Changeability Attribute Communication for User Interface Clarity
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Users of communication terminal devices often cannot determine which features they are authorized to change, leading to confusion and frustration due to error messages when attempting to modify unavailable settings.
Innovation Solution
A method and system where a terminal device communicates with a server to receive changeability settings for service attributes, updating the user interface to display only changeable features, thereby informing users of their authorization status.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If the user interface displays all available features, then the interface is comprehensive, but the user cannot easily determine which features they are authorized to change
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by differentiating the visual presentation of features based on user authorization status. Changeable features are displayed with specific visual indicators (such as editable icons or highlighted elements) while unchangeable features are displayed with different indicators (such as locked icons or grayed-out elements). This allows the user interface to provide localized visual information about authorization status without requiring a separate comprehensive list, thereby resolving the contradiction between information completeness and ease of operation.
2Loss of information
If the system sends detailed changeability information to the terminal device, then the user can determine authorized features, but the communication overhead increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the necessary changeability attribute information from the complete service description and transmits it separately to the terminal device. Instead of sending the entire service configuration, the system identifies and extracts specifically the authorization status of each feature, transmitting only this extracted information in dedicated changeability attribute messages. This reduces the overall data volume while ensuring the user receives sufficient information to determine which features they can modify.
3Ease of operation
If the user interface provides clear indicators for changeable features, then user experience is improved, but the interface complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the user interface rendering logic by separating changeable features from unchangeable features through distinct visual indicators. Each feature is evaluated based on its changeability attribute, and the interface applies different visual treatments accordingly - such as enabling edit functions for changeable features while disabling or visually distinguishing unchangeable features. This segmentation approach provides clear user guidance without requiring a complete redesign of the interface structure, as the same base interface can be rendered with different visual indicators based on the received changeability information.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and apparatus include a terminal device receiving a first message from a server that hosts a service available to the terminal device. The first message includes information about at least one attribute relating to a changeability of that at least one attribute having been changed. The terminal device sends a second message to the server in response to the first message that includes information identifying the information about the at least one attribute of the first message. The terminal device receives a third message from the server that includes information indicating a changeability setting for each of the at least one attribute identified in the first message. The terminal device updates how a user interface for the service is to be displayed so the user interface is displayed with attributes relating to the service being indicated as changeable or unchangeable in accordance with the third message.