Automatic Design Element Grouping via Spatial Cohesion Metrics
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current design tools require manual user intervention to group design elements, which can be time-consuming and inefficient, especially during operations like page resizing and re-aspecting, where automatic adjustment of element positions and sizes is necessary.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented method for automatically grouping design elements on a page by generating multiple sets of groups, calculating set cohesion metrics based on spatial positions, and determining a final set of groups to optimize grouping for better spatial cohesion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual user intervention is used to group design elements, then grouping can be performed, but it is time-consuming and inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically groups design elements by analyzing spatial relationships and visual properties without requiring manual user intervention. The algorithm independently determines grouping based on distance metrics and element characteristics, enabling the system to serve itself rather than requiring user input for each grouping operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The manual mechanical action of dragging and dropping elements to group them is replaced by an automated computational system. The algorithm calculates spatial relationships and automatically creates groups based on predefined criteria, substituting the manual mechanical process with an automated information processing system.
2Reliability
If elements are manually grouped before page resizing, then grouping can be maintained, but it requires additional user steps and time
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs automatic grouping as a preliminary action before page resizing operations. By pre-establishing groups based on spatial relationships, the system ensures that subsequent resize operations can reliably maintain these groupings without requiring additional user intervention to create or preserve them.
Solution Approach 2:
The automatic grouping system serves multiple functions: it prepares elements for resizing, maintains grouping consistency during transformations, and reduces the number of user steps required. This multi-functional approach eliminates the need for separate manual grouping actions while ensuring reliable grouping maintenance throughout the design workflow.
3Productivity
If automatic grouping is implemented, then grouping efficiency improves, but the algorithm complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses configurable parameters such as distance thresholds and visual property weights to control the automatic grouping behavior. By adjusting these parameters, the system can optimize between computational simplicity and grouping accuracy, allowing flexible adaptation to different design scenarios without fundamentally changing the algorithmic approach.
Solution Approach 2:
The automatic grouping algorithm processes elements by segmenting the design space into potential group regions based on spatial relationships. This segmentation approach breaks down the complex task of grouping multiple elements into manageable spatial zones, reducing overall algorithmic complexity while maintaining grouping effectiveness.
Data Source
AI summary
Described herein is a computer implemented method for automatically grouping design elements on a page. The method comprises generating one or more sets of groups, each set of groups including one or more groups, each group grouping including one or more of the design elements; calculating set cohesion metrics for at least two of the sets of groups, the set cohesion metric calculated for a given set of groups providing a measure of how well the given set of groups has grouped the design elements on the page; determining, based on the cohesion metrics, a final set of groups; and grouping the design elements according to the one or more groups defined by the final set of groups.