List Item Preview Indicators for UI Hierarchy Management

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Solution Overview

Problem

Users face difficulty in anticipating which list items will be added when the number of items displayed on a UI, such as thumbnail images or icons, increases in response to user operations, making it hard to recognize new items before they are fully integrated.

Innovation Solution

An information processing device and method that includes a detection unit to identify user operations and a display control unit to gradually introduce new list items into the display, allowing users to see what items will be added before they are fully coupled or separated, using techniques like pinch-out/pinch-in operations to control the display of lists.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Quantity of substance

If the number of list items displayed on the UI is increased in response to user operation, then the information density and detail level are improved, but the user cannot recognize in advance what kind of list items are to be added

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenumber of list itemsVSAvoiduser awareness of upcoming items

Core Design Contradiction:

Quantity of substanceVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The system displays a preview indicator showing what list items will be added before actually adding them. This preliminary visualization allows users to anticipate and understand the upcoming changes to the list, resolving the contradiction between increasing item quantity and maintaining user awareness.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system provides visual feedback by displaying indicators that show users what list items will be added in response to their operations. This feedback mechanism ensures users can recognize and understand the upcoming changes before they occur, preventing information loss.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Measurement precision

If thumbnail images of shorter time intervals are displayed to increase the number of images, then the time resolution is improved, but the screen space consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetime resolutionVSAvoidscreen space

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSArea of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments the display area by showing only necessary preview indicators rather than full thumbnail images. This segmentation allows high time resolution information to be conveyed without consuming excessive screen space, as only essential visual cues are displayed.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system applies different display qualities to different parts of the interface: full thumbnail images are shown where needed, while preview indicators use simplified visual representations. This local quality differentiation optimizes screen space usage while maintaining necessary time resolution.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentUS10768806B2Information processing device, information processing method, and program for displaying list items and changing hierarchical level of display

Publication Date: 2020.09.08 SONY GROUP CORP

AI summary

Provided is an information processing device including a detection unit configured to detect a user operation, and a display control unit configured to display a list including list items, and perform display of, in response to a detected user operation, causing new list items to gradually appear in the list.