Nested Roadmap Navigation in Graphical User Interfaces
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Solution Overview
Problem
Complex business applications with graphical user interfaces often require users to scroll and navigate through multiple screens to manage tasks, leading to inefficiency and uncertainty due to the inability to display all tasks and dependencies in a single screen, especially when dealing with compound tasks that involve subordinate tasks.
Innovation Solution
A system that generates a sequence of items, including compound items, and displays them in a GUI, where selecting a compound item causes its graphical representation to expand, revealing subordinate items, and automatically scrolls to keep the currently active item at a focal position, allowing for smooth navigation and visualization of task progress.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If users scroll and navigate between multiple screens to view tasks and dependencies, then all task information can be accessed, but user efficiency and usability deteriorate due to the need for manual scrolling and navigation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a nested roadmap structure where compound tasks contain subordinate tasks within them, similar to nested dolls. This allows the hierarchical display of tasks and dependencies within a single screen view, eliminating the need for users to navigate between multiple screens while maintaining complete task information visibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transforms the traditional linear, single-dimensional task list into a multi-dimensional nested structure that can be visualized within the same screen space. By organizing tasks in hierarchical levels (compound tasks containing subordinate tasks), the system displays more information in the same visual space without requiring users to scroll or navigate between screens.
2Productivity
If the roadmap displays all tasks and dependencies in a single screen, then user efficiency improves by reducing navigation, but the complexity of displaying hierarchical compound tasks increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the task roadmap into hierarchical levels, where compound tasks are divided into subordinate tasks. This segmentation allows the complex information to be organized in manageable units that can be displayed in a structured manner within a single screen, reducing the perceived complexity while maintaining completeness.
Solution Approach 2:
By nesting subordinate tasks within compound tasks, the patent creates a compact hierarchical structure that fits within a single screen. This nesting approach manages the complexity by organizing information in a logical, space-efficient manner that maintains usability.
3Loss of information
If the roadmap is displayed as a dynamic tree-like structure to show compound tasks and subordinate tasks, then task dependencies are clearly visible, but the difficulty of navigating through the structure increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses visual dimensionality changes to represent hierarchical task relationships. By displaying compound tasks and subordinate tasks in different visual levels or dimensions within the same screen, the system makes task dependencies clearly visible while maintaining ease of navigation through intuitive visual cues rather than complex hierarchical navigation.
4Loss of information
If compound items are expanded to show subordinate items, then complete task information is provided, but the screen space required increases requiring scrolling
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements nested subordinate tasks within compound tasks, allowing complete task information to be displayed within the same screen space. The nesting structure enables detailed task information to be visible without requiring additional screen space or scrolling, as the subordinate tasks are integrated into the compound task display area.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for nested roadmap information navigation in a graphical user interface (GUI) where a sequence of items is generated and stored in a memory of a computer system. The sequence of items includes at least one compound item. A number of user interface (UI) elements are displayed in a GUI screen, wherein each UI element represents an item of the sequence of items, and wherein the UI elements are ordered according to the sequence of items. The displayed UI elements include a UI element representing a compound item of the sequence of items. The compound item could be selected as a currently active item. The UI element representing the selected compound item can gradually expand to display one or more new UI elements representing component items subordinate to the compound item. The first of the component items is automatically selected as a currently active item.