2D Iconic Product Catalog Navigation System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing online product catalogs struggle to effectively navigate and present structured content, as conventional 'vertical' search results formats are not conducive to visualizing search results across various nodes, making it difficult for users to locate relevant products efficiently.
Innovation Solution
A two-dimensional electronic product catalog system that utilizes iconic images to represent catalog pages, allowing users to create mental maps and navigate through logical and physical contexts, with features like drill-down searching and dynamic addition of product information.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional vertical search results format is used, then implementation is simple and standard, but user navigation efficiency and product discovery capability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the conventional vertical one-dimensional search results into a two-dimensional interactive catalog display. The catalog is presented as a grid of thumbnail images representing different catalog pages, allowing users to visually navigate across multiple dimensions of product information simultaneously, thereby improving navigation efficiency while maintaining manageable system complexity through standard web technologies.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates visual copies of catalog pages as thumbnail images that represent entire pages or sections. These thumbnail copies allow users to quickly scan and identify relevant product information without loading full pages, improving navigation speed while the underlying system remains relatively simple by using standard image generation and display capabilities.
2Ease of operation
If two-dimensional catalog display is implemented, then user navigation and product discovery improve, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically generates thumbnail images from catalog page content without requiring manual intervention. The server-side script automatically captures catalog page content, generates representative thumbnail images, and updates the two-dimensional display dynamically, reducing the operational complexity while enhancing user navigation ease.
Solution Approach 2:
The two-dimensional catalog display system is designed to work with existing e-commerce platforms and catalog structures. It can display various types of product information (images, descriptions, prices) in a unified visual format, making the system versatile and easier to operate across different product catalogs while avoiding the need for completely separate complex systems.
3Adaptability or versatility
If dynamic product information addition is enabled, then catalog versatility improves, but system maintenance complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates automatic feedback mechanisms where the server monitors for new product information, automatically generates updated thumbnail images, and refreshes the two-dimensional catalog display. This automated feedback loop allows dynamic content updates without requiring complex manual maintenance procedures, balancing versatility with manageable system complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for use in presenting information relevant to a product catalog. The system receives a search request and presents to a user in a two-dimensional format a plurality of iconic images each representative of a page of a product catalog. Each of the iconic images is activatable to cause a display of an image of the page of the product catalog represented by the iconic image. One or more of the presented plurality of iconic images that are linked to a page of the product catalog having a product responsive to the search request are highlighted to the user.