Navigation Interface System for Content Hierarchy Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Television service providers face challenges in user navigation due to extensive content hierarchies, making it difficult for users to find desired content efficiently.
Innovation Solution
A navigation interface system utilizing a set-top box device with a processor and memory, including modules for providing a graphical user interface, processing remote control signals, and displaying menus and bread crumb trails, allowing users to navigate through content hierarchies efficiently using directional keys and confirmation keys.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If content hierarchies are expanded to provide more content options, then content variety increases, but navigation complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The navigation interface is segmented into multiple hierarchical levels (first level menu, second level menu, subcategories) that organize content into manageable groups. This segmentation allows the system to present extensive content variety while maintaining navigational simplicity by breaking down complex content structures into discrete, easily navigable segments.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a breadcrumb trail navigation dimension that provides an additional navigational pathway alongside the hierarchical menu structure. This alternative dimension allows users to track their location and navigate back through previously visited levels, reducing navigation complexity while preserving content variety.
2Adaptability or versatility
If hierarchical menu levels are increased to organize more content, then content organization improves, but navigation time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-organizing content into hierarchical categories and subcategories before user interaction. This pre-structuring allows users to immediately access relevant content groups without having to manually sort through extensive content, thereby improving content organization while minimizing navigation time.
Solution Approach 2:
The breadcrumb trail provides continuous feedback to users about their current location within the content hierarchy and the path taken to reach it. This feedback mechanism helps users understand the organizational structure while enabling quick navigation back to previous levels, thus improving content organization without significantly increasing navigation time.
3Ease of operation
If navigation options are simplified for ease of use, then ease of operation improves, but content accessibility decreases
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting content into hierarchical levels with clear visual distinctions, the system maintains ease of operation through simple, intuitive menu structures while ensuring content accessibility is preserved through multiple levels of categorization that allow users to drill down to specific content areas.
Solution Approach 2:
The breadcrumb trail adds another navigational dimension that complements the hierarchical menu structure. This alternative navigation path maintains ease of operation by providing a simple way to navigate back through content levels while ensuring complete content accessibility by allowing users to reach any level in the hierarchy.
Data Source
AI summary
A communication device includes a memory storing computer instructions and a processor coupled to the memory to execute the computer instructions to provide a graphical user interface at a display coupled to the communication device. The graphical user interface includes a visual navigation trail having a selectable category. The memory also includes instructions executable by the processor to receive a signal at the communication device indicating a selection of the selectable category. Further, the memory includes instructions executable by the processor to cause the graphical user interface to display, in response to the signal, a menu including the selectable category and a peer category related to the selectable category. The menu automatically becomes navigable via directional keys at a remote control device when the menu is displayed.