JP5976466B2 - Programs and systems for conducting surveys - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for conducting a questionnaire.

  In the field of mobile games, games on mobile phones are becoming mainstream from conventional game machines.

  On the other hand, the shift from mobile phones called feature phones and led by mobile phone carrier companies to smartphones is progressing. In the OS (Operating System) of smartphones, android (trademark of the company) provided by Google in the US and iOS (trademark of the company) provided by Apple in the United States are the two major forces and operate on these OSs. Game development is widespread.

  By the way, in a conventional game system using a mobile phone, whether it is a feature phone or a smartphone, it has been a problem for game production companies how to secure revenue. In other words, there is a so-called item-billing business model in which an item must be purchased as the game progresses to a certain stage even though it is advocated as a free game. It could be said that the user's expectation could be betrayed.

  On the other hand, there is an advertising revenue model that displays advertisements in the virtual space of the game or delivers advertising emails to users who are playing the game, but currently it is not as profitable as expected. is there.

  For this reason, a questionnaire-type profit model has been proposed, in which a questionnaire mail is distributed to a user who is playing a game and a market mail is collected to collect market data. In this profit model, if the questionnaire collection rate is high, highly effective marketing data can be collected, so that profitability can be improved.

  However, even if it takes only a few minutes to answer the questionnaire, if you want to answer the questionnaire, you can suspend the game, start the email application, and then enter the questionnaire response site in the email The procedure of accessing and answering will be performed. For this reason, the burden that a user answers a questionnaire is large, and it is not easy to increase the collection rate of the questionnaire. In addition, as a game production company, users are using their own games, but they are trying to access sites of other companies, and the user's loyalty is impaired.

  Software production companies that distribute free applications as well as games have similar problems.

JP 2006-251950 A Special table 2010-540002 gazette Special table 2009-516549 gazette JP-T-2006-519637

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to allow a user to answer a questionnaire without hindering continuous use of an application program distributed to the user as much as possible.

  The program according to the first aspect of the present invention is a program for causing a first computer to execute a first process and a second process. The second process described above includes the steps of temporarily interrupting the first process in response to a questionnaire notification from the second computer and inquiring the user whether or not there is an answer to the questionnaire; A data exchange step for exchanging data about questionnaire questions and answers with a second computer or a third computer different from the second computer when an instruction indicating answering is input, and data exchange And a resumption step of resuming the first process after the step ends.

  With such a program, it is possible to answer the questionnaire in a timely manner without using other applications, and the continuous use of the program is not hindered. Also, the burden on the user is minimized.

  Further, the first process described above may be a game process. In this case, the privilege for the answer to the questionnaire may be a privilege in the game, and the privilege may be used in the game after the restarting step. By doing so, the answer to the questionnaire does not become a burden, but rather the answer to the questionnaire is useful for the progress of the game, so the questionnaire answer is promoted.

  Further, in the data exchange step described above, the attribute information of the user is transmitted from the first computer to the second computer or the third computer, and the type of the program is transmitted from the second computer or the third computer, Alternatively, questionnaire question data corresponding to the attribute information of the first computer or the user may be received. In this way, an answer can be obtained from the target user desired by the questionnaire poster.

  The system according to the second aspect of the present invention includes a plurality of terminal devices and a computer. Each of the plurality of terminal devices executes a program for executing the first process and the second process. The second process includes a step of temporarily interrupting the first process in response to a questionnaire notification from the computer and inquiring the user whether or not there is an answer to the questionnaire, and a reply from the user to the questionnaire. Is input, the data exchange step for exchanging data regarding the question and answer of the questionnaire, and the restart step for resuming the first process after the data exchange step is completed. Further, the computer determines a transmission destination of the questionnaire notification according to at least one of the first processing type, the terminal device attribute, and the user attribute of the terminal device, and selects a questionnaire question. .

  The program is stored in a computer-readable storage medium or storage device such as a flexible disk, CD-ROM, magneto-optical disk, semiconductor memory, or hard disk. The intermediate processing result is temporarily stored in a storage device such as a main memory.

