Calling Feature Icon Segmentation for Mobile UI Clarity
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mobile device user interfaces struggle to efficiently display and manage calling features across multiple communication lines, leading to user confusion and difficulty in identifying the status of calling features on non-active lines, especially when the number of features and lines increases.
Innovation Solution
A method is provided to display calling feature icons in a user interface that allows users to easily determine the status of different calling features by showing general and line-specific icons for each communication line, with general icons indicating applicable features across multiple lines and line-specific icons for the active line, and displaying a line selection menu to facilitate user selection of communication lines for outgoing calls.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If multiple calling feature icons for multiple communication lines are displayed in a single display field, then all calling feature information is provided, but user confusion increases and identification of feature status on non-active lines becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the display of calling feature icons into two separate display fields: a general calling feature icon display field showing icons applicable to multiple communication lines, and a line-specific calling feature icon display field showing icons for the active line only. This segmentation prevents information overload in a single field while maintaining complete information availability across both fields.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent organizes calling feature information across two dimensional spaces: general calling features are displayed in one dimension (general display field), while line-specific features are displayed in another dimension (line-specific display field). This dimensional separation allows users to navigate between different views of the same information hierarchy without confusion.
2Loss of information
If detailed calling feature information for multiple communication lines is provided within a single display field, then comprehensive information is available, but screen space is consumed and interface complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the display area into two distinct fields: the general calling feature icon display field for features applicable to multiple lines, and the line-specific calling feature icon display field for the active line. This segmentation reduces the information density in each field, conserving screen space while maintaining comprehensive information availability.
3Loss of information
If multiple instances of the same icon are displayed together marked with different line numbers, then all line-specific features are visible, but user confusion increases and the interface becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent separates the display of line-specific calling feature icons from general calling feature icons by creating distinct display fields. Instead of showing multiple instances of the same icon with different line numbers in a single field, the patent displays one instance per line in the line-specific field, reducing visual complexity while preserving line identification capability.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
A system and method for providing calling feature icons in a user interface that allow users to determine with ease the status of different calling features, and in respect of at least one embodiment, to identify with ease the communication lines associated with calling features that have been enabled (and/or disabled) on the mobile device. In example embodiments, for each calling feature, at most one general calling feature icon associated with the respective calling feature is displayed in a general calling feature icon display field of a call screen if the respective calling feature applies to at least one of a plurality of communication lines accessible at the mobile device. In some embodiments, line-specific calling feature icons may also be displayed in an active line data display field and/or a line selection menu.