Searching system, searching method, and searching program

A method for searching for an item that meets preference of a user by using a searching system, the searching system including control circuitry connected to a user terminal, the method comprising:

• outputting, with the control circuitry, a first item and multiple item candidates to the user terminal based on multiple principal components representing the items, the first item having a first component value, and each of the item candidates having a component value different from the first component value;
• identifying, with the control circuitry, a second item selected in the user terminal from the item candidates, the second item having a second component value as a component value different from the first component value;
• calculating, with the control circuitry, a positional relationship between the first component value and the second component value in each of the principal components;
• calculating, with the control circuitry, a component value distribution according to the positional relationship in each of the principal components;
• newly generating, with the control circuitry, multiple item candidates for the second item based on the component value distribution;
• and
• outputting, with the control circuitry, the newly generated item candidates to the user terminal, wherein:
• the component value distribution comprises a probability distribution having a spread parameter determined based on the positional relationship, and
• the multiple item candidates are randomly generated by sampling from the probability distribution.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores a searching program causing a processor to execute a searching process for searching for an item that meets preference of a user by using a searching system, the searching system including control circuitry connected to a user terminal, wherein

• the control circuitry includes the processor, and the searching process includes
• outputting, with the control circuitry, a first item and multiple item candidates to the user terminal based on multiple dimensionality-reduction elements of feature quantities, the dimensionality-reduction elements including multiple dimensions representing the items, the first item having a first component value, and each of the item candidates having a component value different from the first component value;
• identifying, with the control circuitry, a second item selected in the user terminal from the item candidates, the second item having a second component value as a component value different from the first component value;
• calculating, with the control circuitry, a positional relationship between the first component value and the second component value in each of the elements;
• calculating, with the control circuitry, a component value distribution according to the positional relationship in each of the elements;
• newly generating, with the control circuitry, multiple item candidates for the second item based on the component value distribution;
• and
• outputting, with the control circuitry, the newly generated item candidates to the user terminal, wherein:
• the component value distribution comprises a probability distribution having a spread parameter determined based on the positional relationship, and
• the multiple item candidates are randomly generated by sampling from the probability distribution.