Display Analysis Patch for Consistent Android User Experience
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Solution Overview
Problem
The Android platform's open-source nature and varying operating system versions across devices lead to inconsistent user experiences for software applications, with the non-public and unreliable ViewServer API exacerbating issues of performance and scalability.
Innovation Solution
A system and method involving a display analysis application installed on both computing devices and mobile devices, which communicates via a network to collect and compare display parameters, ensuring consistency across disparate devices by patching the application's APK with a display analysis patch and using multicast sockets for data transmission.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the ViewServer API is used to obtain view parameters, then application developers can access device display information, but the API is non-public, unreliable, and extremely slow for real-time interaction
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a custom public API as an intermediary layer between the application and the ViewServer API. This mediator translates and caches ViewServer responses, providing reliable and fast access to view parameters without directly calling the slow non-public ViewServer API for every operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-fetching and caching view parameters before they are needed. The custom API stores display information in advance, allowing applications to access previously cached data instead of making slow real-time calls to the ViewServer API.
2Loss of information
If the ViewServer API returns entire view state, then complete display information is obtained, but the API becomes incredibly slow
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the necessary view parameters from the complete view state returned by the ViewServer API. Instead of processing and storing entire view states, the system selectively extracts specific display parameters needed for consistency checking, reducing data volume and improving performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses partial action by requesting and processing only the subset of view parameters that are essential for maintaining display consistency, rather than obtaining and processing the entire view state. This partial approach maintains information quality while dramatically improving speed.
3Adaptability or versatility
If Android applications are developed to run on multiple device versions, then platform versatility is achieved, but user experience consistency deteriorates across different Android OS versions and hardware
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the system continuously monitors and compares display parameters across different Android devices and OS versions. By collecting actual runtime display data and comparing it against expected values, the system detects inconsistencies and applies corrections to maintain uniform user experience across diverse platforms.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts application parameters based on detected device characteristics and display inconsistencies. By changing runtime parameters such as layout dimensions, font sizes, and color values according to actual device behavior rather than relying on static manifest declarations, the application maintains consistent appearance and functionality across different Android versions and hardware configurations.
Data Source
AI summary
A system for providing a consistent user experience of an application across disparate mobile devices comprises a computing device including a display analysis application, and one or more mobile devices including a display analysis application is provided. In one example, a mobile device comprises a memory storing a version of an operating system, a display analysis patch, and a patched application. A consistency module of the mobile device is configured to access the application with the display analysis patch, obtain one or more display parameters of the mobile device via the application with the display analysis patch, and transmit the obtained one or more display parameters to a computing device.