JP2002073887A - System and method of obtaining answer to question - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To facilitate the input of a result of the choice by an answerer to plural choice type questions. SOLUTION: A question form with the tree-display having each choice to plural questions step by step is distributed to answerers. The answerer chooses the own choice in order from a root to a leaf (terminal) of the tree-display. A leaf node as a result of arrival is a representative display item 130a or 130b representing the combination of the chosen plural choices. Each representative display item 130a and 130b is printed with the combination codes 140a and 140b showing the combination of the choices. The answerer inputs the URL 150 displayed in the question form into a browser, and inputs the combination code into an answer input web page obtained as a result. A device, which receives this combination code, obtains the combination of the original choices by decoding the code, and registers it in the data base.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a system for collecting answers such as questionnaire surveys and registering the answers in a database, and more particularly to improving the workability of inputting answers to a number of question items.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A system in which a respondent answers several selectable question items, information of options selected by the respondent in each question item is registered in a database or the like, and a system used for subsequent processing is a questionnaire. It is used in various fields such as research and order reception. In recent years, with the spread of the Internet, web pages created using CGI (Common Gateway Interface) or Java are provided to users, and the user selects options for each question item on the web pages. Is transmitted to a web server. Also, as a system using a telephone, there is well known a system in which a user is informed of a question item and an option thereof by voice, and an option selected by the user is input using a number button of a touch phone.

[0003] Further, as a prior art relating to a questionnaire survey using a communication network, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 0-122997, "Network-distributed Question Investigation System, Its Investigation Method, and Storage Medium in Which Question Investigation Program is Stored", and JP-A-11-282828, "Automatic Appropriate Questionnaire Item Reproduction Apparatus and Medium" . The former displays a question item on a web page, and responds to the question item by the respondent,
It discloses a mechanism that dynamically and automatically composes the content of questions displayed on subsequent web pages. The latter discloses an apparatus that uses a DB that hierarchically stores question items and analysis results of a questionnaire conducted in the past and determines the configuration of a questionnaire to be used in the future according to the past analysis results.

[0004]

In the input of a response such as a questionnaire survey using a web page including the above-described prior art, the respondent clicks a check box on a desired one of a plurality of options. In general, a method is specified by selecting from a pull-down menu, and the operation is repeated one question at a time. In the case of such a method, operations such as clicking a desired option one by one or selecting from a pull-down menu, scrolling screens and switching display pages when advancing answers, etc.
Respondents could be confused and, in some cases, discouraged from responding. This problem was remarkable especially when there were many question items. In addition, answer input according to voice guidance over the phone etc. is not easy in responding to respondents, such as being unable to return to the previous question item or taking a long time to answer if there are many question items. There was a problem.

The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a system and a method capable of reducing a burden on a respondent to answer a plurality of multiple-choice question items.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention uses a questionnaire in which possible combinations of options of a multiple choice question item are graphically displayed. Then, a unique combination code is given to each combination of the options, and the combination code is associated with a representative display item of the corresponding combination displayed on the questionnaire. When the respondent selects an option for each question item on the questionnaire, the combination code is reached. The respondent inputs this combination code to the answer acquiring device. The answer acquiring device decodes the combination code to obtain a combination of options selected by the respondent.

[0007] A question and answer acquisition system according to the present invention includes a database for storing information on a survey target and a question for storing question definition data defining each of multiple-choice question items corresponding to each information item of the information on the survey target. It includes a definition storage unit, a questionnaire creation device, and an answer acquisition device.
The questionnaire creating device generates a combination of the plurality of choice-type question item options from the question definition data, and assigns a unique combination code to each combination.
A questionnaire composing means for graphically displaying each combination of the options, and forming a questionnaire in which a combination code assigned to the combination is associated with a representative display item representing each combination; A correspondence table creating means for creating a correspondence table indicating a correspondence relationship with the combination. On the other hand, the answer acquisition device uses the code acquisition means for acquiring the combination code representing the combination of the options selected by the respondent in the questionnaire, and the acquired combination code using the correspondence table created by the questionnaire creation device. Decoding is provided with a selection result specifying means for specifying a combination of options selected by the respondent, and an answer registration means for registering data of each option selected by the respondent included in the specified combination in a database. .

[0008]

Embodiments of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as embodiments) will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing the overall configuration of a question and answer obtaining system according to the present invention. This system is a series of systems for creating a questionnaire and collecting responses from respondents. This system can be used, for example, for collecting customer information for business activities of a company and for providing various services to the customers associated therewith. Of course, the field of application of the system of the present invention is not limited to this, but for the sake of convenience of description, the description will be given taking an example of application to customer information collection of a company as an example.

As shown in FIG. 1, the system according to the present embodiment roughly includes a storage device 10 and a questionnaire creating device 20.
And the answer acquisition device 30. The system also provides questionnaires to respondents (such as customers or potential customers), accepts answers to those questionnaires, and provides further services to respondents in response to the answers. User interface mechanism for The illustrated web server 40, printing device 42,
The optical reading device 44, the FAX device 46, and the like are examples.

The storage device 10 has a database (DB) 1
2 and a question definition storage unit 14.

The database 12 stores names, genders, ages,
It is a database that stores attribute information of individual customers such as preferences. This database 12 need not be dedicated to the present system. For example, the system according to the present embodiment uses CRM (Customer Relation Management).
It constitutes a subsystem of the system or other larger customer management system, and a configuration in which the database 12 is shared with other subsystems is also possible. In the database 12, as shown in FIG. 2, information items such as a customer ID, a name, a gender, and an age group are registered for each customer (including a potential customer who has just answered a questionnaire or the like). Some of these information items are automatically provided by a customer management system, such as a customer ID.
Some may be manually entered by a sales representative or the like, and some may be automatically registered by a questionnaire using the question and answer acquisition system of the present embodiment. In the example of FIG. 2, for the items of gender and age group, selectable question items are prepared, and the information can be acquired and registered using this system.

On the other hand, the question definition storage unit 14 stores question definition data defining the contents of a multiple-choice question item corresponding to each item of customer attribute information managed by the database 12.

