Context-Aware Tooltip Consolidating Navigation and Actions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current software applications require users to navigate through multiple steps to access relevant information, leading to inefficiencies, especially in healthcare settings where quick access to patient information is crucial.
Innovation Solution
A method for accessing information in software applications using a computing device that involves displaying a Tooltip when a user hovers over an icon, which includes navigation options and action buttons, allowing users to launch actions directly from the Tooltip, reducing the need for additional navigation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If users access information through traditional pop-up windows, then information is displayed, but users must navigate away from the pop-up to access related information, increasing navigation steps
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple information access functions into a single pop-up window interface. The pop-up integrates display of icon-specific information, tree section navigation, hyperlinks, and action buttons all in one consolidated interface, allowing users to access related information without leaving the pop-up window.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces hyperlinks as intermediary elements within the pop-up window that enable direct navigation to related information sections. These hyperlinks act as mediators between different information areas, allowing users to jump between sections without closing and reopening pop-ups or navigating through multiple screens.
2Loss of information
If users double-click separate icons to view different information, then all information is accessible, but the process requires multiple navigation actions, reducing workflow efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the pop-up window a universal interface that handles multiple information access tasks through action buttons. Instead of requiring different interaction methods for different information types, the pop-up provides a unified interface with context-aware action buttons that can launch various actions (viewing patient information, ordering tests, accessing results) from a single location.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent prepares and displays relevant action buttons within the pop-up window before the user needs to take action. The system anticipates the user's needs by pre-configuring the pop-up with context-relevant actions based on the hovered icon, eliminating the need for users to search for or navigate to different screens to find available actions.
3Ease of operation
If a Tooltip includes comprehensive information and action buttons, then quick access is achieved, but the Tooltip structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the Tooltip content into distinct functional sections: a header area, a display window for icon-specific information, a tree section for structured data, and an action button area. This segmentation allows the complex Tooltip to be organized into manageable, visually distinct regions that can be independently controlled and styled, reducing the perceived complexity despite the comprehensive functionality.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for accessing information in a software application using a computing device, the computing device comprising one or more processors, the one or more processors for executing a plurality of computer readable instructions, the computer readable instructions for implementing the method for accessing information, the method comprising the steps of determining that a pointer is hovering over an icon, the icon associated with icon specific information, displaying a Tooltip including a heading, a display window and an action button, the action button for launching an action in the application, displaying the icon specific information in the display window, detecting that a user has selected the action button, and launching the action.