  According to one aspect, the user can answer a questionnaire without hindering continuous use of the application program distributed to the user as much as possible.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a business scheme according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a system configuration diagram according to the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of the questionnaire management server. FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of the mobile terminal. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a main processing flow according to the present embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a pop-up display example. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a questionnaire question. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a main processing flow according to the present embodiment. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen for selecting an incentive. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen for notifying the incentive provision result. FIG. 11 is a functional block diagram of a computer.

  A business scheme according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the present embodiment, the questionnaire management company A, the questionnaire requester (manufacturer) B, the game production company C, and the end user D play the following roles, respectively.

  That is, the questionnaire management company A provides the game production company C with an SDK for including an SDK (Software Development Kit) common module having the functions described below in the game application (step (1)). The game production company C produces a game application using the SDK, and distributes the game application via a network, for example, in response to a request from the end user D (step (2)).

  The end user D uses the game application distributed from the game production company C by executing it on the mobile terminal (step (3)). As described above, the game application includes the SDK common module according to the present embodiment, and the end user D can answer a questionnaire in the game application. The game application may be a game that constantly communicates with the server of the game production company C to advance the game, or may be a game that temporarily communicates with the server of the game production company C. good.

  On the other hand, the questionnaire requester B submits a questionnaire on the contents of the questionnaire and specific contents to the questionnaire management company A (step (4)). The questionnaire requester B presents the conditions of the target end user D and conditions such as incentives given to the end user D who answered the questionnaire to the questionnaire management company A. The incentive is basically anything, but is an item that can be used in a game application, for example. Naturally, the survey requester B pays the survey implementation fee to the survey management company A.

  In response to the questionnaire submission from the questionnaire requester B, the questionnaire management company A transmits a questionnaire submission notification to the SDK common module in the mobile terminal of the target end user D (step (5)). If there is room, the end user D responds to the questionnaire in response to the notification (step (6)). If the answer is within the answer period of the questionnaire and the incentive can be distributed, the questionnaire management company A gives an incentive to the end user D (step (7)). Incentive granting distributes the data of the item to the mobile terminal of the end user D (or the server of the game production company C) if the incentive is an item usable in the game. On the other hand, it may be an incentive distributed off-line, or an incentive unrelated to a game such as a discount ticket that can be used at a convenience store may be distributed by e-mail or other means.

  The questionnaire management company A notifies the questionnaire requester B of the questionnaire results by, for example, performing a counting process on the questionnaire responses obtained from the end user D (step (8)). As a result, the questionnaire requester B can use the questionnaire results. Furthermore, the questionnaire management company A pays a reward to the game production company C (step (9)).

  In this way, the game production company C can receive a reward from the questionnaire management company A, and can obtain new revenue separately from the game application. Further, as will be further described below, since the questionnaire is answered in the game application, the loyalty of the end user D to the game is not impaired. The end user D can obtain incentives such as game items, for example, by answering the questionnaire without much trouble during use of the game.

  Hereinafter, a computer system for realizing such a business scheme will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 2 shows an example of the overall configuration. The network 1 including the network of the Internet and the communication company includes a game company server 3 managed by the game production company C, a questionnaire management server 5 managed by the questionnaire management company A, and a publisher terminal 7 used by the questionnaire client B. And a notification server 9 managed by a company that distributes the OS of the mobile phone, for example. The mobile terminal 11 used by the end user D is also connected to the network 1 via a base station connected to the network 1.

  For example, in response to a request from the mobile terminal 11, the game company server 3 transmits the game application according to the present embodiment to the mobile terminal 11. The portable terminal 11 downloads this game application, stores it in a storage device such as a flash memory, and executes it.

  The publisher device 7 is, for example, a personal computer, and accesses the questionnaire management server 5 through, for example, a web browser and registers the distribution setting data of the questionnaire for the submission of the questionnaire or answers the questionnaire from the questionnaire management server 5. Get the result.