FIG. 3 shows an example of the question definition data. In this example, the question definition data includes an ID (question ID), an item name (corresponding item) of the database 12 corresponding to the question, and a questionnaire for each of the multiple-choice question items prepared in the present system. Four items are defined: the content of the question to be asked and a plurality of options that can be selected as the answer to the question. For example, in the question item Q1 for asking a gender, two choices of the identification name of the information item of the corresponding database 12 “sex”, “What is your gender?”, And male or female are defined. If you can easily understand the intent of the question simply by listing the available options,
It is also possible not to display "question contents" on the questionnaire. Note that information items automatically added by the customer management system, such as customer IDs, and information items, such as customer names, that cannot be obtained by a multiple-choice question, include the question definition data
4 is not included.

The question definition data 14 can be incorporated into schema definition data that defines the data structure of the database 12. That is, among the information items managed by the database 12, for the items for which information can be obtained with the prepared multiple-choice question item, the question ID of the multiple-choice question item corresponding to the item is registered in the schema definition, etc. It is. The choices of the selectable question item are a set of possible values of the corresponding customer attribute information item.

The questionnaire creation device 20 is a device for creating a questionnaire to be provided to a respondent (ie, a customer or a potential customer). The questionnaire created in the present embodiment is a diagram in which possible combinations of a plurality of choice-type question item options are schematically displayed using a tree diagram or a combination of two-dimensional tables. In the system of the present embodiment, a unique combination code is assigned to each of the possible combinations of options. The questionnaire is associated with a unique combination code for each combination of options. The way of association differs depending on the display medium of the questionnaire. For example, when the questionnaire is printed on paper or the like, the combination code is printed and displayed in the form of a visible code such as a character string in association with a representative display item representing a combination of options. When the questionnaire is provided as a web page, the combination code is electronically associated with a representative display item representing a combination of options.

For example, FIG. 4 shows an example of a paper questionnaire in which combinations of options of three selectable question items are displayed in a tree diagram format. This example is a questionnaire when a travel agency proposes a travel plan to a customer. The root node 100 of the tree is not a question, but a likely plan determined from the past travel trends of the customer stored in the travel agency's database. On the other hand, the nodes 110a to 110 at the next stage
c represents three options of a first-stage question item, that is, a question regarding an activity (travel event) proposed to the customer. Next stage nodes 120a, 120
b and the like represent two options of a second-stage question item for asking a desired accommodation facility. Since this questionnaire employs a tree diagram format, each of the three option nodes in the first stage is connected to the two option nodes in the second stage. Nodes 130a and 130b represent two options of a third-stage question item for asking whether to apply for a monitor plan provided by a travel agency. Second
Each option node of the stage is connected to two option nodes of the third stage, respectively. The combination of possible choices as answers to these three-step question items is 3 × 2 × 2
= 12 ways, and using a tree diagram, each of these combinations can be specified by the node (leaf) at the end (leaf) of the tree (eg, nodes 130a and 130b in the example of FIG. 4). Thus, in the tree diagram display, leaf nodes are used as representative display items representing combinations of options.
Then, the combination codes (140a, 140b, etc.) assigned to each combination are displayed near the leaf node. In this example, the combination code is represented by a character string, and the character string is printed. Also, in order to clarify the correspondence between the option combination and the combination code, an arrow is connected between the leaf node of each combination and the display of the combination code.

In the present embodiment, when inputting an answer to a question, the respondent selects a plurality of selection formulas while following a graphical display such as a tree diagram shown on a questionnaire or tracing with a finger. Make selections for the question items. That is, the selection result is not input for each question item, but a combination of the selection results (that is, the selected options) of all the question items is obtained. In the example of the tree diagram of FIG. 4,
The leaf node 130a or 130b finally reached by selecting options at each stage represents a combination of the selected options. The respondent reads the combination code (140a, 140b, etc.) shown in association with the representative display item (the leaf node 130a in the example of FIG. 4) representing the selected combination of options, and inputs the code as an answer. . That is, in the present embodiment, it is not necessary to input the selection result of each option one by one as in a conventional questionnaire on a web page, and the selection results of all the question items displayed on the questionnaire are changed. It can be input using one combination code.

When a questionnaire similar to that shown in FIG. 4 is provided to a respondent as a web page, a combination code 140a, 14
0b does not always need to be displayed visually. For example, when the leaf node 130a is electronically associated with the combination code 140a and the respondent selects the leaf node 130a by a mouse click operation or the like, the electronically associated combination code is transmitted to the web server. A mechanism is also possible.

In the above, an example of the questionnaire used in this embodiment and its function have been described. In order to create such a questionnaire and enable analysis of the answer using the questionnaire, the questionnaire creating device 20 includes a code allocating unit 22, a questionnaire forming unit 24, and a correspondence table creating unit 26. I have.

The code allocating unit 22 includes a question definition storing unit 14
For a plurality of multiple-choice question items registered in the question definition data, generate a combination of possible choices,
A unique combination code is assigned to each of the generated combinations. Known codes such as a hash method can be used to generate a unique code.

The questionnaire forming unit 24 generates questionnaire data in which each combination of the options generated by the code allocating unit 22 is graphically displayed by using a display method such as a tree diagram in FIG. Further, the questionnaire configuration unit 24 associates the combination code assigned to the combination with the representative display item representing each combination of the options in the graphical display. For example, when distributing a questionnaire as a paper document, this association is performed so that the visible image representing the combination code can be identified so that the corresponding representative display item can be identified (for example, placed near or connected by a line). It is realized by arranging. When the questionnaire is provided as a web page, a method of associating a combination code with a corresponding representative display item using a tag description such as HTML is possible. The questionnaire data configured in this manner describes the information of the graphical display of each combination of options and the information of the combination code corresponding to each combination.

The correspondence table creation unit 26 creates a correspondence table indicating the correspondence between combinations of options displayed on the questionnaire and the combination codes assigned to the combinations. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of the created correspondence table. In this table, for each combination code, each question item (Q1, Q
2, ...) are registered. For example, the combination code "0358" indicates that the selection result of the question Q1 is
The selection result of 2 is option a, the selection result of Q3 is option β,
.. Corresponds to the combination of options. The created correspondence table is provided to the response acquisition device 30.

