GUI Shortcut Links Skip Screens via Navigation History
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users face inefficiencies in navigating through graphical user interfaces (GUIs) as they often need to access multiple screens, with some screens being unnecessary for reaching their desired destination, leading to increased navigation time and effort.
Innovation Solution
Implementing short cut links within the GUI that utilize recent navigation history and user statistics to identify candidate paths, allowing users to skip unnecessary screens and directly access target screens, with the option to preload target screens for faster access.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If users navigate through multiple screens in a GUI to reach a desired screen, then the user can access all available information and functions, but the navigation time and effort increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-calculates and stores candidate paths between screen pairs by analyzing navigation history and task completion data in advance. When a user needs to navigate, the pre-computed paths are immediately available, eliminating the need for real-time pathfinding and reducing navigation time and effort
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces an intermediary layer (the path recommendation module) that mediates between the user's navigation request and the GUI structure. This intermediary analyzes historical data, identifies optimal paths by filtering out unnecessary screens, and presents recommended navigation sequences to the user, simplifying the navigation process
2Productivity
If the GUI provides direct access to target screens through shortcut links, then navigation efficiency improves, but the system complexity increases due to path analysis and history tracking
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs self-service by automatically analyzing its own navigation data and task completion patterns to generate candidate paths. The path recommendation module uses stored navigation history and task data to autonomously identify optimal navigation sequences without requiring external intervention or complex manual configuration
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates simplified copies of navigation paths based on historical data. Instead of implementing complex real-time analysis, it copies proven effective navigation patterns from past user behavior and task completions, presenting these copied patterns as recommended paths that balance efficiency with manageable system complexity
Data Source
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AI summary
Methods, systems, and computer program products for providing a short cut link in a graphical user interface, GUI, of an electronic device for skipping at least one of multiple GUI screens are provided. This may be based on GUI statistics from an earlier visit of the GUI. The GUI statistics regards at least one path including a sequence of GUI screens out of the multiple GUI screens. The multiple GUI screens may be displayed by switching the GUI from a current GUI screen to a next GUI screen out of the multiple GUI screens in response to a user action, thereby enabling a user to navigate through the GUI screens. A recent navigation history may be generated in a current visit of the GUI, based on the current GUI screen and potentially previous GUI screens displayed in the current visit of the GUI. At least one candidate path may be identified on the basis of the recent navigation history and the GUI statistics, including determining whether the recent navigation history corresponds to a sub-sequence of the at least one candidate path. A target GUI screen may be determined within the at least one candidate path, wherein the target GUI screen is a GUI screen after the next GUI screen. The short cut link may be set as point to the target GUI screen to cause the electronic device to switch the GUI to the determined target GUI screen in response to a user activating the short cut link. The short cut link may be displayed in the current GUI screen.