  In the present embodiment, the push notification function of the OS of the mobile terminal 11 is utilized. When using this push notification function, the mobile terminal 11 performs a predetermined procedure on the notification server 9 in advance. For example, the mobile terminal 11 registers with the notification server 9, acquires a token from the notification server 9, and registers it with the questionnaire management server 5. The questionnaire management server 5 is also registered in advance in the notification server 9 and obtains a certificate or the like.

  When the notification server 9 receives a request for push notification including the certificate and the token of the portable terminal 11 from the questionnaire management server 5, the notification server 9 performs the push notification to the portable terminal 11 related to the token. Such premise processing is already known and will not be described further.

  The questionnaire management server 5 has a configuration as shown in FIG. 3, for example. The questionnaire management server 5 includes a user data input unit 51, a user data storage unit 52, a notification processing unit 53, a submission input unit 54, a submission data storage unit 55, an incentive data storage unit 56, and a questionnaire processing unit 57. And a questionnaire result storage unit 58 and a questionnaire result output unit 59.

  The user data input unit 51 receives, for example, a token from the mobile terminal 11, a game application type stored in the mobile terminal 11, user profile data, and the like, and stores them in the user data storage unit 52. The manuscript input unit 54 receives the distribution setting data of the questionnaire from the contributor device 7 and stores it in the manuscript data storage unit 55. In addition, the manuscript input unit 54 stores data on the incentive given to the end user D in the incentive data storage unit 56 in accordance with an instruction from the publisher device 7.

  The notification processing unit 53 selects a user registered in the user data storage unit 52 according to the content of the questionnaire that is stored in the submission data storage unit 55, and requests the notification server 9 for push notification. .

  When the questionnaire processing unit 57 receives a response to answer the questionnaire from the mobile terminal 11, the questionnaire processing unit 57 uses the data stored in the publishing data storage unit 55 and the user data storage unit 52 to end the mobile terminal 11. The questionnaire question data for user D is transmitted to the mobile terminal 11. Further, the questionnaire processing unit 57 uses the data stored in the incentive data storage unit 56 to determine whether or not the incentive selected by the end user D of the mobile terminal 11 can be applied, and then can provide the incentive. Incentive granting process is executed. In addition, when the questionnaire processing unit 57 receives questionnaire response data from the mobile terminal 11, the questionnaire processing unit 57 stores it in the questionnaire result storage unit 58.

  In addition, the questionnaire result output unit 59 performs a counting process on the questionnaire results in response to a request from the publisher device 7, for example, and transmits the counting results to the publisher device 7.

  Moreover, the portable terminal 11 has a structure as shown in FIG. 4, for example.

  For example, in the portable terminal 11 which is a smartphone, a bus 111 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 112, various memories 115, a touch panel 113, an input unit 114 including various buttons, and a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver 116. And a communication unit 117 that performs communication via the network 1 is connected.

  The memory 115 stores, for example, an OS 119 such as Android or iOS, applications A and B having various functions, and a game application 118 according to the present embodiment, which are executed by the CPU 112.

  The game application 118 includes a game module 1181 for realizing an original function of the game, and an SDK common 1182 incorporated for conducting a questionnaire according to the present embodiment.

  Next, processing according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. First, the publisher device 7 transmits questionnaire delivery setting data to the questionnaire management server 5 in accordance with an instruction from the publisher (FIG. 5: step S1). The submission input unit 54 of the questionnaire management server 5 receives the distribution setting data of the questionnaire from the publisher device 7 and stores it in the submission data storage unit 55 (step S3).

  The distribution setting data for the questionnaire includes, for example, the type and genre of the game application to which the questionnaire request is to be distributed, the profile of the end user D to whom the questionnaire request is to be distributed (gender, age, address, terminal type, etc.), questionnaire questions Includes the content, maximum number of questionnaire responses, type and number of incentives, etc. The type and number of incentives are also stored in the incentive data storage unit 56, and are used to determine whether or not incentives can be granted.

