Configuration UI for Navigating Large Design Spaces
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users face difficulty in navigating high-dimensional and granular design spaces for build-to-order products, such as homes or automobiles, due to the large number of possible configurations, making it challenging to find a preferred design without viewing numerous images.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a two-stage user interface system where users can dynamically adjust the composition of design images and the field-of-view allocation using sliding elements, combined with efficient image processing techniques to reduce computational complexity and memory usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If users navigate through all possible design configurations to find their preferred design, then they can make an informed decision, but the time required increases significantly due to the large number of configurations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the design space into multiple subsets or groups of configurations. Instead of presenting all 10,000+ configurations at once, the system divides them into manageable subsets and presents them sequentially or in parallel, allowing users to navigate through fewer images at a time while still accessing the complete design space.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-processing and organizing the design configurations into structured subsets before presentation. It prepares multiple candidate configurations in advance, pre-computes their visual representations, and organizes them in a way that facilitates efficient user comparison and selection without requiring users to view all possible configurations.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the design space includes all possible permutations of options, then it offers complete customization, but the complexity of navigating the design space increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the high-dimensional design space into multiple lower-dimensional subsets. Each subset contains a manageable number of configurations that can be effectively compared and evaluated. This segmentation reduces the apparent complexity of the interface while preserving access to the complete customization options across all subsets.
Solution Approach 2:
The system adds a new dimension to the design space representation by organizing configurations into multiple subsets or layers. Instead of presenting a flat, overwhelming list of all configurations, it introduces a subset dimension that allows users to navigate through organized groups, effectively reducing the perceived complexity while maintaining full customization capability.
3Loss of information
If the system processes and displays all design configurations simultaneously, then users can compare all options, but the memory and computational resources required increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and processes only the necessary subset of design configurations at any given time rather than loading all configurations into memory simultaneously. The system extracts relevant configurations based on user preferences, design constraints, and navigation state, reducing memory requirements while ensuring that all necessary design options remain accessible through sequential or on-demand loading.
Data Source
AI summary
A process includes obtaining a set of images compositable to depict different design configurations; providing a first user interface by which members of the set are overlaid responsive to user inputs to depict different design configurations; obtaining a first design configuration specified via the first user interface; and providing a second user interface depicting a field of view having a first portion depicting the first design configuration and a second porting depicting a second design configuration, the second user interface being operative to adjust allocation in pixel space of the field of view between the first portion and the second portion responsive to user input.