Dual Container GUI for Item Selection Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users of electronic devices face challenges in selecting and managing a large number of items, such as contacts for group messaging, as only a limited number can be displayed at a time, leading to difficulties in keeping track of selected items and efficiently deselecting them within the device's limited display area.
Innovation Solution
A graphical user interface (GUI) is implemented on the device, allowing users to select items from multiple panels simultaneously, with a viewport displaying a subset of items and a second panel showing selected items, enabling easy identification and manipulation of selected items even when they are out of view, using touch-sensitive gestures for scrolling and deselection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If a limited display area is used to show items, then the device can display items within the viewport, but users cannot efficiently select and track multiple items when the total number exceeds display capacity
Solution Approach 1:
The interface is divided into two separate container elements: a first container element for selecting items and a second container element for displaying selected items. This segmentation allows users to view and manage selected items separately from the full list, making it easier to track multiple selections even when the total number of items exceeds the display area.
Solution Approach 2:
The second container element acts as an intermediary that holds and displays visual representations of selected items. When items are selected in the first container element, their visual representations are transferred to the second container element, providing users with a dedicated space to review and manage selections without cluttering the main item list.
2Quantity of substance
If multiple items are selected from a large set, then the selection capability is enhanced, but users lose track of selected items that move out of the viewport
Solution Approach 1:
The second container element serves as an intermediary display that maintains visual representations of all selected items regardless of their position in the original list. This ensures that even when selected items move out of the viewport in the first container element, users can still see and identify them in the second container element.
Solution Approach 2:
Visual representations of selected items are copied from the first container element to the second container element. This copying mechanism allows users to see a duplicate set of selected items in the second container element, ensuring that selection information is preserved and visible even when the original items are no longer in the viewport.
3Device complexity
If the display area is fixed, then the device structure is simple, but users cannot efficiently manage large numbers of items that exceed the display dimensions
Solution Approach 1:
The fixed display area is segmented into two functional container elements that can be positioned at different locations on the screen. This segmentation allows the interface to handle large numbers of items by distributing them across two separate display regions, improving selection efficiency without requiring a larger physical display.
Solution Approach 2:
The interface utilizes spatial arrangement and layering to organize items across two container elements. By positioning these containers at different locations and allowing them to overlap or be arranged in different configurations, the system effectively creates additional organizational dimensions within the fixed display area, enabling efficient management of large item sets.
Data Source
AI summary
A computing device obtains data representing a plurality of items. A viewport is rendered on a display of the computing device. A portion of a first container element and a portion of a second container element are rendered within the viewport. Selectable visual representations for a first subset of the plurality of items are rendered in the portion of the first container element. The computing device receives a plurality of inputs from the user, each of the plurality of inputs selecting a visual representation of an item from the plurality of items rendered in the first container element. Responsive to receiving each input from the user, another visual representation of each selected item is rendered in the second container element, indicating that the selected item has been selected.