Floorplan Manager Standardizes User Interface Layouts

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Solution Overview

Problem

Different applications from the same manufacturer can have distinct 'look and feel' in their user interfaces, leading to user confusion, especially for non-technical users, due to variations in visual elements and update mechanisms.

Innovation Solution

The Floorplan Manager (FPM) software standardizes the user interface 'look and feel' by generating interfaces with similar structures and navigation patterns through visual and invisible components, using a configuration file to define layouts and navigation paths, ensuring consistency across applications.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If different applications use different visual elements and update mechanisms, then each application can have customized functionality, but user confusion increases and usability decreases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveapplication customizationVSAvoiduser confusion

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies universality by creating a common user interface framework that provides standardized visual elements, layout patterns, and navigation mechanisms across multiple applications. This framework enables consistent user interactions while allowing each application to maintain its core functionality through configurable parameters and custom visual components that inherit from the standardized base.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent segments the user interface into independent visual components that can be individually configured and updated. Each visual element is treated as a separate, reusable component with defined properties and behaviors, allowing applications to assemble interfaces from standardized parts while maintaining customization capabilities through component selection and configuration.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Ease of operation

If applications standardize their user interface structures and navigation patterns, then user confusion is reduced and usability improves, but application flexibility and customization may be limited

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveuser confusionVSAvoidapplication flexibility

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements dynamics by creating a flexible configuration system that allows visual components and their arrangements to be dynamically adjusted based on application-specific requirements. The standardized framework provides default configurations for consistency, while enabling applications to override and customize visual elements, layouts, and navigation patterns through configurable parameters without breaking the overall standardized structure.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

3Speed

If visual components are updated in response to user events, then the user interface remains responsive and functional, but maintaining consistency across different applications becomes more difficult

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveinterface responsivenessVSAvoidinterface consistency

Core Design Contradiction:

SpeedVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies feedback by implementing an event-driven architecture where visual components automatically update their state and appearance in response to user interactions. The standardized framework ensures that these updates follow consistent patterns across applications, with event handlers and state management mechanisms that maintain uniform behavior while allowing application-specific logic to be incorporated through configurable component properties.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentUS7757208B2Floorplan manager

Publication Date: 2010.07.13 SAP SE

AI summary

A method of generating a current user interface for an application includes receiving an indication of an event, obtaining a visual component for the current user interface based on the event, and building the current user interface using the visual component. The visual component is a constituent of the current user interface that defines a function of the current user interface.