The questionnaire creation device 20 includes a target designation input unit 28 and a narrowing condition input unit 29. These are means for receiving input of conditions for customizing the questionnaire.

The target specification input unit 28 is a means for receiving a specification of a customer to be investigated by a questionnaire from a questionnaire designer. When creating a questionnaire for a specific customer as in the example of the questionnaire shown in FIG. 4, the target customer is designated using the target designation input unit 28. As described above, when the survey target is designated through the target designation input unit 28, the questionnaire forming unit 24 acquires the customer information of the designated customer from the database 12, and the data is still registered in the customer information. Extract information items that have not been done. Then, of these attribute information items for which data has not been registered, those for which a selectable question item is prepared are extracted, and questionnaire data in which question items for only the extracted items are graphically displayed is created. That is, among the question items registered in the question definition data, those whose data contents are already known by some means are not displayed on the questionnaire. This reduces the number of questions and makes it easier for the respondent to answer. In this case, the combination code may be unique in consideration of the value of the information item already registered in the data (that is, the already selected result), or may be a unique combination code of the question item displayed in the questionnaire. It may be unique among the combinations.

For example, at a call center, an inquiry is received from a customer by telephone, and at that time, simple information such as the customer's name, address, and product of interest is heard, and a direct mail is sent according to the information. Well done. In such a business, if the information heard at the call center is registered in the database 12,
When the customer-specific questionnaire is created, by specifying the customer with the target designation input unit 28, a questionnaire appropriate for the customer can be configured in consideration of the information of the customer in the database 12.

The narrowing-down condition input unit 29 is means for receiving designation of a narrowing-down condition for a survey by a questionnaire from a questionnaire designer. The narrowing-down condition is specified by specifying options of some question items among the multiple-choice question items registered in the question definition data. That is, the narrowing-down condition is a set of a pair of a question item and an option specified for the question item.
If the distribution target of the questionnaire is determined in advance, a narrowing-down condition for specifying the distribution target may be specified from the narrowing-down condition input unit 29. Taking the questionnaire creation using the question definition data of FIG. 3 as an example, when creating a questionnaire to be distributed to men aged 20 to 30, the choice of the question item Q1 is “male” and the choice of the question item Q2 is Is specified as “20 to 30”, the narrowing-down condition is specified. When the narrowing conditions are designated in this way, the questionnaire forming unit 24 generates a combination of options from among the multiple choice question items included in the question definition data, excluding the question items included in the narrowing condition. Then, the questionnaire data is displayed in a graphical form. Here, the question items included in the narrowing-down conditions are not graphically displayed for the option combinations, but are reflected in the combination codes. That is, the combination code is assigned to all the question items included in the question definition data so as to be unique for possible combinations of options. Then, for only the combinations to be displayed on the questionnaire, the combination codes are displayed. By doing so, the answer collecting side can obtain information on the selection results for all the question items specified in the question definition data, using only the combination code. Therefore, the questionnaire for men in their twenties and the questionnaire for women in their thirties have exactly the same graphical display of the combinations of options displayed, but have different combination codes corresponding to each combination. Become.

For example, when distributing a questionnaire at several places such as a station or a convenience store, if a unique combination code is given in consideration of the distribution place, the collected answers can be used at any distribution place. It is possible to identify the answer to the distributed questionnaire. Information such as the number of responses and the response rate for each distribution location, or the correlation between the distribution location and responses to other question items, etc., can be important marketing information.

The function of the questionnaire creating device 20 has been described above. The questionnaire data created by the questionnaire creation device 20 is printed out and distributed by the printing device 42 for paper media. On the other hand, the questionnaire data to be posted on the web page is registered in the web server 40, and is placed in a state that can be browsed by customers.

Next, the answer acquiring device 30 will be described.
The answer acquiring device 30 accepts the answer from the respondent to the distributed questionnaire, and stores the answer content in the database 1.
Register in 2. The answer acquiring device 30 accepts an answer to the questionnaire as a combination code. Answer acquisition device 3
0 includes a code acquisition unit 32, a decoding unit 34, a correspondence table storage unit 36, and an answer data registration unit 38.

The code acquisition unit 32 acquires a combination code specified by the respondent. Here, in the system of the present embodiment, several means are assumed as means for receiving a response (that is, a combination code) from a respondent.

First, as a means for receiving a response to a paper questionnaire, a response web page prepared in the web server 40, a FAX device 46, an optical reading device 44, and the like are prepared. The answer web page is a web page for inputting a combination code. If the URL of the page is described in a paper questionnaire (or another document distributed at the same time), the respondent can use the URL to access the answer web page. And respondents:
In the code entry field shown on the answer page, enter the combination code that you have selected on the paper questionnaire. Then, the input combination code is passed from the web server 40 to the code acquisition unit of the answer acquisition device 30.

A combination code indicating a combination of options selected by a respondent in a paper questionnaire may be marked with a circle or the like and transmitted to the FAX device 46 or mailed. . In any case, the questionnaire is read by the optical reading device 44 and the code acquisition unit 32
Identifies the combination code marked by the image recognition processing from the questionnaire image. Note that, in order to enable this image recognition processing, the questionnaire creation device 20 is required in advance.
On the side (for example, the questionnaire forming unit 24), code arrangement data indicating which combination code is arranged at which position in the created questionnaire is created, and the data is stored in the answer acquisition device 3.
It may be stored in 0. In this case as well, the fax number and address information of the questionnaire destination may be described in the questionnaire and other documents distributed at the same time.

Although not shown, it is also possible to provide an automatic telephone receiving device for receiving the combination code. The respondent calls the telephone number printed on the questionnaire, reads the questionnaire, and enters the combination code of his choice in dial tone in accordance with the voice guidance of the reception device, thereby entering the combination code. Can be entered. The combination code acquired by the receiving device is also passed to the code acquisition unit 32.

The operator may manually read the combination code marked on the questionnaire sent by facsimile or mail, and may manually input the combination code heard by the operator over the telephone. Of course, it is possible.

