Movable GUI Icons for Touch Interaction Accessibility
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional graphical user interfaces (GUIs) for collaborative touch-based interactions, especially in medical imaging, are not intuitive and can be confusing due to mode-based approaches that require frequent switching and are not accessible to all users, particularly in tabletop displays where the notion of 'up' and 'down' is ambiguous.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of Movable Objects for Alternate Interaction (MOfAI) provides a flexible GUI where all features are instantly available, allowing users to interact with visualizations on touch-controlled displays regardless of orientation, with movable icons that simulate physical properties and can be easily passed between users, enhancing accessibility and clarity in collaborative sessions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If graphical elements are made larger to improve accessibility for touch input, then ease of operation improves, but the area available for viewing visualized data decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic GUI elements that can be temporarily activated upon touch contact and then dismissed after interaction. This allows the interface to transition from a static layout that occupies screen space to a dynamic state where controls appear only when needed, maximizing the viewing area while maintaining accessibility during interaction.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary activation mechanism where touch contact serves as the trigger for displaying GUI elements. This mediator allows the system to balance between having controls available and preserving screen real estate, as elements are displayed only when the intermediary (touch input) activates them.
2Device complexity
If fixed dedicated areas are used for alternative interactions, then device complexity is reduced, but adaptability to different user positions and collaborative scenarios deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements universal touch areas across the entire display surface that can activate GUI elements regardless of user position. Any region of the screen can serve as an interaction point, making the system adaptable to different user positions around the display while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure through consistent behavior patterns.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates dynamic interaction zones that can appear and move across the screen based on user needs. This allows fixed complexity in the base system while achieving adaptability through dynamic repositioning and activation of controls in different locations during collaborative sessions.
3Ease of operation
If mode-based approaches are used to provide advanced features, then ease of operation for basic functions is maintained, but productivity decreases due to frequent mode switching
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts advanced interaction capabilities from separate modes and integrates them as context-sensitive options that appear within the base interaction framework. This allows users to access advanced features without leaving the basic interaction mode, eliminating the need for mode switching while maintaining ease of operation for fundamental functions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges basic and advanced interaction capabilities into a unified interface where advanced features are presented as options within the base interaction flow. This combination eliminates the separation between modes, allowing users to access all functionality without switching contexts, thereby improving productivity while preserving ease of operation.
4Ease of operation
If the same gestures are used in multiple modes, then ease of operation is improved through consistency, but reliability of user intent decreases due to ambiguous interpretations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms that provide context information to users about which interaction mode is currently active and how their gesture will be interpreted. This allows consistent gesture usage across different contexts while maintaining reliability, as users receive feedback that disambiguates the meaning of their actions based on the current state.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary actions to establish the current interaction context before interpreting user gestures. By setting the contextual state in advance and providing indicators of the active mode, the system ensures that consistent gestures are reliably interpreted according to the current context, preventing ambiguity while maintaining ease of use.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems, methods and circuits for providing GUI controls with touch-gesture inputs with movable alternate interaction objects. The GUI controls include (i) a set of base interactions associated with touch gestures available over substantially an entire viewing area and (ii) a plurality of alternate interaction icons that are individually movable over the display via touch gestures by a user touch to allow one or more users to interact with the visualization presented on the display. The alternate interaction icons each have a set of alternate interaction choices that are different from the set of base interactions and appear on the display only when a selected respective alternate interaction icon is touched.