JPH11120164A - Method and device for producing question and supporting presentation - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide question producing and presentation supporting methods and their device which enable a person who answers to understand the point of a question only by a questioner inputting question contents. SOLUTION: A core question which acquires an answer that is really desired by a questioner, peripheral explanation which explains the background of the core question/known facts/request strength/request condition to an answer, etc., and auxiliary questions which guide to the core question among question contents that are inputted by the questioner are stored in content storing parts 11 to 13, respectively, the significance of each question content and its relation to other question contents are stored in a question structure storing part 14, and a question structure mapping part 15 visualizes the classification of question contents, significance and the relation among question contents and presents them.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for sending a question from a questioner accommodated in a computer network or the like to a respondent also accommodated in a computer network or the like to create a question for obtaining an answer from the respondent. The present invention relates to a presentation support method and a device therefor.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, when it is difficult for a questioner and a respondent to directly communicate with each other, the questioner inputs the content of the question according to a predetermined format and procedure, and inputs the content to a telephone network or a computer. network,
They were sent to respondents by mail or other means. Such examples include obtaining fax information by operating a push button, and a search engine on the WWW. Also,
Examples of relatively free formats and procedures include questions by letter and e-mail.

FIG. 1 shows an example of a conventional question creation / presentation support apparatus. In the figure, 1 is an input section, 2 is an output section, 3 is a question content storage section, 4 is a communication control section, and 5 is a control section. Department.

[0004] The input unit 1 is composed of a keyboard, a mouse, a microphone, and the like, and inputs information from a questioner. Output unit 2
Is composed of a display, a speaker, etc., and outputs information or guidance to a questioner. The question content storage unit 3 temporarily stores information input from the input unit 1. The communication control unit 4 transmits the information stored in the question content storage unit 3 via a communication network, and receives the information output from the output unit 2 via the communication network. The control unit 5 controls these units.

[0005] Examples of the FAX information acquisition by the push button operation, the search engine on the WWW, and the like are described in the communication control unit 4.
In this case, the requester inputs the contents of the question from the input unit 1 in accordance with the format and the procedure received from the output unit 2 via the communication network. An example of an email is
This is a case where the requester unilaterally inputs information from the input unit 1 and the input information is temporarily stored in the question content storage unit 3 and then transmitted by the communication control unit 4 via the communication network.

FIG. 2 shows a general state transition of a question answer. In the figure, A is the questioner, B is the respondent, and (1) to (8) show the possible states of the questioner A and the respondent B, and the arrows indicate the transition from one state to another state. It shows a route that can be changed.

The process targeted by the present invention is as follows. In FIG. 2, the questioner A and the respondent B recognize each other and confirm that they are the ones who can ask and answer questions, as shown in FIG. This is a process in which the questioner A shifts to the state (3) where the questioner A presents a question to the respondent B. In addition, the process in which the questioner A shifts from the state (6) receiving the reverse question from the respondent B to the state (2) in which the questioner A explains the question is also included.

[0008]

However, in the above-described conventional apparatus, when the format and procedure are determined, the requester is forced to conform to the framework created by the respondent, and the intention and background of the question are determined. There was a problem that it was not possible to sufficiently inform the respondents. In addition, when the format and procedure are relatively free, there is a problem that the questioner does not sufficiently input the information expected by the respondent, and cannot give a satisfactory answer. Furthermore, in both cases, there is no support for creating the contents of the question, and there is a problem that the effect of making the questioner aware of the intention of the question cannot be expected.

[0009] An object of the present invention is to classify the content of a question that has been conventionally conveyed to the respondent without the consciousness of the questioner,
It is an object of the present invention to provide a question creation / presentation support method and apparatus for structuring a questioner to make up for the shortfall, to be able to accurately transmit the question to the respondent, and to present the question visually to the questioner and the respondent. .

