Proactive Form Guidance Engine for Accessible Interaction

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing electronic form interaction technologies are limited by requiring active user requests, being application-specific, and lacking accessibility for users with physical or manual impairments, as they often rely on graphical user interfaces that can be cumbersome or inaccessible.

Innovation Solution

A form guidance engine that proactively anticipates user interactions by storing user preferences and state information about electronic forms, detecting triggering events, and presenting guided interactions to change the form's state, thereby improving accessibility and usability through touch-free modalities like audio and voice responses.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If a graphical user interface is used to display and interact with electronic forms, then the form can be displayed and accessed, but accessibility for users with physical or manual impairments deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveAccessibility for users with impairmentsVSAvoidComplexity of graphical user interface interaction

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces the mechanical graphical user interface interaction system with an audio-based interaction system. The form guidance engine converts visual form elements into audio presentations and processes voice commands, substituting the mechanical clicking and typing operations with acoustic field-based interaction. This allows users with physical or manual impairments to access and complete forms through voice commands and audio feedback rather than manipulating graphical elements.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

2Adaptability or versatility

If an application is designed to support multiple types of interactions with electronic forms, then versatility is improved, but the application becomes limited to particular types of forms and sources

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveSupport for multiple interaction typesVSAvoidConfiguration requirements for different form types

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The form guidance engine is designed as a universal system that can handle multiple types of electronic forms from different sources through a single unified interface. Rather than requiring separate applications or configurations for different form types, the engine uses audio presentations and voice commands that work consistently across various form formats, sources, and interaction types, making the system universally applicable without requiring users to learn different interaction methods for different forms.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Ease of operation

If the size of the graphical user interface is reduced, then device portability is improved, but user-friendliness of form access deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveUser-friendliness of form accessVSAvoidSize of graphical user interface

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSArea of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent substitutes the visual graphical user interface system with an audio-based interaction system. By presenting forms through audio rather than requiring users to view and interact with small graphical elements on reduced-size displays, the system maintains high user-friendliness even when the visual display area is limited. Voice commands and audio feedback provide a tactile-free interaction method that does not depend on screen size.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

4Productivity

If an application is designed to be passive and wait for user requests, then resource consumption is reduced, but user productivity deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveSpeed of form completionVSAvoidTime for user to actively manage forms

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The form guidance engine performs preliminary actions by proactively detecting when electronic forms are available and automatically presenting them to the user through audio presentations. Rather than waiting for users to manually search for and request forms, the system monitors for incoming forms, prepares audio presentations, and initiates interaction sequences automatically. This preliminary action significantly reduces the time users spend actively managing forms and accelerates the overall form completion process.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS10657200B2Proactive form guidance for interacting with electronic forms

Publication Date: 2020.05.19 ADOBE INC

AI summary

Techniques for guiding an interaction with an electronic form via a computing device are described. For example, a form guidance engine is initiated. The form guidance engine maintains a state of the electronic form. The form guidance engine also maintains user information in, for example, a user profile. The user information is associated with a user of the computing device and relates to how the user interacts with the electronic form. Based on the user information, the form guidance engine anticipates a potential interaction with the electronic form given the state. Accordingly and prior to a user request for information about the electronic form, the form guidance engine generates a presentation configured to guide the user to perform the potential interaction with the electronic form via a computing device. A user response to the presentation is received. The form guidance engine performs an action associated with the electronic form and updates the state of the electronic form.