Screen help with contextual shortcut on an appliance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Household appliances, particularly cooking appliances, face challenges in providing user-friendly graphical user interfaces (GUIs) due to overwhelming information, especially during the initial learning phase or when displaying various operating states, which complicates user interaction and maintenance.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a GUI with dynamic assistance mode and touch-sensitive inputs allows for contextual organization of information, hiding less relevant data and providing thematic and frequency-based structuring, enabling users to access relevant assistance information efficiently through a separate assistance mode, and allowing for remote updates of assistance information to address static user manual limitations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If all information is displayed on the GUI, then the user has access to complete information, but the user interface becomes overwhelming and difficult to navigate
Solution Approach 1:
The information is segmented into different categories (main information and assistance information) and organized into separate views. The main view displays primary operational information, while assistance information is separated into a dedicated assistance mode that users can access when needed, preventing information overload on the main interface.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a new dimension for information organization by creating an assistance mode that exists alongside the main operational views. This additional dimensional layer allows users to access comprehensive assistance information without cluttering the primary user interface, effectively adding depth to the information architecture.
2Ease of operation
If assistance information is always visible, then users can access help whenever needed, but the main information display is cluttered and less relevant information is hidden
Solution Approach 1:
Assistance information is extracted from the main information display and placed into a separate assistance mode. Users can access this extracted assistance information through a dedicated input means without it being permanently visible in the main view, thus keeping the main information display clean and focused while maintaining easy access to help when needed.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the GUI displays detailed information for all operating states, then users have comprehensive information, but the interface complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The GUI dynamically adapts its content based on the current operating state and user needs. The processing means determines which assistance information is relevant to the current state and displays only that information in the assistance mode, rather than showing all possible assistance information statically. This dynamic adaptation maintains versatility while controlling complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
On-screen help with contextual shortcut on an appliance The invention relates to an appliance (100) with a user interface (110) comprising a display (111) for showing indications about conditions in the appliance, and first (112, 114) and second (113) touch-sensitive input means. The second input means causes the interface to enter an assistance mode displaying which assistance items, which a processing means (121) extracts from a collection (122) of assistance information based on the content of the display when the assistance mode is invoked. In one embodiment, a data record ensures that the user returns to the same page after consulting the assistance mode. In another embodiment, the appliance is adapted to update the collection of assistance information on the basis of data received at an external communication interface. In another embodiment, the display reacts differently to short and long activations of a given touch-sensitive input means. In another embodiment, the display includes parallax compensation.