[0010]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, the contents of a question from a questioner housed in a computer network or the like are sent to a respondent also housed in a computer network or the like, and the answer is returned. In the question creation / presentation support method for obtaining an answer from a questionr, the contents of the question from the questioner are stored for each of a plurality of preset types, and the importance of each question and the relation to other questions are stored. Then, the type and importance of the stored question content and the relationship between the question contents are visualized and presented.

[0011] According to the above configuration, the content of the question input by the questioner can be divided into a plurality of types, and these can be visually presented, that is, displayed according to their importance, mutual relations, and the like. Without being forced to conform to the framework created by the respondent, the intention and background of the question can be sufficiently communicated to the respondent, and the respondent is expected to input the information expected by the respondent sufficiently it can. In addition, by supporting the creation of the question content, an effect of making the questioner aware of the intent of the question can be expected.

[0012]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 3 shows an example of the embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, the same components as those of the conventional example are denoted by the same reference numerals. That is, 1 is an input unit, 2 is an output unit, 4 is a communication control unit, 11 is a core question content storage unit, 12 is a peripheral explanation content storage unit, 13 is an auxiliary question content storage unit, 14 is a question structure storage unit, 15 Is a question structure mapping unit, 16 is a guidance storage unit, and 17 is a control unit.

The core question content storage unit 11 stores a core question which is a core question for obtaining an answer that the requester really wants. The peripheral explanation content storage unit 12 stores peripheral explanations for explaining the background of the core question, known facts, request strength, required conditions for answers, and the like. The auxiliary question content storage unit 13 stores an auxiliary question which is an auxiliary question for leading to a core question.

The question structure storage unit 14 stores the importance of the contents stored in the core question content storage unit 11, the peripheral explanation content storage unit 12, and the auxiliary question content storage unit 13, and the relationship structure with other question contents. The question structure mapping unit 15 visualizes the structure stored in the question structure storage unit 14. The guidance storage unit 16 stores the content urging the requester to input information. The control unit 17 controls these units.

FIG. 4 shows an example of the contents stored in the question structure storage unit 14 in FIG. An item number (,,,...) That can be uniquely identified in the apparatus is assigned to each question content that is subdivided and input by the requester. In the question content to which the item number is assigned, the type, importance, the item number of another related question content, and the distance to the item number are stored as attribute information. Types are classified into core questions, peripheral questions, and auxiliary questions according to the nature of the question contents. The importance is defined by the relative relationship between the question contents with the item numbers. For convenience,
Larger numbers indicate that they are subjectively important to the questioner. The distance from the item number of another related question content is obtained by replacing the strength of the relationship between the item numbers selected by the questioner with a relative distance, and the shorter the distance, the stronger the relationship.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the apparatus shown in FIG.

After activating the question creation / presentation support apparatus of the present invention, the questioner selects, using the input unit 1, whether the content of the question to be input is an auxiliary question, a peripheral question, or a core question ( s1).

Next, when the contents of the question are input from the input unit 1 (s2), according to the instruction of the control unit 17, the core question content storage unit 11, the peripheral explanation content storage unit 12, or the auxiliary question It is stored in any one of the content storage units 13 (s3). In addition, in order to specify the relative position of the input content, the requester selects one or more related item numbers using the input unit 1 (s4).

The selected item number is instructed by the control unit 17 on the basis of the distance data between the importance and the related item number stored in the question structure storage unit 14 and the question structure mapping unit 15.
Is mapped to an n-dimensional space by (s5), and output unit 2
Visualized via With respect to the visualized map, the requester specifies the positional relationship (distance between importance and other item numbers) of the newly input question content using the input unit 1 and other previously stored questions. The positional relationship of the item number is also corrected (s6).

The additionally corrected positional relationship is stored as data in the question structure storage unit 14 according to an instruction from the control unit 17 (s7). Further, the positional relationship regarding all the item numbers is updated by the question structure mapping unit 15, and the output unit 2
Are visualized and output (s8).

