MuMM's methodology to combine the MuMM slider functionality into a keyword-based advertising model offers a visually seamless integration of advertising into the platform.

Advertisers can integrate MuMM into media broadcasts to collect real time data on viewer/listener preferences. Advertisers can be a part of the MuMM user experience in a number of ways :

Sponsored MuMMs: By sponsoring MuMMs, brand owners can do real time A/B testing on products, features, or specifications. Sponsored MuMMs are an organic part of the user experience and are not segregated off in areas of the screen that web and mobile users have been conditioned to ignore. Mimi-MuMMs: Advertisers can propogate mini-MuMMs (smaller versions of full MuMMs) in the space immediately below actual user MuMMs. Mini MuMMs are generated using the demographic, time-of-day, and keyword data that are part of every MuMM feed. These Mini-MuMMs are fully interactive and will generate their own set of user response data.

QR Codes: Print and outdoor advertisers can integrate the MuMM experience by utilizing a QR code into the display ad. Users scanning a QR code will be taken to the MuMM on their mobile device for direct and immediate interaction.

The benefits to advertisers using MuMM in conjunction with traditional advertising modalities are immediacy, contextual interaction, and real time data collection. These advantages have been promised to advertisers in the past, but the technology to realize them was either unavailable or too costly to implement. MuMM leverages mobile's ubiquity and low cost to make these dreams a reality.

The following description and related Figures provide an example of a MuMM setup. Fig. 3 shows an example of an interface for designing a MuMM choice. The user asked what layout they desired, horizontal 310 or vertical 320. In Fig. 4, the user selects images to present. The user may either select Take Picture button 410 or Choose Picture button 420. If Take Picture button 410 is selected, the MuMM system may control the camera of the device and capture and load pictures automatically into the MuMM system. Otherwise, locally stored images will be accessible through Choose Picture button 420.

After a picture is captured or selected, the user may zoom or center the picture as shown in Fig. 5 according to touch gesture techniques which are commonly used in smart phones and other touch interfaces. Fig. 6 shows an interface for receiving additional information concerning the MuMM choice, including title 610, description 620, tags 630, expiration 640, and groups 650 which will receive notification, such as Facebook friends 660, or Twitter or email lists (not shown). The expiration 640 button allows the user to set the time period for which the MuMM frame poll is open. In many cases, the user may soon have to make a decision; therefore, responses are only helpful for a set period of time. The title and description may be used for the matching of targeted ads or targeted advertising MuMMs. The user is presented the completed post to review in Fig. 7 before posting. Fig. 8 shows an example of a MuMM and the use of the slider 810. As shown, the slider 810 is positioned between the two images 820, 830. As the user slides the slider 810 downwards, as shown in Fig. 9, more of the image 820 is shown compared to image 830.

Fig. 10 shows a profile page for the user of a MuMM system, which provides the user the opportunity to view their profile 1010, edit their profile 1020, change their password 1030, and log out 1040. The user may also find friends to follow through Facebook 1050, Twitter 1060, email accounts, or other sources. If a user follows a person, they will receive updates for when that person posts a MuMM. In some configurations, the user may limit who sees a MuMM they post. Some possible limits may include only providing access to followers, only providing access to a selected individual or group, only providing access to a subgroup, or only providing access to a default group.

Users may search the MuMM system for previously posted MuMM frame choices relating to their decision. These other MuMM frame choices may be linked automatically by the MuMM system to presently presented MuMM frames.

The MuMM system allows users to quickly receive information regarding a question presented. The slide bar is believed to be an intuitive selector that provides positive feedback as the selection is made by showing more of the image representative of the option selected. In this way, the user is encouraged to make more responses. Various embodiments of systems and methods for MuMM may be implemented fully or partially in software and/or firmware. This software and/or firmware may take the form of instructions contained in or on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. Those instructions then may be read and executed by one or more processors to enable performance of the operations described herein. The instructions may be in any suitable form, such as, but not limited, to source code, compiled code, interpreted code, executable code, static code, dynamic code, and the like. Such a computer-readable medium may include any tangible non-transitory medium for storing information in a form readable by one or more computers, such as, but not limited to, read only memory (ROM); random access memory (RAM);

magnetic disk storage media; optical storage media; a flash memory, etc.

