Assistive Buffer Segmentation for Text-to-Speech Navigation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional assistive techniques, such as text-to-speech conversion, are inadequate for navigating complex content with embedded controls like webpages, as they often confuse controls with text and require users to build a mental model of the interface, making it inefficient, especially on touchscreen devices.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of assistive buffer usage techniques, where content is portioned into multiple buffers, allowing users to navigate through a 'flattened' view of text and controls using audio inputs like fast forward and rewind, enabling users to differentiate between text and controls and locate relevant content efficiently.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional text-to-speech conversion is used on content with embedded controls, then text can be converted to audio, but controls and text become confused and navigation becomes inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments content into separate buffers: one buffer for text portions and another buffer for control portions. This segmentation allows the text-to-speech system to process text while excluding controls, preventing confusion between text and controls and improving navigation efficiency.
2Loss of information
If users navigate through content with embedded controls using conventional assistive techniques, then text can be accessed, but users must build a mental model of the interface which increases complexity
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting content into separate text and control buffers, the system presents information in a simplified, organized manner that reduces the cognitive load on users. Users no longer need to build complex mental models of the interface structure to access text information.
3Loss of information
If content is displayed in specified arrangement with embedded controls, then complete information is provided, but differentiation between text and controls becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments content into distinct buffers for text and controls, making differentiation straightforward through separate processing and navigation paths.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary buffer structure that mediates between the original content and the text-to-speech output. This intermediary layer separates text from controls, allowing clear differentiation while preserving the completeness of the original content arrangement.
4Ease of operation
If conventional assistive techniques are used on touchscreen devices, then basic text-to-speech is available, but navigation through content is inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting content into separate text and control buffers, the system enables more efficient navigation on touchscreen devices. Users can navigate through text portions without being hindered by embedded controls, significantly improving navigation speed while maintaining ease of operation.
Data Source
AI summary
Assistive buffer usage techniques are described. In one or more implementations, audio generated through text-to-speech conversion is output, the audio corresponding to text portioned in one of a plurality of buffers from an item of content. An input is received to rewind or fast forward the output of the audio. Responsive to the input, additional audio is output that was generated through text-to-speech conversion from text portioned in another one of the plurality of buffers.