Affordance Feature Repository for Design Systems

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current design systems lack the ability to effectively analyze user activities and derive efficient interaction designs due to the absence of specific affordance analysis technology, leading to increased cognitive load and suboptimal user satisfaction in product usage.

Innovation Solution

A design system utilizing an affordance feature repository that stores and searches affordances and their features, allowing users to select and apply analogical reasoning to derive new affordance features for product design, based on pre-analyzed correlations between functions and activities.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If conventional design systems are used without specific affordance analysis technology, then the system structure remains simple, but user activity analysis capability and interaction design efficiency are insufficient

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveuser activity analysis capabilityVSAvoidsystem structure
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments the complex design analysis process into distinct functional modules: a collection unit for gathering user activity data, an analysis unit for processing the data and extracting affordance features, and an output unit for presenting results. This modular segmentation enables sophisticated user activity analysis while maintaining manageable system complexity through clear division of labor among components.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces an intermediary affordance feature repository that stores pre-analyzed affordance features and design information. This repository acts as a mediator between raw user activity data and final design decisions, allowing the system to leverage historical analysis results without重新 analyzing all data each time, thus enhancing adaptability while controlling complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Adaptability or versatility

If product complexity increases to provide more functions, then functionality is improved, but cognitive load for users increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveproduct functionalityVSAvoidcognitive load
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system enables products to self-optimize their interface and interaction design by automatically analyzing user activities and deriving affordance features. The analysis unit processes user behavior data and generates design recommendations that adapt the product's presentation to match user expectations, reducing cognitive load without requiring manual design adjustments for each complexity increase.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the parameter of interaction design from static to dynamic by continuously analyzing user activities and adjusting affordance features accordingly. The system monitors user behavior parameters and modifies interface presentations based on extracted affordance features, allowing the product to maintain ease of operation even as functionality and complexity increase.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Productivity

If manual design analysis is performed without automated affordance extraction, then implementation complexity is low, but design efficiency and user satisfaction are reduced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedesign efficiencyVSAvoidimplementation complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces manual mechanical design analysis with an automated computational system. The analysis unit uses algorithms to automatically process user activity data, extract affordance features, and generate design recommendations, substituting human manual analysis with automated information processing. This dramatically improves design efficiency while the modular architecture keeps implementation complexity manageable.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The system creates copies of successful design patterns by storing affordance features and design information in the repository. When similar user activities are detected, the system retrieves and applies previously analyzed affordance features, copying proven design solutions rather than analyzing from scratch. This accelerates design efficiency while leveraging existing analysis work to offset increased implementation complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

Data Source

PatentUS9984099B2System and method using affordance feature repository
Publication Date: 2018.05.29 RES & BUSINESS FOUND SUNGKYUNKWAN UNIV
  • US9984099B2 patent drawing
  • US9984099B2 patent drawing
  • US9984099B2 patent drawing

AI summary

A design system using affordance features, the design system is provided. The system includes a storage unit that stores multiple affordances, that is messages that induce natural and efficient corresponding activities of human; a search unit that searches affordance features, that is, the structural entities that provide corresponding affordances, to search conditions set by a user; an output unit that outputs design information corresponding to the affordance features searched by the search unit and design information corresponding to an affordance feature selected by the user on a user interface; and an analogical reasoning unit that performs analogical reasoning on the basis of the design information corresponding to the selected affordance feature and derives a new affordance feature for a predetermined design target to be designed by the user.