Mapped Views of Digital Content for Hierarchical Navigation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing digital content streaming systems fail to provide contextual or structural information, making it difficult for users to navigate and find specific streams, particularly in events with complex structures like sports tournaments or festivals, which can be a barrier for casual browsers and new users.
Innovation Solution
A map structure is stored in memory that organizes digital content streams into tiers, allowing for a mapped view to be generated based on user requests, enabling users to select and launch specific streams within a structured interface that reflects the event's hierarchy, such as a bracket format.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If digital content streams are presented in list form or tile form, then the interface is simple to implement, but contextual or structural information is lost making navigation difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The interface is segmented into multiple hierarchical levels (e.g., event level, stream level, detail level). Users can navigate through different segments of the content structure, with each level providing appropriate contextual information. This allows the system to maintain simplicity at each individual level while providing comprehensive navigation across the entire content hierarchy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an additional dimensional structure to the interface by organizing content in hierarchical tiers rather than simple linear lists or flat tiles. This multi-dimensional organization preserves structural relationships while maintaining interface simplicity through progressive disclosure of information at each hierarchical level.
2Loss of information
If naming conventions or tags are used to facilitate searches, then additional information is provided, but users need familiarity with the event structure which creates barriers for new users
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary organization of content into hierarchical structures with automatically generated descriptive labels at each level. This preliminary structuring eliminates the need for users to understand complex event structures beforehand, as the interface presents information in an intuitive hierarchical format that guides new users through the content naturally.
Solution Approach 2:
The hierarchical interface structure acts as an intermediary between the complex event data and the user. Instead of requiring users to directly interpret complex event structures or know specific naming conventions, the intermediary hierarchical presentation translates this complexity into an intuitive multi-level navigation system that adapts to users regardless of their prior knowledge.
3Ease of operation
If a structured map view is implemented to show contextual relationships, then user navigation and understanding improve, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The complex mapping system is segmented into modular components that handle different hierarchical levels independently. Each level of the hierarchy is processed and displayed as a separate segment, which reduces the complexity burden on any single part of the system while maintaining the overall structured view that improves user navigation.
Solution Approach 2:
The hierarchical mapping system is designed with universal structures and data models that can handle multiple types of digital content and event formats through a single unified approach. This multi-functionality reduces system complexity by avoiding the need for separate specialized handling mechanisms for different content types, while still providing rich contextual relationships to users.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for mapped views of digital content are provided. A map structure for a collection of digital content streams from a content provider may be stored in memory. Such map structure may include a predetermined plurality of slots arranged in one or more tiers. A browsing request may be received from a spectator device over a communication network, and such browsing request may be identified as pertaining to the collection of digital content streams. A mapped view of the requested collection may be generated that illustrates the predetermined plurality of slots arranged in the tiers in accordance with the stored map structure. Further, information regarding browsing activity by the spectator device within the generated mapped view may be received and evaluated to identify when the spectator device selects one of the illustrated slots. As such, one of the digital content streams in the collection may be identified as being associated with the selected slot, and the identified digital content stream may be launched.