Dynamic Grid Interface for Multi-Window Application Management
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Modern information handling systems face challenges in providing an intuitive and efficient user interface that allows users to easily navigate and manage multiple applications, with traditional GUIs often requiring formal training and lacking flexibility in display modes.
Innovation Solution
A grid user-interface is implemented, allowing medium-sized windows to be displayed in a grid format with a mixed-mode request system that switches to a large window and vertically oriented small windows, enabling users to select and manage applications with a consistent layout and intuitive navigation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a traditional GUI with icons and windows is used, then users can operate the system with little or no formal computer training, but the interface lacks flexibility in display modes and requires formal training for efficient use
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically transitions between different display modes (grid view, mixed mode, list view) based on user needs. The interface is not static but can change its layout and organization structure, allowing users to switch between modes that prioritize different aspects of interaction, thereby resolving the contradiction between ease of use and flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The user interface is designed to perform multiple functions through a single unified system. It can display applications in grid format for quick selection, switch to mixed mode for managing multiple applications simultaneously, or transition to list view for detailed browsing. This multi-functional design allows the interface to adapt to different user tasks while maintaining a consistent underlying structure.
2Ease of operation
If multiple applications are displayed in a grid format with medium-sized windows, then users can easily navigate and select applications, but the interface lacks the ability to efficiently manage multiple active applications
Solution Approach 1:
The system transitions from a static grid view to a dynamic mixed mode when users need to manage multiple applications. In mixed mode, the interface reorganizes to show a large window for the primary application and smaller windows for secondary applications, allowing users to efficiently monitor and switch between multiple tasks while maintaining easy navigation through the familiar grid structure when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The display is segmented into different regions with different functions. The grid view provides segmented icons for application selection, while mixed mode segments the screen into a large primary workspace and smaller secondary workspaces. This segmentation allows users to navigate applications easily in grid mode and manage multiple applications efficiently in mixed mode, resolving the contradiction between navigation ease and productivity.
3Loss of information
If a single large window is used for an application, then the application can be displayed in full detail, but users cannot efficiently manage or switch between multiple applications
Solution Approach 1:
The screen space is segmented into a large window for the primary application and smaller windows for secondary applications. This segmentation allows the primary application to be displayed in full detail while simultaneously providing visible access to multiple other applications, resolving the contradiction between information visibility and multi-application management capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The interface utilizes the vertical dimension by arranging windows in a hierarchical layout. The large primary window occupies the main space while smaller secondary windows are positioned in available space, creating a multi-dimensional workspace that accommodates both detailed application display and multi-application management without compromising either requirement.
Data Source
AI summary
An approach is provided to display a grid user-interface on a display. The grid user-interface includes a number of medium-sized windows that are displayed in a grid format. Each of the medium-sized windows has a substantially common width and a substantially common height to the other medium-sized windows. The system receives a mixed-mode request from a user. The mixed-mode request corresponds to a selected application that is displayed in one of the medium-sized windows. A second user-interface is displayed in response to receiving the mixed-mode request. The selected application is displayed in a large window and a plurality of small-sized windows is displayed adjacent to the large window. Each of the small-sized windows also has a substantially common width and a substantially common height to the other small-sized windows.