Embodiments of systems and methods for MuMM described herein may be implemented in a variety of systems, including, but not limited to, smartphones, tablets, laptops, and combinations of computing devices and cloud computing resources. For instance, portions of the operations may occur in one device, and other operations may occur at a remote location, such as a remote server or servers. For instance, the collection of the data may occur at a smartphone, and the data analysis may occur at a server or in a cloud computing resource. Any single computing device or combination of computing devices may execute the methods described.

The previous detailed description is of a small number of embodiments for implementing the MuMM system and is not intended to be limiting in scope. The following claims set forth a number of the embodiments of the MuMM system disclosed with greater particularity.

Claims

1. A method for receiving feedback from a plurality of users, comprising: providing a user interface executing on an electronic device, the interface displaying a portion of each of a first and second image, the portion of each of the first and second image positioned next to each other separated by a slider, the slider configured such that when the slider is moved in a first direction, the first direction being towards the first image, more of the portion of the second image is displayed;

detecting that the slider was moved in the first direction; and

determining that the second image was chosen, based on detecting that the slider was moved in the first direction.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the first and second image represent a choice of the user.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a confirm indication prior to the determining that the second image was chosen.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting that the slider was moved in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction; and

activating a purchase option based on detecting that the slider was moved in a second direction.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting that the slider was moved in a second direction opposite of the first direction; and

displaying more of the portion of the first image.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

transmitting an indicator that the second image was chosen to an aggregator; increasing a count representative of choices of the second image; and calculating which of the first and second images was chosen more often.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the user interface displays a portion of each of a third and fourth image, the portion of each of the third and fourth image positioned next to each other separated by a second slider, the second slider configured such that when the second slider is moved in a second direction, the second direction being towards the third image, more of the portion of the fourth image is displayed, wherein the third and fourth image are of similar subject matter as the first and second image and the third and fourth image are part of an advertisement.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the slider may be moved to display all of the first image and when the slider is moved to display all of the first image, a video associated with the first image is played.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the slider may be moved to display all of the first image and when the slider is moved to display all of the first image, music associated with the first image is played.

10. A method of presenting a choice on a smart device, the method comprising:

presenting a first MuMM frame, the first MuMM frame including a first and second overlaid image, the first MuMM frame displaying the first image on a first side of a slider and the second image on the second side of the slider, wherein the slider is movable;

receiving an indication that a user has moved the slider in a first direction, the first direction towards the first side of the slider;

displaying more of the second image based on receiving the indication; and determining that the user has selected the second image based on a position of the slider.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

presenting a second MuMM frame, the second MuMM frame related to the first MuMM frame based on the subject matter of the first and second overlaid image of the first MuMM frame.

12. The method of claim 1 1 wherein the second MuMM frame is provided by an advertiser.

13. A method of creating a MuMM frame using a smart device, the method comprising:

providing a first and second image, the first and second image each representative of a choice;

providing a question or statement explaining the choice represented by the first and second images;

providing one or more recipients to receive the MuMM frame;

creating a MuMM frame having a first and second overlaid image, the first MuMM frame displaying the first image on a first side of a slider and the second image on the second side of the slider, wherein the slider is movable, and the position of the slider representative of a response of a user.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising providing an indication of an orientation of the MuMM frame.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein the one or more recipients are connections on a social network.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein the one or more recipients is an individual.

17. A system for presenting a choice on a smart device, the system comprising:

a server;

an application running on the smart device of a user, the application configured to receive a first MuMM frame from the server, the first MuMM frame including a first and second overlaid image, the first MuMM frame displaying the first image on a first side of a slider and the second image on the second side of the slider, wherein the slider is movable;

the application further configured to receive an indication that a user has moved the slider in a first direction, the first direction towards the first side of the slider, display more of the second image based on the receiving the indication; determining that the user has selected a selection of the second image based on a position of the slider; and

application further configured to send the selection to the server, the server configured to receive the selection and tabulate the response to the first MuMM frame.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the server is configured to provide a second MuMM frame to the application.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the second MuMM frame is provided by an advertiser.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein the second MuMM frame is selected based on the subject matter of the first MuMM frame.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein a profile of the user receiving the first and second MuMM frame is also utilized to determine the second MuMM frame.