When the questionnaire is distributed as a web page, the combination code associated with the representative display item (for example, a leaf node of the tree) clicked on by the respondent on the page is set via the web server 40. It is sent to the acquisition unit 32.

The decoding unit 34 decodes the combination code acquired by the code acquisition unit 32 and returns the combination code to the combination of options of each of the multiple-choice question items. For this decoding process, the response acquisition device 30 stores the correspondence table created by the questionnaire creation device 20 in the correspondence table storage unit 36. Decoding section 3
4 indicates the choice of each question item corresponding to the combination code,
Read from the correspondence table.

The answer data registration unit 38 includes a decoding unit 34
Is registered in the database 12. For example, in the example of the questionnaire shown in FIG.
It can be identified by the user name 152 and the password 154 displayed on the questionnaire attached to the URL 150 of the answer web page. In this case, the respondent accesses the response web page using the URL 150 and inputs the user name 152 and password 154 to log in to the combination code input page. Therefore, the web server 40 can identify which customer the respondent is based on the user name 152 and the password 154, and obtain the customer ID. Then, the combination of options of the decoding result is registered in each item of the customer attribute information corresponding to the customer ID. When the questionnaire is optically read, the customer ID may be embedded in the questionnaire with a barcode or other visible code. When accepting an answer by the automatic telephone accepting apparatus, the customer may input a customer ID (printed on a questionnaire) in dial tone in addition to the combination code. In addition, such as anonymous questionnaire surveys,
In a survey application that does not require the name of each customer, a new customer ID is stored in the database 12 every time a response is obtained from a respondent.
An entry of D may be generated, and a decoding result may be registered therein.

According to the decoding process using the correspondence table (see FIG. 5), the option selected for each question item can be known in association with the question ID of the question item. Therefore, the answer data registration unit 38 checks the question definition data (see FIG. 3) to determine which information item of the customer attribute information corresponds to the question ID, and, for that information item, You only need to register the value.

When the answer of the customer is registered in the database 12 in this manner, further information according to the content of the answer can be provided to the customer. For example, when the respondent selects the combination code "2A" in the questionnaire questionnaire of the travel guide of FIG. 4, a plan that meets the condition of "applying for a monitor plan, with the hotel being spacious and centered on the beach" is further added. Provide information to the respondent. There are several ways to provide this additional information. For example, when the combination code is received on a web page, a web page indicating the additional information may be provided from the web server 40. It is also possible to send additional information by direct mail or the like. In the questionnaire shown in FIG. 4, an option node 130x and a code 140x corresponding to the option node 130x are prepared for a case where the node does not correspond to any of the four stages of nodes (options). Code 14 for this
If 0x “00” is selected, other recommended plan information will be provided to the respondent.

Next, referring to FIG.
The procedure of the questionnaire creation process using 0 will be described. The question definition data in the database 12 and the question definition storage unit 14 are:
It is prepared in advance. In such a situation, first, an operator (for example, a person in charge of collecting customer information such as a surveyor or a salesperson) starts the questionnaire creation device 20 (S10). Then, the questionnaire creation device 20 reads the question definition data from the question definition storage unit 14 (S12),
Prepare to create a questionnaire. Here, when the same questionnaire creation device 20 supports questionnaires for a plurality of databases instead of one database 12, a specification of which database is targeted is received from the operator, and a question corresponding to the database is received. Read definition data.
Also, in a database having a large number of information items, it is often not necessary to check all the items for individual investigation purposes or purposes. In such a case, create question definition data that lists the necessary information items and the corresponding multiple-choice question items for each assumed survey purpose and intended use of the answer, and the operator selects It is configured so that it can be searched and used for the purpose / use. Also,
In this case, further, unnecessary question items in the retrieved question definition data are deleted, or information items not included in the question definition data (and corresponding question items) are newly added, so that the operator's It is also preferable to provide a user interface for editing the question definition data to meet the intention.

When the question definition data is obtained, the questionnaire creation device 20 asks the operator to narrow down the search target (S14) and, for example, to specify the search target (S1).
6) UI (user interface) for accepting
(A narrow-down condition input unit 29 and a target designation input unit 28) are provided. As a UI for designating the narrowing-down condition, for example, there is a mechanism for displaying a list of each selectable question item and its options in the question definition data, and accepting the designation of an option intended by the operator. In addition, U
As I, it is conceivable to accept input of information that can specify a survey target, such as a customer name and a customer ID.
It should be noted that the narrowing conditions are specified (S14), and the investigation target is specified (S
16) is not essential, and may be executed by the operator as necessary in consideration of the purpose of the questionnaire, etc., and the order of execution is arbitrary. However, if the survey target is specified (S
16), the questionnaire creation device 20 searches the database 12 for data on the designated survey target, and among the items of the data, the data whose values have already been registered;
Unregistered ones are distinguished (S18). If the investigation target is not specified (S16), S18 is not executed.

After inputting the narrowing-down conditions according to the creation intention and the designation of the investigation target (if necessary), the operator
Instruct the start of creation (composition) of the questionnaire. Then, based on the information of the question definition data, the narrowing conditions (if any), and the designated survey target (if any), the code allocating unit 22 determines the possible choices of each question item displayed on the questionnaire. All combinations are generated (S20), and a unique combination code is assigned to each combination (S22). As described above, the option of the question item specified by the narrowing condition is not included in the option to be displayed on the questionnaire, but is considered when assigning a unique combination code.

When the combination codes are assigned, the correspondence table creation unit 26 creates a correspondence table showing combinations of the codes and the corresponding options (S24). The created correspondence table is passed to the response acquisition device 30 and registered in the correspondence table storage unit 36. When the answer acquisition device 30 handles the answers of the questionnaire for a plurality of databases, the correspondence table is passed to the answer acquisition device 30 together with data specifying which database corresponds to which correspondence table. Note that, first of all, a unique combination code corresponding to all possible combinations on the question definition data is created and a correspondence table is created, which can be reused later. That is, if the correspondence table is stored in the questionnaire creation device 20 or the like, when a questionnaire is created for the same database 12 later, the combination code is assigned again (S2
There is no need to perform 2) or create a correspondence table (S24).

