Methods, apparatus and data structures for providing a user interface which facilitates decision making

Abstract

A user interface for facilitating a decision making process, such as planning a trip. A unified view of various types of information related to an event may be provided. The unified view may be presented in a simulated three-dimensional environment having different types of information depicted on different windows. Different types of information related to a common event may be visually linked. A window showing a articular type of information may be brought into a focus view for closer inspection by a user. Alternative decisions may be depicted to permit vagueness or uncertainty, particularly at early iterations in the decision making process.

1 . A user interface that facilitates decision making, comprising: 
 a reception component that receives one or more expectational event; and    a rendering component that displays the one or more expectational event on a first facet of a polyhedral display object.    
   
   
       2 . The user interface of  claim 1 , further comprising one or more information sources that include disparate information regarding the one or more expectational event.  
   
   
       3 . The user interface of  claim 2 , the one or more information sources employed to gather, based at least in part on the one or more expectational event, a first datum of information and a second datum of information.  
   
   
       4 . The user interface of  claim 3 , the first datum of information projected by the rendering component on a second facet of the polyhedral display object  
   
   
       5 . The user interface of  claim 4 , the rendering component projects the second datum of information on a third facet of the polyhedral display object.  
   
   
       6 . The user interface of  claim 5 , further including a mapping component that generates at least one non-occlusional colored ray to associate the first datum of information, the second datum of information and the one or more expectational event.  
   
   
       7 . The user interface of  claim 6 , the rendering component projects the at least one non-occlusional colored ray that associates the first datum, the second datum and the one or more expectational event into three-dimensional space to connect the first, second and third facets of the polyhedral display object.  
   
   
       8 . The user interface of  claim 5 , the first facet, the second facet and the third facet of the polyhedral display object focusable based at least in part on a user action.  
   
   
       9 . The user interface of  claim 8 , the user action comprises holding a mouse button while moving a mouse in a cardinal direction.  
   
   
       10 . The user interface of  claim 3 , the first datum of information and the second datum or information dynamically adjustable based on changes in the one or more expectational event.  
   
   
       11 . The user interface of  claim 10 , the first datum of information dynamically changeable based on changes in the second datum of information.  
   
   
       12 . The user interface of  claim 10 , the second datum of information dynamically changeable based at least in part on changes in the first datum of information.  
   
   
       13 . The user interface of  claim 2 , the one or more expectational result employed to form a query to search the one or more information sources.  
   
   
       14 . A method that facilitates decision making, comprising: 
 receiving an inclinational event; and    displaying the inclination event on a first plane of a three-dimensional display object rendered on a visual display.    
   
   
       15 . The method of  claim 14 , further comprising utilizing a plurality of data sources to retrieve a first item of information and a second item of information relating to the inclination event.  
   
   
       16 . The method of  claim 15 , further including projecting the first item of information and the second item of information onto a second plane of the three-dimensional display object, and a third plane of the three-dimensional display object respectively.  
   
   
       17 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising associating a non-occluding colored ray with the first item of information, the second item of information, and the inclinational event.  
   
   
       18 . The method of  claim 17 , further comprising projecting the non-occluding colored ray into one or more three-dimensional space within the three-dimensional display object to connect the first plane, the second plane and third plane of the three-dimensional object.  
   
   
       19 . The method of  claim 15 , the inclinational event employed to generate a query to search the plurality of data sources.  
   
   
       20 . A user interface that facilitates decision making, comprising: 
 means for receiving an aspirational event;    means for rendering a multi-dimensional object;    means for obtaining one or more information associated with the aspirational event;    means for projecting the aspirational event and the one or more information associated with the aspirational event onto a plurality of planes that comprise the multi-dimensional object; and    means for associating a non-occluding visible ray with the aspirational event and the one or more information projected onto the plurality of planes that comprises the multi-dimensional object.