Touch Display Marker Navigation for Document Search
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users face inconvenience and burden when searching for characters in document data on mobile devices, as they need to shift their visual focus between highlighted matching characters and search or scroll buttons, hindering efficient operation.
Innovation Solution
A display apparatus with a touch panel and a marker system that allows users to perform slide operations on markers or other screen positions to navigate to next markers or scroll the screen, eliminating the need to move between search buttons and highlighted characters, and providing visual assistance through markers on a scroll bar.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the user operates search buttons or scroll bars to navigate document data, then the search function and scrolling function are achieved, but the user has to shift visual focus between the matching character position and the control elements, increasing operational burden
Solution Approach 1:
A marker is introduced as an intermediary element that is displayed at the position of the matching character in the document data. This marker serves as a visual mediator between the search control elements and the matching character, allowing users to keep their visual focus on the marker while operating search buttons or scroll bars, thereby eliminating the need to shift visual focus between control elements and matching characters
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the traditional mechanical interaction model (user visually tracks matching character while operating controls) with a visual marker system. The marker is dynamically positioned at the matching character location and provides continuous visual feedback, substituting the need for active visual tracking with passive visual anchoring on the marker
2Ease of operation
If traditional search button operation is used, then search navigation is achieved, but the user cannot operate search buttons without moving eyes from the matching character, reducing operational convenience
Solution Approach 1:
The marker acts as a visual intermediary that remains stationary at the matching character position while the user operates search buttons elsewhere on the screen. This intermediary element simplifies visual attention management by providing a fixed reference point, reducing the cognitive and visual complexity of coordinating eye movements between control elements and content
3Ease of operation
If scroll bar operation is required, then screen scrolling is achieved, but the user must shift visual focus between the matching character and the scroll bar, impairing operational convenience
Solution Approach 1:
The marker serves as a visual mediator during scrolling operations. When users operate the scroll bar, the marker remains visible at the matching character position (or updates to reflect the new position), providing continuous visual reference. This eliminates the need to shift visual focus between the scroll bar and the matching character, reducing scrolling time and improving convenience
Data Source
AI summary
A display apparatus (1) includes a searcher (105) that searches document data displayed on a display device (10) for a target character that accords with a character to search, and a marker display controller (106) that displays a marker on a position corresponding to the target character detected by the searcher (105). A display controller (103) (i) causes the display device, when a slide operation is performed on the marker displayed on the display device (10), to display a next marker on an opposite side, in a direction of the slide operation, and (ii) causes the display device, when a slide operation is performed on a position other than the marker displayed on the display device (10), to scroll a screen on the display device (10) in the direction of the slide operation.