  Further, the notification processing unit 53 extracts a distribution destination user according to the distribution setting data stored in the publishing data storage unit 55 based on the user profile data stored in the user data storage unit 52 (step S5). ).

  In other words, the notification processing unit 53 determines whether or not the user data storage unit 52 is based on the type and genre of the game application 118 desired by the publisher, the end user profile desired by the publisher, whether or not the current questionnaire has been answered, and the like. Then, a delivery destination user to be notified of push notification is extracted. Such a targeting process is well known and will not be described further here.

  On the other hand, the mobile terminal 11 activates the game application 118 in response to, for example, an instruction from the end user D (step S7). The SDK common module 1182 of the game application 118 acquires terminal data in response to activation (step S9). The terminal data is, for example, terminal identification information or position information output from the GPS receiver 116. Thereafter, it is assumed that the end user D is playing a game using the game module 1181 of the game application 118.

  In response to this, the notification processing unit 53 performs a push notification via the notification server 9 to the mobile terminal 11 of the distribution destination user extracted in step S5 (step S11). The SDK common module 1182 of the game application 118 in the mobile terminal 11 of the distribution destination user extracted in step S5 receives the push notification from the questionnaire management server 5 via the notification server 9 (step S13). Then, the SDK common module 1182 suspends the operation of the game module 1181 and displays a pop-up on the touch panel 113 as a display unit (step S15). For example, a popup as shown in FIG. 6 is displayed. In the example of FIG. 6, a pop-up including a message that a request for a questionnaire has been received from the publisher “AAA” is displayed. When answering the questionnaire, the “Display” button is pressed and the questionnaire is not answered. Press the "Close" button.

  As described above, the operation of the game module 1181 of the game application 118 is temporarily interrupted, but the questionnaire can be answered by the SDK common module 1182 without shifting to another application.

  Here, when an instruction not to answer the questionnaire is input, the SDK common module 1182 resumes the operation of the game module 1181 and ends the process.

  On the other hand, when the questionnaire response instruction is accepted, the SDK common module 1182 transmits the terminal data acquired in step S9 to the questionnaire management server 5 (step S17). On the other hand, the questionnaire processing unit 57 receives terminal data and the like from the mobile terminal 11 (step S19).

  The questionnaire processing unit 57 identifies question data of a questionnaire that is appropriate for the end user of the mobile terminal 11 to answer based on the received terminal data and the profile of the user of the mobile terminal 11 specified from the terminal data. The question data is read from the manuscript data storage unit 55 and transmitted to the mobile terminal 11 (step S21). Do not extract questionnaires that have already been answered. That is, the questionnaire that has been answered is included in the profile.

  In addition, when the positional information on the portable terminal 11 is included in the terminal data, questionnaire question data corresponding to the position of the portable terminal 11 may be extracted.

  The SDK common module 1182 of the game application 118 in the mobile terminal 11 receives the questionnaire question data from the questionnaire management server 5 and displays it on the touch panel 113 as a display unit (step S23). The end user D of the portable terminal 11 sees the display content on the touch panel 113 and inputs a questionnaire response. The SDK common module 1182 in the portable terminal 11 accepts the questionnaire response input, and transmits the questionnaire response data to the questionnaire management server 5 (step S25). The questionnaire processing unit 57 of the questionnaire management server 5 receives the questionnaire response data from the mobile terminal 11 and stores it in the questionnaire result storage unit 58 (step S27).

  For example, a questionnaire question as shown in FIG. 7 is displayed on the touch panel 113 of the mobile terminal 11. In the example of FIG. 7, for example, a questionnaire question extracted based on position information of the mobile terminal 11 is shown. In this example, there is an example in which there is only one question in the questionnaire. However, when there are a plurality of questions as candidates, one question is selected from the plurality of questions and then as shown in FIG. You may make it display the question content of a questionnaire.

