Grouping and Magnifying Shortcut Icons on Mobile Screens
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional touch screen mobile devices have limited screen size, leading to overcrowding of shortcut icons, making it difficult for users to select the intended icon due to superimposition, thereby limiting the number of icons that can be displayed.
Innovation Solution
A data display method and mobile device implementation that groups shortcut icons into a single 'group icon' which, when selected, displays and allows the user to choose between the included icons, with the ability to perform the corresponding function of the selected icon, and optionally ungroup icons using user-defined settings or device motions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If multiple shortcut icons are displayed on the screen, then the number of accessible functions increases, but the icons may superimpose over one another making selection difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the display area into multiple pages or views, allowing shortcut icons to be distributed across different pages. This prevents icon superimposition while maintaining access to multiple functions, as users can navigate between pages to select different icons without them overlapping on the same screen.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a temporal dimension through page navigation or sequential display, transforming the two-dimensional screen space limitation into a multi-page structure. This allows more icons to be accessible without increasing screen density, as icons are displayed in sequence across different pages rather than crowded onto a single page.
2Area of stationary object
If the screen size is limited, then the device remains compact and portable, but the number of displayable icons is restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the set of shortcut icons into multiple groups or pages, each fitting within the limited screen area. This allows the device to maintain its compact screen size while providing access to a larger total number of icons through organized segmentation across multiple display pages.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a nested structure where multiple levels of icon organization exist - icons are nested within pages, and pages are nested within the overall icon system. This hierarchical nesting allows the limited screen area to access a larger number of icons indirectly through structured navigation, similar to how nested dolls contain multiple levels within a compact form.
Data Source
AI summary
A shortcut icon display method and a mobile device adapted to the method are provided. The method includes displaying, if a group icon including at least two icons is selected, at least two icons included in the group icon, and performing a function corresponding to a selected one of at least two displayed icons.