In the above processing, either of the processing from s2 to s3 and the processing from s4 to s8 may be performed first. Also, when adding a new question content,
This series of processing is repeated (s9).

FIG. 6 shows an example of the contents of the stored question. In this example, the contents of the question are expressed in text, but there is no limitation on the expression format as long as the content of the question can be expressed in a subdivided manner, such as voices, moving images, options, and keywords.

FIG. 7 shows an example of a mapped question structure. Here, the vertical axis represents the field of importance and the horizontal axis represents the distance between item numbers. The distance between the item numbers satisfies the following general definition of distance, and is visualized in one dimension (only the horizontal axis) in FIG. 7, but is extended to an n-dimensional Euclidean space as necessary. .

The definition of the distance is a real-valued function d (x, y) of two variables on a non-empty set X, and (1) d (x, y) ≧ 0 (2) d (x, y) = 0 Is required to be x = y (3) d (x, y) = d (y, x) (4) d (x, z) ≦ d (x, y) + d (y, z) It satisfies the condition.

FIG. 8 shows an example of an input GUI (graphical user interface) screen. In FIG. 8, the left side is mainly for information output, and the right side is mainly for information input.

In the upper left window (guidance) 21, the contents stored in the guidance storage unit 16 are displayed as appropriate. The guidance storage unit 16 can store unique guidance by a service using the question creation / presentation support device of the present invention. In general, 5W1H is called "when, where, who, why, what and what."
Guidance that prompts for content entry based on is stored, but in the case of book search etc., guidance such as "Do you know the title?", "Do you know the author?", "Do you know the publisher?" Is stored.

The lower left window (question structure map) 22 is shown in FIG.
In addition to outputting the mapped question structure shown in (1), it is also for allowing the questioner to select an item number related to the questioner. The upper right window (positional relationship with the related item number) 23 extracts and displays only the item number selected by the requester in the lower left window, and displays the relative number of the item number of the question content newly input by the requester. To correct the positional relationship of the existing item numbers.

A plurality of buttons 24 in the middle right are used for inputting standard instructions. The first row indicates whether the operation of the questioner is to input a new question content or a question content already stored. The second row is for specifying the type of question content operated by the requester.

The window 25 at the lower right is for the questioner to input the contents of the question (in this case, items are divided into Subject and Content).

The contents of the question and the structure which are input in the apparatus on the side of the questioner, stored in the respective storage units, and output (displayed) to the output unit are answered via the communication control unit 4 through a computer network or the like. Transmitted to the user's device,
Similarly, it is stored in each storage unit and output (displayed) from the output unit.

Hereinafter, how the question created and presented by the questioner as described above looks like to the respondent will be described with reference to FIG.

In the flow from (2) to (3) in FIG. 2, the respondent divides the content of the question into three (type) classes of a core question, a peripheral explanation, and an auxiliary question. Receive a visual specification of the strength of the interaction,
You can see the same visualized question as the questioner.
This means that respondents can use traditional telephone and e-mail
Compared to one-sided questions asked by the questioner,
It makes it easier for respondents to understand what is at the heart of the question. In addition, compared to the questionnaire format and the multiple-choice type in which the respondent guides the question, the degree of freedom of the questioner's expression is increased, and a system that allows the respondent to receive more detailed question content from the questioner can be provided. .

Further, if the method of asking a question is insufficient,
The respondent asks the questioner a reverse question to supplement the content of the question, causing a flow from (3) to (6) .However, in the present invention, by having the guidance storage unit, Before the question reaches the respondent without knowing (noticing), the question is supplemented to the questioner by the guidance (guidance) from the device according to the present invention.
Guides the flow from (6) to (2), and respondents ask a reverse question
The flow from (3) to (6) can be reduced. In this guidance, the questioner is urged to specify the format and time limit of the answer that the questioner expects as an auxiliary question, so that the respondent can understand what appropriate answer the questioner wants Can be grasped.