After the assignment of the combination codes (S22) is completed, the questionnaire forming unit 24 displays a UI for prompting the user to select the display format of the combination of options in the questionnaire, and receives the selection from the operator (S26). The display format of the option combinations is not limited to the tree diagram format described above.
Since there are various types (examples will be described later), if the questionnaire creation device 20 supports a plurality of display formats, a step of selecting the display format (S26) is provided. When the display format is selected, the questionnaire configuration unit 24 graphically displays the combination of the options generated in S20 in the display format, and represents a representative display item (a leaf node in the tree diagram) of each combination on the schematic display. Then, the questionnaire data is configured by visually or electronically associating the combination code determined in S22 with (S28). The questionnaire thus configured is provided to the customer in the form of a paper document printed by the printing device 42 or a web page registered in the web server 40 (S30).

In addition to the display format selection (S26),
It is also preferable to provide a UI for the operator to specify the arrangement order of the selective question items. In the case of a tree diagram, nodes closer to the root give a more important impression. For example, processing such as letting the operator specify the order of importance of question items, arranging options from the root to leaves in that order, etc. Can be considered. Of course, it is also preferable that the arrangement order of each question item can be individually specified.

Next, referring to FIG.
An example of the processing procedure will be described. In this example, the questionnaire is
For example, as a paper document in the form illustrated in FIG. 4, the document is sent to the customer by, for example, direct mail. The customer looks at the questionnaire and asks for a combination code of a desired combination of options. Then, the customer starts a browser on his / her personal computer and accesses the web page for answer input by inputting the URL 150, the user name 152, and the password 154 displayed on the questionnaire. Then, the answer acquisition device 30 transmits the data of the input web page to the customer's browser (S40). The input page is provided with an input field for a combination code, and the customer inputs the selected combination code there. Then, the combination code is transmitted to the answer acquisition device 30 by CGI technology or the like. Upon receiving the combination code, the response acquisition device 30 (S4
2) The code is decoded using the correspondence table in the correspondence table storage unit 36, and the option selected by the customer in each of the multiple-choice question items is specified (S44). Then, the information of the specified options is registered in each information item of the customer in the database 12 (S46). Then, an information providing web page including further guidance information corresponding to the option combination of the customer answer is transmitted to the customer's browser (S48). When this device is used for a questionnaire for financial product guidance or the like, this information providing page can also provide, for example, an asset management simulation result according to a response from a customer.

By the processing of the answer acquiring device 30, it is possible to register the customer's answer in the database 12 and to provide further information to the customer. In this apparatus, as a customer, like a conventional questionnaire on a web page, a customer selects one option at a time by selecting a suitable option for a question item by marking a check box or selecting a pull-down menu. There is no need for such complicated work. The customer simply selects the option while following the graphical display of the option combination with the eyes, tracing with a finger, or marking with a pen, and simply inputs the finally reached combination code on the web page for answer input. Is fine.
In addition, the customer can carefully consider and select a combination suitable for himself while looking at the graphical display of the intuitively understandable choice combinations shown on the paper questionnaire. To input an answer to the answer acquiring device 30, it is only necessary to enter the combination code shown in the questionnaire after the selection operation is completed. In the case of a paper questionnaire, using a large piece of paper displays a large number of question items on a single sheet or expands a large number of sheets at the same time. There is almost no complication such as scrolling the screen and answering back and forth like a questionnaire on a page. In addition, in the case of a paper questionnaire, customers can work more easily because they have a high degree of freedom in selecting operations, such as tracing the tree diagram with a finger or marking with a pen to make selections. is there.

In recent years, web pages have been actively provided to mobile terminals having a small display screen, such as mobile phones and PDAs. When conducting a questionnaire or the like on such a mobile terminal, a large number of options and question items cannot be displayed on one screen, so that a vivid answer operation becomes complicated. The mechanism of the present embodiment can also solve such a problem. That is, there is a method in which data of the questionnaire of the present embodiment is prepared on a web server, and the questionnaire is printed out in response to a request from the mobile terminal. The printer of the print output destination may provide, for example, a page for specifying the printer, and allow the user to select a desired one from the printers indicated therein. After carefully selecting the answer in the questionnaire printed on the paper, the user may access the web page for answer input again and input the combination code.

Next, with reference to FIG. 8, a description will be given of a processing procedure when the answer acquiring device 30 receives an answer to the questionnaire by facsimile. In this case, the customer looks up the questionnaire received by direct mail or the like, obtains a combination of his or her desired options, and performs marking such as encircling the corresponding combination code with a pen. Then, the marked questionnaire is faxed to the answering FAX number displayed on the questionnaire or the like. In the answer acquisition device 30, this is received by the FAX device 46 (S50). Then, the answer acquiring device 30 performs image recognition processing on the received FAX image data, obtains the position of the marked portion,
From the position, the combination code marked by the customer is specified (S52). Then, the combination code is decoded using the correspondence table (S54), and the information of the option selected by the customer with respect to each of the obtained question items is stored in the database 12 (S54).
(S56). Then, a direct mail (D) including further guidance information according to the selection result of the customer, etc.
M) is sent to the customer (S5).
8).

In this case, as in the case of using the web page for answer input, the effect of reducing the answer input operation of the customer can be obtained.

Each of the above two cases is an example of receiving an answer to a paper questionnaire. Therefore, next, an example of a processing procedure on the side of the answer obtaining apparatus 30 when the questionnaire is provided to the respondent in a web page (called a questionnaire page) will be described with reference to FIG.

Although the questionnaire page is a graphical display of combinations of options as shown in FIG. 4, for example, the combination codes need not be displayed visually, and the representative display items (for example, FIG. 4 is selected by a click operation or the like, it is only necessary that the corresponding combination code is associated so as to be sent to the answer acquisition device 30 via the web server 40 or the like.

When the customer accesses the questionnaire page, information on the page is transmitted to the customer's browser (S60). The customer sees a tree diagram of combinations of options on the questionnaire page on the browser, selects his / her desired option, and selects a representative display item (leaf node in FIG. 4) corresponding to those combinations of options. Identify. Then, when the representative display item is selected by a click operation or the like and transmission of the selection result is instructed, the combination code associated with the representative display item is transmitted to the web server 40. The web server 40 receives this combination code (S62) and passes it to the answer acquisition device 30. The answer acquiring device decodes the combination code using the correspondence table (S64), and registers information of each option of the decoding result in the database (S66). Then, a web page for providing information having the content according to the selection result is provided to the customer (S68).

