Printing Screen Customization for User Engagement

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Solution Overview

Problem

Multifunction devices experience user waiting time during print jobs, and existing solutions do not effectively utilize this time by providing engaging content beyond progress status updates.

Innovation Solution

A printing method and device that customizes the printing screen with administrator-set information, allowing users to display or transmit this information after printing, thereby enhancing user engagement during the waiting period.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of time

If printing progress status is displayed during printing, then user waiting time is reduced, but the waiting period remains unengaging and unproductive

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveuser waiting timeVSAvoiduser engagement

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of timeVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The printing screen is transformed into a multi-functional display that simultaneously shows printing progress and presents additional useful information (customized information, notifications, announcements). This allows the display to serve multiple purposes during the waiting period, making the time more productive and engaging while maintaining progress visibility.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

Customized information is prepared and stored in advance by an administrator before the printing operation. This pre-prepared information is then displayed during the printing process, allowing users to access useful content without delaying the printing operation, thus reducing perceived waiting time while providing engaging content.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Ease of operation

If printing screen displays additional content during printing, then user engagement improves, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveuser engagementVSAvoidsystem complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

An administrator acts as an intermediary to prepare and manage the customized information that will be displayed during printing. This separates the complexity of information management from the printing execution, allowing the printing system to display rich content without increasing the core printing functionality's complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

All customization and information preparation is done in advance by the administrator, before the printing operation begins. This preliminary action stores the customized information in the system, so that during printing, the system only needs to retrieve and display pre-prepared content, minimizing real-time processing complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Loss of information

If customized information is provided during printing, then user experience improves, but information management complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveinformation valueVSAvoidinformation management

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system allows administrators to self-serve by configuring and storing customized information that will be automatically displayed during printing operations. This self-service approach to information management reduces the need for complex automated information curation systems, as the administrator prepares the content in advance based on their organizational needs.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentUS11609721B2Printing method, information processing device, and non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing program

Publication Date: 2023.03.21 SEIKO EPSON CORP

AI summary

A printing method includes a customizing step of receiving a customization instruction of an administrator and customizing a printing screen, a printing step of performing printing in response to reception of a printing start instruction, a first displaying step of displaying the customized printing screen during the printing step, and a customized information processing step of enabling customized information corresponding to the customized printing screen to be confirmed after printing, when an execution instruction by a user is received during displaying the customized printing screen.