[0035]

As described above, according to the method of the present invention, the requester is not required to adjust to the framework prepared by the respondent, and can sufficiently inform the respondent of the intention and background of the question. It is possible for the questioner to sufficiently input the information expected by the respondent. Further, by supporting the creation of the question content, it becomes possible to make the questioner aware of the intention of his / her question.

Further, according to the apparatus of the present invention, information (question contents in this patent) exchanged in communication with a certain purpose (question in the case of this patent) is structured after being made into parts and further expressed visually. It is possible to do. Here, the user (the questioner in this patent) does not need to be aware of all the information to be exchanged and perform structuring, and can determine the relative position of the information as a newly transmitted component.
It is only necessary to define the distance and the relative importance with some other parts. Also, in visualization, by making full use of the virtual expression ability of the computer,
An n-dimensional Euclidean space can be constructed. Note that it is also possible to fix the (n−2) dimensional axes and visualize the positional relationship on a two-dimensional plane for convenience according to the capability of the computer.

Further, according to the apparatus provided with the guidance storage unit, the requester is forced to conform to the unilateral framework prepared by the respondent, or, conversely, is forced to prepare a question without any condition. Without any questions, it is possible to create a question with reference to the guidance output as guidance.

As described above, according to the present invention, the number of direct exchanges between the actual questioner and the respondent can be reduced by the visualization and guidance of the question, and the questioner and the respondent cannot communicate frequently. In the environment (mobile communication with unstable communication environment, environment where there is a time difference between the two on the earth, environment where only storage type communication such as e-mail can be used, etc.)
It is essential to get enough questions and satisfactory answers while reducing the number of communications.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a conventional question creation / presentation support device.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a state transition of a question answer

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of an embodiment of a question creation / presentation support device of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of contents stored in a question structure storage unit in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an operation flowchart of the apparatus of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of stored question contents.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a mapped question structure.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of an input GUI screen.

[Explanation of symbols]

1: input section, 2: output section, 4: communication control section, 11: core question content storage section, 12: peripheral explanation content storage section, 13: auxiliary question content storage section, 14: question structure storage section, 15: question Structure mapping unit, 16: guidance storage unit, 17: control unit.

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A question creation / presentation support method for sending a question content from a questioner accommodated in a computer network or the like to a respondent also accommodated in a computer network or the like and obtaining an answer from the respondent. The question contents from the questioner are stored for each of a plurality of preset types, the importance of each question content and the relation with other question contents are stored, and the type, importance, and each question of the stored question contents are stored. A question creation / presentation support method characterized by visualizing and presenting relationships between contents. 2. As the types of question contents, a core question which is a core question for obtaining an answer that the questioner really wants, a background of the core question, known facts, strength of request, and answer 2. The question creation / presentation support method according to claim 1, wherein a peripheral explanation for explaining a requirement condition and the like and an auxiliary question which is an auxiliary question for leading to a core question are used. 3. A question preparation / presentation support device for sending a question content from a questioner accommodated in a computer network or the like to a respondent also accommodated in a computer network or the like and obtaining an answer from the respondent. A plurality of storage units for storing the contents of questions from the questioner for each of a plurality of preset types, and a question structure for storing the importance of the contents stored in each storage unit and a relationship structure with other question contents A question creation / presentation support device, comprising: a storage unit; and a question structure mapping unit that visualizes the stored relationship structure. 4. A plurality of storage units, a core question content storage unit for storing a core question which is a core question for obtaining an answer truly desired by the questioner, a background of the core question, Peripheral explanation contents storage unit that stores peripheral explanations for explaining facts, strength of requests, required conditions for answers, etc., and auxiliary question contents that store auxiliary questions that are auxiliary questions that lead to core questions 4. The question creation / presentation support device according to claim 3, comprising a storage unit. 5. The question creation / presentation support device according to claim 3, further comprising a guidance storage unit for storing contents prompting the questioner to input information.