As described above, even when asking a question on a web page, by using the questionnaire in which the graphical display of the combination of options and the combination code according to the present embodiment is used, in the customer's answer operation, one question at a time A complicated operation of selecting an option is not required, and it is possible to answer a question more easily.

When the number of question items is large, one questionnaire can be composed of a plurality of web pages hierarchically associated with each other. In this case, a combination code is assigned to the graphic display of the combination of options displayed on one page, and the customer selects one combination code for each page. Each time the customer selects a combination code on the display of one page, the code is sent to the web server, and the answer acquiring device 30 performs decoding and data registration processing. Then, a page of the question corresponding to the selected combination code is transmitted to the customer. The customer may repeat the operation until reaching the last page of the hierarchical structure of the question item group. Even in such a case, only one input operation needs to be performed for one page display, so that the operation burden on the customer is greatly reduced.

Referring now to FIG. 10, another example of a graphical display of a combination of options in a questionnaire is shown. FIG. 10 illustrates a display in which a table format is combined with the tree diagram format described in FIG. In the example of FIG. 4, the age, annual income,
Two tables 200 and 210 represent combinations of choices of four selectable question items of the number of families and the family structure. Then, a memo field 220 in which the combination codes obtained in the two tables are entered for memos and the like, and a password 230 for accessing a customer-specific web page are displayed.

The table 200 represents a combination of options for age and annual income in a two-dimensional table. Each row represents an age group option, and each column represents an annual income option. A combination code corresponding to a combination of options in the vertical and horizontal columns is displayed in cells at the intersection of the horizontal and vertical columns. That is, in this example, each cell at the intersection of a row and a column becomes a representative display item representing a combination of the row and the column. The customer examines the rows that match his age and the columns that match his annual income, and finds the combination code at the intersection. The found combination code is
As indicated by the arrow, the upper four digits of the memo column 220 are applicable. This value becomes a part of the URL 225 when the customer later accesses a dedicated web page prepared on the web server side. The memo column 220 can be used as a memo column for the found combination code.

The combination code specified in the table 200 represents a combination of the age and the annual income. However, the information represented by the combination code in this table may not be limited thereto. In other words, when creating this questionnaire, as shown as "for men" and "only for Yamamoto", various information of "Yamamoto" registered in the database in advance, and May be reflected in the combination code.
By doing so, the response acquiring device 30 can acquire a wide range of information for the respondents only by acquiring the combination code of the answer to the questionnaire. In addition,
In the example of FIG. 10, the six-digit numerical value printed immediately before the memo column 220 can also represent database registered information on “Yamamoto”, such as the customer ID of “Yamamoto”.

The table 210 is a table showing combinations of the number of family members and options for the structure. However, this table 210 has two options as a structure.
It is equivalent to a tree diagram of stages. The contents of the table 210 can be expressed as a two-dimensional matrix table like the table 200. However, in order to reduce the waste of the display area, the table has such a tree structure. In this table 210, the customer obtains a combination code representing the number of his / her family and the family structure by proceeding from the left column to the corresponding option in order.
This code corresponds to the lower four digits of the memo field 220 as indicated by the arrow. This value becomes part of the URL when the customer later accesses a dedicated web page prepared on the web server side.

When the combination codes of the selection results of the four question items are determined in this way, the customer can access the dedicated homepage by inputting the URL 225 including the combination codes into the browser. become. Web server 40 receiving this URL 225
Is “6 digits-4” after “.co.jp /” in the URL 225.
A total of 14 digits of “4 digits” is passed to the answer acquisition device 30. This numerical value indicates customer information. In particular, the lower two four-digit numerical values (combination codes) can be returned to a combination of age, annual income, the number of family members, and family structure options by decoding. The answer acquisition device 30 registers the decoding result of the combination code in the database 12, and the web server 40 provides the customer with a home page for providing information corresponding to the URL 225. Then, by inputting the password 230, it is possible to proceed from the home page to various information pages thereafter.

In the case of the table display of the two-dimensional matrix illustrated in FIG. 10, there are two selectable question items combined in one table. Therefore, when there are a large number of question items, a plurality of tables in which two items are combined are used. When constructing the questionnaire, it is also preferable to provide a UI so that the operator can specify which and which are combined into one table.

The system shown in FIG. 1 described above can be typically constructed based on a computer system. In this case, for example, the storage device 10, the questionnaire creation device 20, the answer acquisition device 30, and the web server 40 may be implemented on separate computer hardware, respectively, or some of them may be implemented on one hardware. May be implemented. Here, the questionnaire creation device 20 and the answer acquisition device 30 can be constructed by causing the computer system 300 to execute programs describing the above-described functions of the respective devices as shown in FIG. In this case, the program can be provided in a state recorded on a CD-ROM or other portable recording medium 310. By installing the program of the medium 310 in a hard disk device or the like of the computer system 300, the computer system 300 can function as the questionnaire creating device 20 and / or the answer acquiring device 30.

The embodiments described above are merely examples, and the present invention can include various modifications other than those described above.

