Histogram and Stack Views for Media Navigation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Modern digital media player applications on mobile devices with limited screen sizes often have poorly designed graphical user interfaces (GUIs) that appear cluttered and disorganized, making navigation difficult for users.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of histogram and stack views in GUIs for digital media players, where visual representations of media items are associated with media attributes, allowing users to quickly determine available items and enabling scrubbing through stacks for selection, improves navigation and organization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional GUI layouts are used on mobile devices, then all media items can be displayed, but the interface becomes cluttered and difficult to navigate
Solution Approach 1:
The media library is segmented into multiple stacks organized by media attributes (artist, album, genre). Each stack contains visual representations of media items grouped together, allowing users to navigate through organized sections rather than a cluttered single view. This segmentation maintains information visibility while improving navigation ease.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a new spatial dimension for organizing media items by arranging them in stacked layers rather than flat lists. Users can scrub through stacks vertically to access different media items, creating a multi-dimensional navigation space that fits more information on limited screen real estate while maintaining ease of access.
2Loss of information
If more media items are displayed on limited screen space, then information completeness improves, but interface organization deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
Media items are segmented into distinct stacks based on shared attributes (artist, album, genre). This organization method displays multiple items simultaneously while maintaining clear visual separation through stacking, preventing interface clutter even as information density increases on mobile screens.
Solution Approach 2:
Each stack is given distinct visual characteristics and spatial positioning, with visual representations differentiated by their attribute groupings. This local differentiation maintains organizational clarity while allowing dense packing of media items across the screen, resolving the conflict between information completeness and interface simplicity.
Data Source
AI summary
Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs) for a digital media player application are disclosed. In one aspect, a GUI is generated that presents a “histogram view” of digital media items of a digital media source. The histogram view associates visual representations of the digital media items with a media attribute, such as associating songs with a recording artist who recorded the songs. In another aspect, a GUI is generated that presents a “stack view” including stacks of visual representations of digital media items that are associated with a media attribute, such as a playlist or artist. The stacks of visual representations can be scrubbed by a user (e.g., using a touch gesture) to select digital media items in the stack for playback.