Oven User Interface Layout for Clean Touch Navigation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Touch-sensitive displays in domestic appliances, such as cooking ovens, are prone to soiling and require large displays to accommodate numerous parameters, increasing costs and reducing usability due to the need for frequent cleaning and complex navigation.
Innovation Solution
A user interface featuring a touch input zone with a circular, annular, or linear shape that mirrors the display layout, providing direct feedback and self-updating sensitivity, allowing for intuitive navigation and improved cleanability, with minimal buttons for selection and operation, and the ability to store user preferences for personalized menu updates.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a touch-sensitive display is used in a cooking appliance, then the user can set functions and parameters easily, but the display becomes prone to soiling and requires frequent cleaning
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the touch-sensitive input function from the display surface itself, placing it on a separate control panel or integrated into the door structure away from the main display area. This allows the display to remain clean while retaining touch input capability through a dedicated zone that can be easily cleaned separately.
Solution Approach 2:
The control interface is segmented into distinct functional zones: a display area and a separate touch input area. This segmentation allows each zone to be optimized independently - the display for visibility and the touch zone for easy cleaning and operation, resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and resistance to soiling.
2Area of stationary object
If a large display is used to show all parameters and functions, then the user can see all options clearly, but the overall cost of the appliance increases
Solution Approach 1:
The display utilizes dynamic content organization where menus and parameters are presented in hierarchical levels or paginated views. This allows a smaller physical display to effectively present all necessary information by organizing it in manageable sections that can be navigated through the touch input zone, reducing the need for a large expensive display while maintaining full functionality.
3Adaptability or versatility
If many parameters and functions are included in the appliance, then the appliance becomes more versatile, but the display becomes more complex and harder to navigate
Solution Approach 1:
The menu system is segmented into logical categories and hierarchical levels. Related parameters and functions are grouped together in separate menu sections, allowing the user to navigate to specific functional areas without being overwhelmed by the entire parameter set. This segmentation maintains versatility while reducing perceived complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The touch input zone provides immediate visual feedback on the display when the user interacts with it, showing which parameter or function is currently selected or being modified. This feedback mechanism guides the user through complex menus by clearly indicating the current state and available options, making navigation of numerous parameters more intuitive and less complex.
Data Source
AI summary
An user interface for domestic appliances, particularly for cooking ovens, comprises input and display for showing menus and/or items selected by the user through said input. The input comprises a selection zone where the user's finger can move, the display having at least a portion with a shape substantially corresponding to the shape of the selection zone and showing the result of the finger movement in terms of item or menu selection.