  The processing shifts to the processing flow of FIG. 8, and the questionnaire processing unit 57 of the questionnaire management server 5 reads out incentive data that can be selected for the answered questionnaire, for example, from the incentive data storage unit 56, and selects the incentive. A request is transmitted to the portable terminal 11 (step S31). When the SDK common module 1182 in the portable terminal 11 receives an incentive selection request from the questionnaire management server 5, it displays it on the touch panel 113 (step S33). For example, the touch panel 113 displays as shown in FIG. In the example of FIG. 9, the end user D selects from three types of thanks.

  The SDK common module 1182 receives an incentive selection input and transmits the selection result to the questionnaire management server 5 (step S35). The questionnaire processing unit 57 of the questionnaire management server 5 receives the incentive selection result from the mobile terminal 11 (step S37). The questionnaire processing unit 57 performs a confirmation process for confirming whether or not incentive can be given to the end user D who has answered this time, from the data indicating the incentive granting status stored in the incentive data storage unit 56. (Step S39). Since there is a case where the incentive selected by the end user D cannot be given due to the time difference, the confirmation is performed here. More specifically, the number of distributable numbers set for each incentive type permitted to be granted for a certain questionnaire is stored in the incentive data storage unit 56, and the number of distributable numbers is set to 1 each time an incentive is given. Decrement. In step S39, if the number of distributable numbers is 1 or more, it can be confirmed that the grant is possible.

  If the incentive cannot be granted, the process returns to step S31 and the end user D selects the incentive again.

  On the other hand, if the incentive can be given, the questionnaire processing unit 57 performs an incentive giving process (step S41). That is, the distributable number in the incentive data storage unit 56 is decremented by 1, and the incentive data is read from the incentive data storage unit 56.

  And the questionnaire process part 57 notifies incentive provision with respect to the portable terminal 11 (step S43). The SDK common module 1182 in the portable terminal 11 receives the incentive grant notification and displays it on the touch panel 113 (step S45). For example, the display as shown in FIG. 10 is performed. FIG. 10 shows an example when the top incentive in the example shown in FIG. 9 is selected.

  Note that incentive granting data may be transmitted to the game company server 3 to change the settings in the game company server 3 in order to grant incentives.

  Then, the SDK common module 1182 in the game application 118 releases the temporary suspension of the game and resumes the progress of the game by the game module 1181 (step S47).

  In this way, the incentive obtained by the questionnaire response can be used for the game as it is, and the game can be advanced smoothly or in a direction preferable for the user.

  The publisher device 7 transmits a request for a questionnaire response result to the questionnaire management server 5 in response to an instruction from the publisher (step S51). Upon receiving the request from the publisher device 7, the questionnaire result output unit 59 of the questionnaire management server 5 reads the questionnaire response result from the questionnaire result storage unit 58 and transmits it to the publisher device 7 (step S 53). If there is an instruction such as a totaling method in the request for the questionnaire response result, the questionnaire result output unit 59 aggregates the questionnaire collection result in accordance with the instruction, and transmits the aggregation result to the publisher device 7. The publisher device 7 receives the questionnaire response result from the questionnaire management server 5 and displays it on the display device (step S55).

  In the above explanation, the process of selecting the incentive after answering the questionnaire first is explained. However, the incentive is first presented for each questionnaire and the incentive is selected before answering the questionnaire. May be. Further, the question of the questionnaire may include not only one question but also a plurality of questions, and the answer may be completed by exchanging with the questionnaire management server 5 a plurality of times. As for the selection of the questionnaire question, there are cases where options are presented over a plurality of pages.

  Furthermore, incentives are not limited to incentives related to games. For example, it may be a discount coupon at a store related to a questionnaire or a coupon ticket unrelated to the questionnaire. Incentive data may be distributed via a network, or may be supplied offline.

  The embodiment of the present invention has been described above, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the configuration of the questionnaire management server 5 shown in FIG. 3 is an example, and may not necessarily match the configuration of the program module at the time of implementation.

  Further, regarding the processing flow, as long as the processing result does not change, the processing order may be changed or a plurality of steps may be executed in parallel.

  For example, profile registration may be performed in advance by the end user D, or the profile registration may be performed by the end user D before, for example, a questionnaire question is output.

