Interactive Visualization for Content Relationship Navigation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Users in collaborative work environments face challenges in visualizing and understanding the relationships between numerous content items, such as documents and images, generated and stored across various platforms, leading to disorganization and inefficiency in navigation and interaction.

Innovation Solution

An interactive visualization system that associates content items based on attributes like time, author, and metadata, using an ordered navigation interface to display and navigate content items in a logical order, allowing users to interact with them and receive updates on changes.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Quantity of substance

If users are provided with access to a large number of content items in collaborative work environments, then the quantity of available information and resources increases, but the ability to appreciate content relationships and understand organization deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenumber of content itemsVSAvoidunderstanding of content relationships

Core Design Contradiction:

Quantity of substanceVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments content items into organized groups based on association attributes (time, author, department, metadata) and presents them through a visualization interface with ordered navigation. This segmentation allows users to process large quantities of content by breaking them down into manageable, relationship-based units rather than overwhelming lists.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces a visualization interface as an intermediary between users and content items. This interface includes ordered navigation components and relevance indicators that mediate the interaction, helping users understand relationships and organization without directly exposing the full complexity of all content items at once.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Ease of operation

If content items are organized using traditional listing methods, then navigation structure is simple, but user ability to appreciate relationships and organize content deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenavigation simplicityVSAvoidcontent relationship context

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent transitions from traditional one-dimensional listing to a multi-dimensional visualization interface that displays content items along with their association attributes (time, author, department, metadata). This dimensional expansion allows users to perceive relationships and organization patterns that are lost in simple lists.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent incorporates relevance indicators that provide feedback to users about content item relationships and organization. These indicators dynamically update based on user interaction and content attributes, helping users understand relationships without complicating the navigation interface.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

3Ease of manufacture

If users interact with content items individually, then detailed editing and feedback are enabled, but overall navigation efficiency and organization deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontent editing capabilityVSAvoidnavigation efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges individual content item interaction with collective organization by displaying multiple content items simultaneously in the visualization interface. Users can edit individual items while maintaining context of their relationships, and relevance indicators allow efficient navigation between items without losing organizational context.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent performs preliminary organization of content items by association attributes before user interaction. The visualization interface pre-arranges content items in logical orders (time, author, department) so that users can navigate efficiently and understand relationships before engaging in detailed editing or feedback activities.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS9996241B2Interactive visualization of multiple software functionality content items

Publication Date: 2018.06.12 MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING LLC

AI summary

Interactive visualization of multiple software functionality content items is provided. A variety of content items may be associated with each other according to one or more association attributes. A visualization presentation of one or more of the content items may be displayed in a visualization interface. Organization of content items may be made in association with a visualization ordering based on one or more logical attributes. An ordered navigation interface component may be provided to allow navigation of the displayed content items in a moving visualization such that a focused on content item may be displayed in a main or primary display position. Users may interact with each content item displayed in the visualization interface to include providing edits, comments, feedback, and the like.