System and Method for Learning User Genres and Styles and for Matching Products to User Preferences

1 . A computer-implemented method for determining user preferences for fashion products, the method comprising:

using one or more processors to perform steps comprising:

programmatically determining a fashion preference of a user based on a user's interaction with a plurality of fashion product content items that individually depict a corresponding fashion product;

making a recommendation to a user of a fashion product based at least in part on the fashion preference of the user.

2 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising individual displaying the plurality of fashion product content items to the user, and prompting the user for a response that indicates a like or dislike of the plurality of fashion product content items.

3 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein programmatically determining the fashion preference includes:

identifying a set of images that individually depict one or more fashion items;

displaying a sequence comprising a plurality of panels, in which each panel includes at least two images from the set to the user;

for each panel, recording a response from the user that indicates which of the at least two images in that panel the user most likes or most dislikes.

4 . The computer-implemented method of claim 3 , wherein displaying the sequence includes creating each panel so that each fashion product content item of the individual panels displays a corresponding fashion product that is of a corresponding genre that is different than the fashion product of the other fashion product content item of the panel.

5 . The computer-implemented method of claim 4 , wherein the fashion product content items of each panel are determined to belong to the corresponding genre by manual input.

6 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising prompting the user to provide input that specifies one or more known parameters about the user's fashion preference.

7 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more known parameters include a size or a price preference of the user.

8 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein making the recommendation to a user of the fashion product includes making the recommendation of one or more fashion products based on the determined fashion preference and known parameters of the user.

9 . A computer-implemented method for using programmatic descriptors for fashion products, the method comprising:

using one or more processors to perform steps comprising:

analyzing a fashion product content item to determine a set of features of a fashion product depicted in the fashion product content item;

programmatically associating the fashion product to a pre-defined descriptive category for each of a plurality of descriptive classifications, based on a quantitative analysis of the determined set of features;

using the product content item and its pre-defined descriptive category for each of the plurality of descriptive classifications to determine or predict a user preference.

10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the plurality of descriptive classifications include one or more of a genre class, a pattern class, a shape class, or a color family class.

11 . The method of claim 9 , wherein analyzing a fashion product content item includes performing image analysis on an image portion of the fashion product content item

12 . The method of claim 9 , wherein programmatically associating the fashion product to the pre-defined descriptive category includes determining a probability that the fashion product has a visual characteristic of each pre-defined category of one or more of the descriptive classifications.

13 . The method of claim 9 , wherein using the fashion product content item and its pre-defined descriptive category for each of the plurality of descriptive classifications includes detecting user selection or interaction with the fashion product content item, and using the pre-defined descriptive category of each of the descriptive classification in order to determine the user preference.

14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein detecting user selection or interaction with the fashion product content item includes monitoring which fashion product content items the user selects to view in order to determine a profile for that user based on the pre-defined descriptive category of the individual descriptive classifications for each product that the user viewed.

15 . The method of claim 9 , wherein using the fashion product content item and its pre-defined descriptive category for each of the plurality of descriptive classifications includes identifying a fashion genre or style preference of a user, and recommending, or not recommending, the fashion product based on the pre-defined descriptive categories associated with the fashion product content item and the fashion genre or style preference of the user.

16 . The method of claim 9 , further comprising:

recording historical information pertaining to a user's online activity about fashion products; and

determining the user's genre preferences for fashion products based in part on the historical information.

17 . A computer-implemented method for determining user preferences for fashion products, the method comprising:

using one or more processors to perform steps comprising:

analyzing individual fashion product content items representing a catalog of fashion products to determine, for each fashion product content item, a set of features of a fashion product depicted in that fashion product content item;

programmatically associating each fashion product represented by one of the fashion product content items to a pre-defined descriptive category for each of a plurality of descriptive classifications, based on a quantitative analysis of the determined set of features;

detecting one or more fashion product content items that is deemed to be of interested to the user;

determining a fashion preference of the user using the pre-defined descriptive category for each of the plurality of descriptive classifications of the one or more fashion product content items that are deemed of interest to the user.

18 . The method of claim 7 , wherein determining the preference of the user includes using historical information that includes search terms previously used by the user.