Grid Entry Visual Affordances for Contextual Data Entry
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current data entry systems using two-dimensional grids often become cluttered when additional information needs to be associated with cells, leading to user disorientation due to the reliance on pop-up dialogs that take users out of the grid context.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a visual affordance or 'cell extension' within the grid that exposes properties of cells without leaving the grid context, allowing for seamless data entry and manipulation of additional fields without the need for pop-up dialogs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If additional information is associated with grid cells using icons and dialog boxes, then more data can be displayed, but the cell becomes overloaded and user context is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the information display by separating the grid cell from its associated properties. The visual affordance acts as a distinct segment that hosts additional fields, preventing the main cell from becoming overloaded while maintaining information accessibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a new visual dimension by placing affordances adjacent to grid cells rather than within them. This spatial reorganization allows additional information to be displayed in a different dimensional space, preventing cell overload while maintaining contextual connection.
2Adaptability or versatility
If pop-up dialog boxes are used to display additional fields, then more information can be accessed, but the user is taken out of the grid context
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the information display functionality directly into the grid interface by using visual affordances that are spatially integrated with the grid cells. This eliminates the need for separate dialog boxes and keeps users within the grid context while providing access to additional information.
Solution Approach 2:
The visual affordance acts as an intermediary element between the grid cell and the additional information fields. It provides a visual connection and spatial bridge that allows users to access detailed information without leaving the grid context, mediating between the cell and its properties.
3Quantity of substance
If icons are used to represent additional information in cells, then data can be linked, but the cell becomes cluttered
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts additional information fields from the grid cell and places them in adjacent visual affordances. This extraction removes the clutter from cells while maintaining the ability to display and manipulate additional data, separating the representation from the data storage.
Data Source
AI summary
A computer-readable medium has computer-executable instructions for generating a user interface on a display device, the user interface includes a grid having a plurality of cells. The user interface also includes a visual affordance presented on the grid and visually connected to one of the plurality of cells, the visual affordance exposing properties of the one of the plurality of cells to which it is visually connected.