MFP Pop-up Window Overlap Control for Reduced Finger Movement
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Solution Overview
Problem
The operational complexity of Multi-Functional Peripherals (MFPs) increases due to expanded functions, making it burdensome for users to navigate through multiple setting screens, leading to inefficient operation and increased user stress when closing and reopening windows.
Innovation Solution
An image processing apparatus with a display device that overlaps low-level windows over high-level windows, featuring an extraction portion to identify likely selection candidates and a control portion that positions closing objects near selection candidates, reducing finger movement and preventing erroneous operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If setting items are disposed separately on multiple setting screens to improve operational flexibility, then the MFP can display all functions and setting items, but users must switch between screens and close opened screens in succession which increases operational complexity and user burden
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by predicting the user's next operation target before the user actually navigates to it. The prediction unit analyzes operation history and current screen state to predict which screen or item the user will access next, allowing the system to prepare and display that information in advance. This eliminates the need for users to manually navigate through multiple screens in sequence, as the predicted target is already presented to them.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a copied or simplified representation of the navigation path by displaying a thumbnail or preview of the predicted next screen alongside the current screen. This copying approach allows users to see the destination screen without leaving the current context, enabling quick switching between screens while maintaining awareness of the overall navigation hierarchy and reducing the cognitive load of managing multiple open screens.
2Ease of operation
If a GUI displays setting screens by switching from one to another, then operational flexibility is improved, but the number of operations to switch screens increases and closing screens becomes a burdensome task
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by predicting the user's next operation target before the user actually navigates to it. The prediction unit analyzes operation history and current screen state to predict which screen or item the user will access next, allowing the system to prepare and display that information in advance. This eliminates the need for users to manually navigate through multiple screens in sequence, as the predicted target is already presented to them.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables skipping by allowing users to directly jump to the predicted next screen or target item without going through intermediate screens. When the prediction unit identifies the user's intended destination, the system provides a direct navigation path or shortcut, enabling users to skip unnecessary screen transitions and reach their target quickly, thereby significantly reducing the time spent on screen switching operations.
3Area of stationary object
If the size of the operational panel is limited, then the MFP fits standard device dimensions, but it is difficult to display all functions and setting items in a way that users can easily recognize
Solution Approach 1:
The system transitions from a two-dimensional display to a three-dimensional hierarchical structure by introducing layered navigation. Instead of attempting to display all functions and setting items on a single flat screen, the system organizes them into multiple hierarchical levels with parent-child relationships. This dimensional change allows the limited panel space to efficiently accommodate a comprehensive set of functions through nested menus and hierarchical grouping, maintaining full functionality while optimizing the use of available display area.
Solution Approach 2:
The system segments the complete set of functions and setting items into smaller, logically grouped categories that can be displayed on the limited panel. By dividing the overall function set into modular segments organized hierarchically, each screen displays only relevant items for the current context, preventing information overload while ensuring all functions remain accessible through structured navigation. This segmentation approach maintains visibility and recognizability within the constraints of the panel size.
Data Source
AI summary
An image processing apparatus includes a display device that displays a plurality of windows having hierarchy levels in such a manner that a low-level window overlaps a high-level window, each of the plurality of windows containing a first object to close the subject window and one or more second objects to select items; an extraction portion that extracts, from one or more second objects in the high-level window, a selection candidate object that is likely to be selected by a user after the low-level window is closed; and a control portion that controls, when the extraction portion extracts the selection candidate object, the display device in such a manner that the first object in the low-level window overlaps the selection candidate object, or the first object in the low-level window is disposed close to the selection candidate object.