Predictive Assistance Information for Uncommon Stopping Areas
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Solution Overview
Problem
Mobile computing devices often require users to perform multiple searches and manually piece together information to find relevant assistance, such as auto repair shops or tow truck services, especially when traveling, as they do not present information in an organized manner.
Innovation Solution
A method and computing device that determine if a user is in an uncommon stopping area by analyzing current speed and location, and if assistance-type information is relevant, it proactively provides information about nearby service providers, such as auto repair or towing services, without requiring user input.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If the mobile computing device requires users to perform multiple searches and manually piece together information, then the device can access large amounts of information, but the user effort and time required to obtain assistance information increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system proactively determines and presents assistance information before the user explicitly searches for it. By monitoring device speed and location data, the system anticipates when assistance may be needed and pre-presents relevant information, eliminating the need for users to perform multiple searches and manually assemble information from different sources.
2Loss of information
If the mobile computing device presents all accessed information, then the user has access to comprehensive information, but the information is not presented in an organized way
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies different information presentation strategies based on local context - specifically, whether the device is in a common or uncommon stopping area. When an uncommon stopping area is detected, the system selectively organizes and presents only the most relevant assistance information (such as nearby service providers), rather than presenting all available information, thereby improving organization and ease of use while maintaining completeness of critical information.
3Ease of operation
If the system proactively provides assistance information, then user effort is reduced, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system monitors its own operational data (device speed, location) and automatically determines when assistance information should be presented without requiring external triggers or complex user interactions. This self-service approach allows the system to proactively provide assistance information based on simple, easily obtained metrics, reducing user effort while avoiding the need for complex external control mechanisms.
Data Source
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AI summary
A computing device described may determine a current speed of the computing device, and, responsive to determining that the current speed of the computing device satisfies a threshold speed, determine whether a current geographic location of the computing device is within with an uncommon stopping area, the uncommon stopping area being a geographic area in which less than a threshold number of other computing devices have been determined to have previously stopped. The computing device may also, responsive to determining that the current geographic location of the computing device is within the uncommon stopping area and responsive to determining that assistance-type information is relevant to the user of the computing device, determine, based on the current geographic location, assistance information relevant to the current geographic location, and output, for display, the assistance information.