GUI Axes with Absence Indicators for Multidimensional Data Arrays
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing graphical user interface methodologies fail to effectively convey the absence of data in multidimensional arrays, leading to user manipulation that often reveals blank entities, wasting time and effort.
Innovation Solution
A method for displaying a graphical user interface (GUI) with multidimensional arrays of axes, where each axis is constructed with entities that contain data for display, and visual indicators are provided to distinguish entities lacking data from those containing data, allowing users to avoid futile manipulation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If visual indicators are added to show absence of data, then user navigation efficiency is improved, but interface complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies color changes to axis entities to visually indicate the absence of data. Specific colors or color patterns are assigned to entities that contain no data, allowing users to quickly identify and avoid navigating to blank areas. This visual encoding system improves navigation efficiency without requiring complex additional interface elements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements local quality by applying distinct visual indicators only to specific entities along axes that have the property of containing no data. Rather than uniformly treating all entities, the interface selectively marks only those entities with the characteristic of data absence, providing precise information where needed while maintaining simplicity elsewhere.
2Loss of information
If all entities in multidimensional array are displayed, then information completeness is improved, but display area requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and separates the information about data absence from the actual data content. By visualizing which entities contain no data through indicators, the system allows users to mentally filter out these empty entities, effectively reducing the perceived display area needed while maintaining complete information about the multidimensional array structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the multidimensional array display into entities with data and entities without data, using visual indicators to distinguish between them. This segmentation allows users to focus on relevant data-containing entities while quickly identifying and skipping blank entities, optimizing the use of display area.
3Reliability
If users manually navigate through all entities to check for data, then data verification is improved, but time consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary action by pre-calculating and pre-marking entities that contain no data before the user begins navigation. The visual indicators are automatically generated and displayed in advance, allowing users to verify data presence without manual checking, thereby eliminating time consumption while maintaining data verification reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback by providing immediate visual information about data absence through indicators on axis entities. This feedback mechanism allows users to instantly know whether an entity contains data without having to navigate to it or perform verification actions, significantly reducing time consumption while ensuring accurate data verification.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of displaying a GUI including a multidimensional array of axes includes constructing a multidimensional array of axes, each axis comprising a plurality of entities located therealong, each entity configured to contain data for display on the axis; for a particular axis of the axes of the array, determining an entity first encountered in a first direction along the particular axis which contains data for display on the particular axis; displaying a view of the array of axes, which view comprises at least a portion of the particular axis that precedes the first encountered data-containing entity in the first direction; and, in conjunction with the displaying of the view of the array of axes, providing an indicator of an absence of data for display being contained in each entity of the particular axis preceding the first data-containing entity encountered in the first direction.