Pie Menu Parameter Selection via Radial Displacement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Pie menus face challenges with non-pointer-based user interactions, particularly on touch screens, and selection accuracy issues due to the number of menu items, making it difficult to select continuous value ranges efficiently.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented method that detects a first user input to display a pie menu with angular sectors, allowing a second user input to activate a sector and displace a handle within it, selecting a parameter value based on the displacement direction and distance, enabling precise value selection without relying on precise pointer actions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a pie menu displays more menu items, then the functionality and options increase, but the selection accuracy and ease of selection decrease due to reduced angular precision
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the traditional 2D angular selection problem into a 1D linear displacement problem. Instead of requiring users to select from multiple angular sectors, the invention displays a continuous scale along a radial line where users can select any position by displacing their input from the center. This dimensional reduction converts angular precision requirements into linear distance measurements, enabling continuous value selection without the angular precision constraints of traditional pie menus.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the selection parameter from angular position to radial distance. By measuring the displacement distance of the user input from the center point along a radial line, the system maps continuous linear distances to parameter values. This parameter transformation allows for continuous value selection while maintaining ease of use, as users naturally understand linear displacement better than angular precision.
2Productivity
If a pie menu uses pointer-based selection, then the selection speed and reliability improve, but the compatibility with touch screen interactions deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a selection mechanism that works uniformly across different input types (pointer devices and touch screens). By using the displacement distance of any user input from the center point along a radial line, the system treats all input methods equally. The finger on a touch screen serves both to initiate selection and to indicate position through its displacement from the center, eliminating the need for separate pointer-based interaction while maintaining selection speed and accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The user input itself (finger or pointer) provides both the activation signal and the position information. The displacement of the input from the center point automatically determines the selected value, eliminating the need for additional pointer manipulation or separate selection steps. This self-service approach allows touch inputs to function effectively without requiring traditional pointer-based precision control.
3Area of stationary object
If a pie menu limits its size, then the user working area remains clear, but the ability to represent continuous value ranges is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the static pie menu sectors into a dynamic continuous scale. Instead of fixed angular sectors representing discrete options, the radial line displays a continuous range of values that can be selected at any position along the line. This dynamic representation allows the menu to accommodate continuous value ranges while maintaining a compact circular form factor, as the continuous scale is displayed along the radius rather than requiring additional angular space.
Data Source
AI summary
A computer-implemented method of setting a parameter. The method comprises detecting a first user input on a first location on a graphical user interface, displaying on the graphical user interface a pie menu centered on the first location, the pie menu comprising at least one angular sector that is associated with a customizable parameter. The method also comprises detecting a second user input on a second location on the graphical user interface in the at least angular sector, the second user input being maintained. The method further comprises selecting among a set of values, a value of the customizable parameter by displacing the second user input from the second location to a third location.