InnPerspective

A Series of Industry Focused Articles

Read about the latest trends and updates in the intellectual property industry from the Innography perspective.

Why the User Interface will Drive Innovation in Patent Research

Monday 15, September 2008 by Tyron Stading

I remember the first time I opened a web browser back in 1994 and thought this was going to change the way we do things. This turned out to be a understatement as search engines have now indexed billions of patents. The web has been so successful that people now have TOO much information and need to put it all together. To compensate, companies over the last 14 years have continually refined user interfaces and visualizations to make information easier to understand. There have been at least a dozen iterations on user interfaces and designs, and it is still a work in progress.

I am going on record that user interface design will be a driving force for innovation in the patent intelligence/research space. Just like the internet, patent researchers face the same problem of too much information. In 2007 the US patent office alone had a backlog of over 750,000 patent applications, and in 2008 expects to have over 500,000 new patent applications filed. However, the patent industry has stopped following the path of improved user interfaces. Somewhere around 2001, the patent industry stopped trying to improve the user interface and gave up while the patent search industry continued to innovate. I predict that in the next few years the patent industry will catch up with the search industry and bring some revolutionary ideas to the table.

The goal is to make the data work for the user to support their job, and not the other way around.

Here is an example to illustrate the evolution of the user interface:
Today, most systems are in IP Search 1.0, where it is just a table list that requires browsing through thousands of results. The user has to make the data work for them, but is required to modify it significantly.

Generation 1

More creative systems are leveraging navigation and visualizations to help users find information quicker and get to the answer faster. It reinforces the information they are looking for, finding hidden companies or information that is immediately relevant and useful.

Generation 2

Going forward, the user interface that will drive change will reinforce what the user is trying to achieve. It will integrate with their daily research process, track information in a way that makes sense and can be used to communicate a point. The interface should be presentable to others and immediately make a point.

Generation 3

As more information becomes available, we will see more creative and integrated ways to utilize this information to reinforce people’s jobs. It is a very difficult challenge, but we at Innography are dedicated to making an impact in user interface design for patents.

Please use this blog to post ideas or suggestions for UI design. Help us revolutionize Patent Intelligence!

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