Numbered Indicator Overlay for Speech Recognition GUI Selection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing speech recognition systems face challenges in allowing users to efficiently and accurately select GUI controls on a display screen, particularly when controls are not programmatically named or when there is a mismatch between expected names and actual names, leading to decreased efficiency and increased error rates.
Innovation Solution
A system that overlays numbered indicators on the application display, allowing users to select items by speaking corresponding numbers, with an optional secondary confirmation step and a temporal switching mechanism to maintain context, enabling precise and efficient selection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If speech recognition software uses programmatic names of GUI controls for selection, then selection efficiency is improved, but usability deteriorates when controls lack programmatic names or have mismatched names
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the selection process into two distinct modes: programmatic name recognition for efficiency and numerical indicator recognition for accessibility. The graphical interface is segmented to include both the original control elements and overlaid numerical indicators, allowing users to select controls through either verbal programmatic names or simple numbers depending on their needs and the control's naming status.
Solution Approach 2:
Numerical indicators serve as an intermediary layer between the user and the GUI controls. These indicators provide a universal, easily recognizable reference system that bridges the gap when programmatic names are unavailable or mismatched, allowing users to select controls through a intermediate numerical reference rather than directly relying on potentially confusing control names.
2Measurement precision
If numerical indicators are overlaid on all controls, then selection accuracy is improved, but visual complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The numerical indicators are implemented as dynamic, temporary overlays that appear only during the selection process and disappear after selection is made. This dynamic behavior allows the interface to maintain high selection accuracy when needed while returning to a clean, simple state afterward, avoiding permanent visual complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs periodic activation of numerical indicators rather than continuous display. Indicators are activated when selection assistance is needed and deactivated afterward, creating a rhythmic pattern of overlay appearance and disappearance that provides accuracy when required while maintaining visual simplicity during normal operation.
3Ease of operation
If multiple layers of numbering are used to reduce crowded numbers, then selection clarity is improved, but operational steps increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of applying uniform multi-layer numbering across all controls, the system applies numerical indicators with local quality - each control receives a unique identifier positioned and styled according to its specific context, size, and location. This localized approach maintains clarity for each individual control without requiring users to navigate through multiple hierarchical layers.
Data Source
AI summary
A numbering scheme is disclosed for implementation in the context of an application display. A user is able to select an item on the display by speaking a number corresponding to a desired control item. In some cases, the screen can include so many numbers that the user loses context and is unable to identify which number they want to select. For this reason, in one embodiment, a temporal switching mechanism is implemented wherein periodic switches (e.g., second-long intervals) occur between showing numbered items and showing a non-numbered screen. In one embodiment, an optional secondary confirmation step is implemented wherein the user sees only the item they just selected and has the chance to (a) learn the programmatic name of the item they selected and/or (b) either confirm and proceed with their selection, or cancel. In one embodiment, the optional secondary confirmation step is omitted if the user speaks a number followed by a predetermined command word.