For example, in the above example, a case has been described in which customer information is collected through a questionnaire or the like and services are provided in accordance with that. However, the field of use of this system is, of course, limited to such customer information collection. However, the present invention can be generally applied to a task of collecting information on a survey target by asking a respondent to answer a plurality of multiple-choice questions. For example, when collecting failures and other information in the maintenance work of equipment and facilities, the inspector checks a number of check items to analyze failures. It is also possible to use the questionnaire. In this case, the database 12 accumulates information on devices and facilities to be managed, and the inspector checks one or more combination codes finally determined while checking a check table shown in a tree diagram or a table. The user can easily input the selection results of a large number of check items, for example, by inputting the information on a web page of the maintenance management system.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a system according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a database.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a data structure example of question definition data.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a questionnaire in a tree diagram format.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a structure of a correspondence table.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a procedure of a questionnaire creation process.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a processing procedure when acquiring an answer to a paper questionnaire on a web page.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a processing procedure when a response to a paper questionnaire is obtained by facsimile.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a processing procedure when a questionnaire is provided on a web page to obtain an answer.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a questionnaire using a combination of options in a table format.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a computer system in which the device of the present embodiment is implemented.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 storage device, 12 database (DB), 14
Question definition storage unit, 20 questionnaire creation device, 22 code allocation unit, 24 questionnaire composition unit, 26 correspondence table creation unit, 28
Target designation input unit, 29 Narrowing condition input unit, 30 Answer acquisition device, 32 Code acquisition unit, 34 Decoding unit, 3
6 correspondence table storage unit, 38 response data registration unit, 40 web server, 42 printing device, 44 optical reading device, 4
6 FAX machine, 130a, 130b Representative display item, 140a, 140b combination code, 150 UR
L.

Claims (29)

