Method and apparatus for navigating through a task on a computer

A computer-implemented method of assisting a user in navigating through a performance of a task, the task including a plurality of sub-tasks, the method comprising acts of:

• (A) serially presenting two or more of the sub-tasks on a graphical user interface, each of the two or more sub-tasks displayed in a respective panel of the graphical user interface;
• (B) for each of the two or more sub-tasks, enabling the user to perform the sub-task by entering information into the respective panel of the sub-task as the sub-task is presented;
• and
• (C) while the two or more sub-tasks are being presented, displaying a sub-task list of items to the user on the graphical user interface, each item representing a respective one of the plurality of sub-tasks and including a sub-task identifier identifying the respective one of the sub-tasks,
• wherein act (C) includes, for at least one of the items, displaying information corresponding to the sub-task represented by the at least one item.

A system for assisting a user in navigating through a performance of a task, the task including a plurality of sub-tasks, the system comprising:

• a sub-task performance component to control the serial presentation of two or more of the sub-tasks on a graphical user interface, each of the two or more sub-tasks displayed in a respective panel of the graphical user interface, and to enable the user, for each of the two or more sub-tasks, to perform the sub-task by entering information into the respective panel of the sub-task as the sub-task is presented;
• and
• a sub-task list component to control the display of a sub-task list of items to the user on a graphical user interface while the two or more sub-tasks are being presented, each item representing a respective one of the plurality of sub-tasks and including a sub-task identifier identifying the respective one of the sub-tasks;
• and
• means for displaying, within at least one of the items, information corresponding to the sub-task represented by the at least one item.

A computer-readable medium having computer-readable signals stored thereon that define instructions that, as a result of being executed by a computer, control the computer to perform a method of assisting a user in navigating through performance a task, the task including a plurality of sub-tasks, the method comprising acts of:

• (A) serially presenting two or more of the sub-tasks on a graphical user interface, each of the two or more sub-tasks displayed in a respective panel of the graphical user interface;
• (B) for each of the two or more sub-tasks, enabling the user to perform the sub-task by entering information into the respective panel of the sub-task as the sub-task is presented;
• and
• (C) while the two or more sub-tasks are being presented, displaying a sub-task list of items to the user on the graphical user interface, each item representing a respective one of the plurality of sub-tasks and including a sub-task identifier identifying the respective one of the sub-tasks,
• wherein act (C) includes displaying, within at least one of the items, information corresponding to the sub-task represented by the at least one item.