Mini App Overlay Access for Faster Touchscreen Functions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electronic devices with touch-sensitive surfaces face inefficiencies in accessing device functions, particularly due to cumbersome navigation through multiple menus and lack of intuitive interfaces, which increases user cognitive burden and power consumption.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a method that allows for faster access to device functions by detecting specific gestures on a touch-sensitive surface, such as swipes, to activate and switch between user interfaces, including a locked and unlocked mode, and display content or applications, thereby reducing the number of inputs required.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional drill down menus and multi-step navigation are used to access device functions, then comprehensive control options are provided, but user time and cognitive effort increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent pre-organizes frequently used device functions and controls into a hierarchical structure that can be accessed through minimal gestures. Common controls are pre-positioned in easily accessible locations within the user interface, allowing users to access them without navigating through multiple menu levels. This preliminary organization of information architecture resolves the contradiction by making frequently needed functions available with minimal interaction steps.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the user interface into multiple layers or levels of controls, where commonly used functions are accessible at higher levels without requiring navigation to lower detail levels. This segmentation allows comprehensive control options to remain available while enabling quick access to prevalent functions through the segmented hierarchical structure, thus reducing time loss while maintaining operational completeness.
2Ease of operation
If multiple menu levels and application navigation are required to access device functions, then comprehensive control is achieved, but user cognitive burden increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent pre-organizes frequently used device functions and controls into a hierarchical structure that can be accessed through minimal gestures. Common controls are pre-positioned in easily accessible locations within the user interface, allowing users to access them without navigating through multiple menu levels. This preliminary organization of information architecture resolves the contradiction by making frequently needed functions available with minimal interaction steps.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the user interface into multiple layers or levels of controls, where commonly used functions are accessible at higher levels without requiring navigation to lower detail levels. This segmentation allows comprehensive control options to remain available while enabling quick access to prevalent functions through the segmented hierarchical structure, thus reducing time loss while maintaining operational completeness.
3Productivity
If the display remains active to allow quick access to functions, then user efficiency improves, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables users to quickly access prevalent device functions through rapid gesture-based navigation that minimizes the time the display needs to remain active. By allowing users to skip through menu levels and directly access commonly used functions through predefined gestures, the system reduces overall power consumption while maintaining user efficiency. Users can complete tasks faster and return the display to sleep mode sooner.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a system where frequently used functions are automatically accessible through intuitive gestures without requiring the user to manually navigate through menus. The interface anticipates common user needs and provides direct access paths, reducing the time the display must remain active and thereby lowering power consumption while maintaining high user efficiency.
Data Source
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AI summary
An electronic device displays a first user interface that includes a plurality of application icons that correspond to different applications of a plurality of applications installed on the device. The device detects a first input at a location on the touch-sensitive surface that corresponds to a first application icon of the plurality of application icons, the first application icon corresponding to a first application of the plurality of applications. In response to detecting the first input, the device displays a first mini application object or a preview of the first mini application object in an overlay region, where the first mini application object corresponds to a first application of the plurality of applications; and the overlay region includes an affordance for adding the first mini application object to a second user interface that displays a plurality of mini application objects. The device detects a second input at a location on the touch-sensitive surface that corresponds to the affordance for adding the first mini application object to the second user interface. In response to detecting the second input, the device adds the first mini application object to the second user interface that displays the plurality of mini application objects.