[Claims] 1. A database for accumulating information on a survey target, a question definition storage unit for storing question definition data defining each selectable question item corresponding to each information item of the information on the survey target, and creating a questionnaire And a response acquisition device, wherein the questionnaire creating device generates a combination of options of the plurality of selectable question items from the question definition data, and assigns a unique combination code to each combination. And a questionnaire forming means for graphically displaying each combination of the options, and forming a questionnaire in which a combination code assigned to the combination is associated with a representative display item representing each of the combinations, Correspondence table creating means for creating a correspondence table indicating a correspondence relationship with the combination of the options, Code acquisition means for acquiring the combination code representing the combination of options selected by the respondent in the questionnaire, and decoding the acquired combination code using the correspondence table created by the questionnaire creation device, A question answer comprising: a selection result specifying means for specifying a combination of options selected by the respondent; and answer registration means for registering data of each option selected by the respondent included in the specified combination in the database. Acquisition system. 2. The graphical display of the combination of options is a tree display in which the nodes of the options of each of the question items are arranged stepwise in a predetermined order from a root to a leaf, and each leaf of the tree is displayed. The question and answer acquiring system according to claim 1, wherein a node functions as the representative display item. 3. The graphical display of the combination of options is a table display in which option groups of two selectable question items are arranged in columns and rows, respectively, and a cell is formed at the intersection of the columns and rows of the table. The question and answer acquiring system according to claim 1, wherein the function as the representative display item representing a combination of the option in the column and the option in the row. 4. The questionnaire is provided to a respondent as a paper document, and a character string representing the combination code is a representative display corresponding to the combination code in a graphical display of the combination of options in the questionnaire. The question and answer acquisition system according to claim 1, wherein the question and answer acquisition system is displayed in association with the item. 5. The questionnaire is provided to the respondent as a paper document, and the questionnaire creation device includes: a position of each of the representative display items in a graphical display of the combination of options in the questionnaire; Means for creating code arrangement data in association with the corresponding combination code, wherein the code acquiring means of the answer acquiring device acquires an image of the questionnaire filled out by the respondent, and from the image, Means for detecting the representative display item marked on the questionnaire, and means for obtaining a combination code corresponding to the representative display item detected by this means based on the code arrangement data, The question and answer acquisition system according to claim 1. 6. The questionnaire is provided to the respondent as a web page, and the combination code is an electronically attached to the representative display item corresponding to the combination code in the graphic display of the combination of options in the questionnaire. And the user selects the representative display item on the web page of the questionnaire, whereby a combination code electronically associated with the item is transmitted to the answer acquisition device. The question and answer acquisition system according to claim 1, wherein: 7. A questionnaire constructing means of the questionnaire creating device, a means for receiving designation of the survey object to be questionnaire-created, and information on the designated survey object to be searched in the database; 2. A questionnaire comprising: a means for specifying information items for which data has not been registered, and creating a questionnaire in which only the options of the multiple-choice question items corresponding to the information items for which data has not been registered are graphically displayed. The question and answer acquisition system described. 8. A questionnaire constructing means of the questionnaire creating device, for accepting a narrowing-down condition for specifying an option regarding some question items among a plurality of multiple-choice question items defined in the question definition data. The question and answer acquisition system according to claim 1, further comprising: creating a questionnaire in which only the options of the multiple-choice question items whose options are not specified in the narrowing-down condition are graphically displayed. 9. The question and answer acquiring system according to claim 8, wherein said assigning means generates a unique combination code in consideration of an option specified by said narrowing condition. 10. Provided information corresponding to each combination of the plurality of choice-type question item options is stored,
The question and answer obtaining system according to claim 1, further comprising an information providing device that provides the provided information corresponding to the combination of options specified by the selection result specifying means of the answer obtaining device to the respondent. 11. A questionnaire creating apparatus for creating a questionnaire for acquiring information on a research target and registering the information in a predetermined database, wherein each of the multiple-choice questions corresponding to each information item of the information on the research target is provided. Question definition obtaining means for obtaining question definition data defining the items, and allocating means for generating combinations of options of the plurality of multiple-choice question items from the question definition data, and assigning a unique combination code to each of the combinations. A questionnaire forming means for graphically displaying each combination of the options, and forming a questionnaire in which a combination code assigned to the combination is associated with a representative display item representative of each combination; A correspondence table creating means for creating a correspondence table indicating a correspondence relationship with a combination of options. 12. The questionnaire composing means comprises: means for receiving designation of the survey target to be created as a questionnaire; and specifying information items not registered in the database among information on the designated survey target. The questionnaire creation device according to claim 11, further comprising: a means for creating a questionnaire in which only the options of the selectable question item corresponding to the unregistered information item are graphically displayed. 13. The questionnaire constructing means includes means for receiving designation of a narrowing condition specifying an option regarding some question items among a plurality of multiple-choice question items defined in the question definition data, The questionnaire creating apparatus according to claim 11, wherein a questionnaire is created in which only the options of the multiple-choice question items whose options are not specified in the narrowing-down condition are graphically displayed. 14. An answer obtaining apparatus for obtaining an answer of a respondent to a questionnaire and registering data included in the answer in a predetermined database, wherein each of the multiple-choice question items included in the questionnaire is Correspondence table storage means for storing a correspondence table showing a correspondence relationship between the possible combinations of options and the unique combination codes assigned to the respective combinations, and the options selected by the respondent in the questionnaire. Code acquisition means for acquiring the combination code representing the combination; selection result identification means for identifying the combination of options selected by the respondent by decoding the acquired combination code using the correspondence table; Answer registration means for registering, in the database, the data of the option selected by the respondent included in the combination thus selected. 15. The answer acquiring apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising: means for providing a web page for accepting input of a combination code of answers to the questionnaire to the respondent. 16. The questionnaire is formed by printing a graphic display of the options on paper, and the answer acquiring device is configured to determine the position of each of the representative display items in the graphic display of the combination of the options in the questionnaire. Means for storing code arrangement data corresponding to the combination code corresponding to the item; and acquiring an image of the questionnaire from a respondent, and marking the respondent from the image on the questionnaire. The response acquiring apparatus according to claim 14, comprising: means for detecting a representative display item; and means for obtaining a combination code corresponding to the representative display item detected by the means based on the code arrangement data. . 17. A method for providing a content of the questionnaire and providing a web page for receiving an answer to the questionnaire, wherein the webpage includes a graphic display of each combination of the options in the questionnaire. Each of the combination codes is electronically associated with the corresponding representative display item, and when the representative display item is selected by the user, the combination code electronically associated with the item is transmitted to the answer acquisition device. The response acquisition device according to claim 14, wherein the response acquisition device is configured to perform the above operation. 18. Providing information corresponding to each combination of the plurality of choice-type question item options,
15. The response acquisition device according to claim 14, further comprising information providing means for providing the provided information corresponding to the combination of options specified by the selection result specifying device of the response acquisition device to a respondent. 19. A method for acquiring information on a research target, comprising: preparing question definition information defining each of multiple-choice question items corresponding to each information item of the information on a research target; A step of creating each combination of the plurality of choice-type question item options from the definition information and assigning a unique combination code to each of the combinations, and a questionnaire which graphically displays each combination of the options, Configuring a questionnaire in which a combination code assigned to the combination is associated with a representative display item representing each of the combinations in the schematic display, and a correspondence indicating the correspondence between the combination code and the combination of the options. Creating a table; and the combination command representing a combination of options selected by the respondent in the questionnaire. Acquiring a code, decoding the acquired combination code using the correspondence table, and identifying a combination of options selected by the respondent; and selecting each option selected by the respondent in the identified combination. Registering the data in a predetermined database. 20. The graphical display of the combination of options is a tree display in which the nodes of the options of each of the question items are arranged in a predetermined order in a tree from a root to a leaf, and each leaf of the tree is displayed. 20. The method according to claim 19, wherein a node functions as the representative display item. 21. The graphic display of the combination of options is 2
In the table, the option groups of the multiple-choice question items are arranged in columns and rows, respectively, and the cells at the intersections of the columns and rows in the table indicate the combinations of the options in the column and the options in the row. 20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the method functions as the representative display item. 22. The questionnaire is provided to a respondent as a paper document, and a character string representing the combination code is a representative display corresponding to the combination code in a graphic display of the combination of options in the questionnaire. 20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the method is displayed in association with an item. 23. The questionnaire is provided to a respondent as a paper document, and the position of each of the representative display items in the graphical display of the combination of options in the questionnaire and the combination code corresponding to the item are displayed. Creating associated code placement data; obtaining an image of the questionnaire filled out by the respondent; and obtaining the representative image marked by the respondent on the questionnaire from the acquired image of the questionnaire. 20. The method according to claim 19, further comprising: detecting a display item; and obtaining a combination code corresponding to the detected representative display item based on the code arrangement data. 24. The questionnaire is provided to respondents as a web page, and the combination code is electronically associated with the representative display item corresponding to the combination code in a graphical display of the combination of options in the questionnaire. When the user selects the representative display item on the web page of the questionnaire, the combination code electronically associated with the item is transmitted to the web server. 20. The method according to claim 19, wherein: 25. A step of configuring the questionnaire, comprising the steps of: accepting designation of the survey target to be created as a questionnaire; examining information on the survey target of the designated survey target in the database; 20. The method according to claim 19, further comprising the step of: identifying an unregistered information item; and generating a questionnaire in which only the options of the multiple-choice question item corresponding to the unregistered information item are graphically displayed. How to get questions and answers. 26. The step of constructing the questionnaire includes a step of receiving designation of a narrowing condition specifying an option regarding some question items among a plurality of multiple-choice question items defined in the question definition data. 20. The method according to claim 19, further comprising: creating a questionnaire that graphically displays only the options of the multiple-choice question items for which no options are specified in the narrowing-down condition. 27. For each combination of options of the plurality of selectable question items, from the provided information corresponding to the combination, the information corresponding to the combination of options specified in the step of specifying the option is selected. 20. The question and answer obtaining system according to claim 19, further comprising a step of requesting provided information and providing the provided information to a respondent. 28. A question definition storage means for storing question definition data defining each of multiple choice question items corresponding to each information item of information on a survey target, and a plurality of multiple choice questions from the question definition data. Assignment means for generating combinations of item choices and assigning a unique combination code to each combination, graphically displaying each combination of the choices, and assigning a representative display item representing each combination to the combination. A computer which records a program for functioning as a questionnaire constructing means for constructing a questionnaire associated with a combination code, a correspondence table creating means for creating a correspondence table showing a correspondence relationship between the combination code and the combination of options A readable recording medium. 29. A computer system, comprising: associating a possible combination of options for each of the multiple-choice question items included in a questionnaire with a unique combination code assigned to each of the combinations. Correspondence table storage means for storing a table, code acquisition means for acquiring the combination code representing a combination of options selected by the respondent in the questionnaire, by decoding the acquired combination code using the correspondence table, A selection result specifying unit that specifies a combination of options selected by the respondent; a registration unit that registers, in a predetermined database, data of the option selected by the respondent included in the combination specified by the selection result specifying unit; A computer-readable recording medium on which a program for functioning as a computer is recorded.