Control UI for One-Handed Item Selection on Touch Screens
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Solution Overview
Problem
Touch screens on electronic devices can be inconvenient for selecting items due to their size, as small screens make accurate selection difficult and large screens require complex hand movements for one-handed input, especially when entering characters and numbers.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus for providing a user interface that allows easy selection of items on electronic devices through a control UI, enabling one-handed operation by displaying a control UI for selecting items and allowing inputs to be made without separately displaying the control UI, allowing items outside the control UI's location to be selected based on user inputs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If the screen size is increased, then the visible content area is improved, but the ease of operation deteriorates due to requiring complex hand movements for one-handed input
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the input interface into two separate components: a control UI for navigation and selection, and a separate keyboard UI for character input. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently - the control UI can be positioned for easy one-handed access while the keyboard remains fully visible on the screen, resolving the contradiction between screen size and ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The control UI acts as an intermediary between the user and the keyboard. Instead of requiring direct finger movement across the entire screen to access keyboard characters, the control UI provides a simplified navigation interface that mediates the selection process, reducing the physical movement required while maintaining access to all screen content.
2Ease of operation
If the control window is reduced to enable one-handed input, then the ease of operation is improved, but the visible content area deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The interface is segmented into distinct functional areas: a reduced control UI for one-handed navigation and a separate keyboard display area for character input. This allows the control window to be minimized for ease of operation while the keyboard content remains fully visible through the separate display area, preventing loss of visible content.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a dimensional separation between control functions and content display. The control UI operates in one dimension (simplified navigation space) while the keyboard content is displayed in another dimension (full screen area), allowing both reduced control window size and full content visibility to coexist without conflict.
3Measurement precision
If a separate keyboard display is added, then the input precision is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control UI serves multiple functions: it enables navigation, selection, and triggers keyboard input operations. By making the control UI multi-functional, the patent reduces the need for separate dedicated components for each function, thereby improving input precision without proportionally increasing device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the control navigation functions with the keyboard input functions into a unified interface system. The control UI and keyboard display work as an integrated pair, sharing common event handling and coordination logic, which reduces overall system complexity compared to having completely separate control and input systems.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present disclosure relates to a sensor network, Machine Type Communication (MTC), Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communication, and technology for Internet of Things (IoT). The present disclosure may be applied to intelligent services based on the above technologies, such as smart home, smart building, smart city, smart car, connected car, health care, digital education, smart retail, security and safety services. A method of providing a user interface (UI) by an electronic device is provided. The method includes displaying a control UI, receiving a first drag input via the displayed control UI, and, when a direction of the first drag input corresponds to a first direction, displaying a cursor UI at a preset location. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a UI through which an electronic device can easily receive a user input may be provided. More specifically, in a limited input state including a one hand input, a user can easily make an input for selecting an item displayed on a display unit and, accordingly, user convenience can be improved.