  Furthermore, although the example described above shows an example in which the game company server 3 and the questionnaire management server 5 are provided separately, these may be integrated. For example, the game production company C and the questionnaire management company A may be integrated.

  Further, the function of the questionnaire management server 5 may be divided. For example, it is possible to perform a change such that the process up to the push notification is performed by the first server and the process of the questionnaire processing unit 57 is performed by the second server. Further functional division and integration are possible. For example, the collection of questionnaire response results and the provision of incentives may be performed by the game company server 3.

  Furthermore, the SDK common module 1182 can be incorporated into an application other than a game.

  Note that the game company server 3, the questionnaire management server 5, the publisher device 7 and the notification server 9 described above are computer devices, and as shown in FIG. 11, a memory 2501 and a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 2503, A hard disk drive (HDD) 2505, a display control unit 2507 connected to the display device 2509, a drive device 2513 for the removable disk 2511, an input device 2515, and a communication control unit 2517 for connecting to a network. They are connected by a bus 2519. An operating system (OS) and an application program for executing the processing in this embodiment are stored in the HDD 2505, and are read from the HDD 2505 to the memory 2501 when executed by the CPU 2503. The CPU 2503 controls the display control unit 2507, the communication control unit 2517, and the drive device 2513 according to the processing content of the application program, and performs a predetermined operation. Further, data in the middle of processing is mainly stored in the memory 2501, but may be stored in the HDD 2505. In an embodiment of the present technology, an application program for performing the above-described processing is stored in a computer-readable removable disk 2511 and distributed, and installed from the drive device 2513 to the HDD 2505. In some cases, the HDD 2505 may be installed via a network such as the Internet and the communication control unit 2517. Such a computer apparatus realizes various functions as described above by organically cooperating hardware such as the CPU 2503 and the memory 2501 described above and programs such as the OS and application programs. .

11 Mobile terminal 111 Bus 112 CPU
113 Touch Panel 114 Input Unit 115 Memory 116 GPS Receiver 117 Communication Unit 118 Game Application 119 OS
1181 Game Module 1182 SDK Common Module 5 Questionnaire Management Server 51 User Data Input Unit 52 User Data Storage Unit 53 Notification Processing Unit 54 Manuscript Input Unit 55 Manuscript Data Storage Unit 56 Incentive Data Storage Unit 57 Questionnaire Processing Unit 58 Questionnaire Result Storage Unit 59 Questionnaire Result output section

Claims (3)

A program for causing a first computer to execute a first process and a second process,
The second process includes
In response to a questionnaire notification from the second computer, temporarily interrupting the first process and inquiring the user whether or not there is an answer to the questionnaire;
When an instruction indicating answering a questionnaire is input from the user, the second computer or a third computer different from the second computer and data about the questionnaire question and answer are stored. A data exchange step to exchange;
A resuming step of resuming the first process after the end of the data exchange step;
With
In the data exchange step,
Transmitting attribute information of the user from the first computer to the second computer or the third computer;
Receiving questionnaire question data from the second computer or the third computer according to the type of the program or attribute information including the location information of the first computer or the user;
program. The first process is a game process,
The privilege for answering the questionnaire is a privilege in the game,
The program according to claim 1, wherein after the resuming step, the privilege can be used in the game. A plurality of terminal devices;
A computer,
Have
Each of the plurality of terminal devices is
A program for executing the first process and the second process is executed,
The second process includes
In response to a questionnaire notification from the computer, temporarily interrupting the first process and inquiring the user whether or not there is an answer to the questionnaire;
A data exchange step for exchanging data about the question and answer of the questionnaire with the computer when an instruction indicating answering to the questionnaire is input from the user;
A resuming step of resuming the first process after the end of the data exchange step;
Including
The computer is
According to at least one of the attributes of the user attributes and the terminal device of the terminal device and the type of the first process to determine the destination of the questionnaire notification, a system for selecting a question of the questionnaire There,
The attribute of the user of the terminal device includes location information of the user.
System .

Images