Hierarchical Content Display for Small-Screen Navigation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing display devices, particularly on portable devices, struggle with effectively displaying complex content due to small screen sizes, requiring constant zooming and leading to user confusion and loss of context.
Innovation Solution
A hierarchical data display system that organizes content into multiple expandable layers along a single axis, allowing users to navigate through data intuitively without losing context, using a vertical or horizontal orientation, and accommodating various device types and screen sizes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If content is displayed on small portable device screens using traditional layouts, then all content can be shown, but users must constantly zoom in and out leading to confusion and loss of context
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments content into hierarchical layers (first layer, second layer, third layer) that can be independently displayed and navigated. Each layer represents a different level of content detail, allowing users to access specific segments without losing overall context. The segmentation enables selective display of content portions based on user needs.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a hierarchical dimension to content display, organizing information in multiple layers rather than flat two-dimensional layouts. This additional dimensional structure allows users to navigate through content depth levels while maintaining spatial orientation, effectively adding a z-axis dimension to the traditional x-y screen coordinates.
2Loss of information
If complex content is displayed on small screens, then all information is available, but data organization becomes confusing and hard to navigate
Solution Approach 1:
Complex data is segmented into organized hierarchical layers where related information is grouped together. The first layer contains primary content, the second layer contains associated media offerings, and the third layer contains descriptive content. This segmentation reduces organizational complexity by creating logical groupings that are easier to navigate than unstructured complex data.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a nested hierarchical structure where the second layer is nested within the context of the first layer, and the third layer is nested within the second layer. Each layer contains content related to the parent layer, creating a nested doll-like structure where smaller units of information are contained within larger contextual frameworks, making complex data more manageable.
3Adaptability or versatility
If traditional two-dimensional grid layouts are used, then content can be organized, but adaptation to small screens is poor and requires constant zooming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic content display where the hierarchical layers can be expanded, collapsed, and reorganized based on screen size and user interaction. The system dynamically adjusts which layers are visible and how content is positioned, transitioning smoothly between different display states rather than requiring fixed zoom levels.
Solution Approach 2:
The hierarchical layer structure serves multiple functions: it organizes complex data, adapts to different screen sizes, maintains context, and provides intuitive navigation. This universal structure replaces multiple specialized layouts (different zoom levels, different grid configurations) with a single multi-functional system that handles various display scenarios.
Data Source
AI summary
Aspects of the disclosure relate to systems and methods for providing and displaying a hierarchy of selectable data items.