Merged Read-Edit Mode for Touch Presentation Navigation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Switching between read and edit modes in presentation applications on touch devices is cumbersome, leading to slowed edit times and a diminished user experience, as users need to toggle between modes to navigate and edit content.

Innovation Solution

A merged edit/read mode system that differentiates between interacting with selectable objects within a slide, scrolling between slides, viewing off-slide content, zooming out, and zooming in, allowing users to perform these actions without toggling between modes by using intuitive gestures and interface elements like off-slide scroll bars.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If separate read mode and edit mode are implemented in presentation applications, then navigation and editing functions can be clearly distinguished, but users must toggle between modes which slows down edit time and diminishes user experience

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefunction differentiationVSAvoidedit time

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges read mode and edit mode into a single unified interface. The system detects user gestures and automatically determines whether the user intends to navigate slides or edit objects based on the gesture characteristics, eliminating the need for manual mode switching while maintaining clear functional differentiation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The unified interface is designed to perform multiple functions simultaneously. The same interface can interpret gestures as either navigation commands or editing commands depending on context, making the interface universal for both reading and editing operations without requiring separate modes.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Ease of operation

If a unified merged mode is used for both navigation and editing, then mode switching is eliminated and user experience is improved, but it becomes difficult to differentiate between user intentions for navigation vs. editing

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveuser experienceVSAvoiduser input interpretation

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSDifficulty of detecting and measuring

Solution Approach 1:

The system applies different interpretation rules to different regions of the interface. When an object is selected, gestures are interpreted as editing commands for that object. When no object is selected or gestures occur in specific regions, they are interpreted as navigation commands. This local differentiation resolves the ambiguity in the unified interface.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The interpretation of user gestures is dynamic rather than static. The system continuously monitors the state of the interface (which objects are selected, current slide position) and adapts its interpretation of gestures accordingly. This dynamic adaptation allows the same gesture to have different meanings in different contexts without requiring mode switching.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentEP3161601B1Merged experience of reading and editing with seamless transition

Publication Date: 2022.02.23 MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING LLC

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AI summary

Aspects of the present disclosure provide for determining user input of a presentation. Specifically, aspects disclosed herein provide differentiating between interacting with selectable objects within a slide and scrolling between slides, editing a selectable object within a slide, scrolling between slides, viewing off slide content, zooming out from a slide view, and zooming in to a slide view.