Dynamic Tile Navigation for Enterprise Application Menu Clutter
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Solution Overview
Problem
Enterprise resource planning (ERP) applications often present users with cluttered menu structures due to numerous options, making it difficult to quickly access frequently used features without navigating through hierarchical levels.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of space filling elements on a computer display, where each element represents a menu item and its size and attributes (such as color and texture) indicate access frequency and importance, allowing users to visualize and immediately access frequently used applications without cluttering the display with infrequently used ones.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a hierarchical menu structure is used to organize enterprise applications, then the applications can be systematically categorized and accessed through levels, but the menu structure becomes cluttered and difficult to navigate when numerous options are available
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the hierarchical menu structure by extracting frequently accessed applications from the multi-level hierarchy and presenting them as individual icons on the desktop. This segmentation allows users to access common applications directly without navigating through hierarchical levels, thereby reducing navigation complexity while maintaining the organized structure for less frequently used applications.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts frequently accessed applications from the hierarchical menu structure and places them directly on the desktop as icons. This extraction removes the clutter of numerous menu options from the main navigation path, allowing users to quickly access commonly used applications while the hierarchical structure remains intact for organizing all applications systematically.
2Adaptability or versatility
If all applications are displayed in the hierarchical menu structure, then comprehensive access to all options is provided, but the display becomes cluttered with infrequently used applications
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by differentiating between frequently accessed and infrequently accessed applications. Frequently accessed applications are displayed as larger icons with more prominent positioning on the desktop, while infrequently used applications remain in the hierarchical menu structure. This localized differentiation optimizes display space by giving visual prominence only where needed while maintaining comprehensive access to all applications.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces dynamics by allowing the desktop icon representation to change based on application characteristics such as access frequency, notifications, and urgency. The icons can be dynamically resized, repositioned, or highlighted to reflect current application states, enabling the display to adapt to changing user needs while maintaining a clean visual interface.
3Loss of time
If frequently used applications are prioritized for immediate access, then navigation time is reduced, but the menu structure loses its systematic organization
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adds a new dimension to application access by creating a dual-layer system: a two-dimensional desktop icon grid for frequently accessed applications and a multi-level hierarchical menu structure for comprehensive organization. This dimensional addition allows users to access common applications in constant time from the desktop while the hierarchical structure maintains systematic organization for all applications, effectively resolving the time-organization trade-off.
Data Source
AI summary
In example embodiments, space filling elements displayed on a computer screen represent items in one or more levels of a hierarchical menu structure. The area of a space filling element indicates the number of accesses to an application associated with the space filling element. Other attributes of the space filling element may indicate values of characteristics of an associated application.