Radial Menu Configuration for Touchscreen Accessibility
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Solution Overview
Problem
Implementing a user-friendly radial menu on touchscreen devices is challenging due to hand positioning, left or right handedness, and physical constraints, which obscure menu segments and hinder access, especially when supporting different finger movements.
Innovation Solution
A radial menu is configured as a partial circle on a touchscreen, with segments extending from an anchor point to a second finger position, allowing users to access menu options without stretching their hand, and enabling sub-menus with touch input for selecting and activating options.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a traditional radial menu is implemented on a touchscreen, then menu options can be displayed in a circular arrangement, but hand positioning and physical constraints obscure menu segments and hinder access
Solution Approach 1:
The radial menu is divided into multiple segments that can be independently accessed. Each segment corresponds to a specific menu option or group of options, allowing users to access different portions of the menu without requiring their hand to be in specific positions that would obscure the entire menu structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a dimensional change by allowing menu access through radial distance from the center point rather than requiring linear scanning. Users can access menu options at different radii distances, adding a spatial dimension to menu navigation that reduces hand obstruction issues.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the radial menu is designed to accommodate all finger movements, then versatility is improved, but the menu configuration becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The radial menu configuration dynamically adapts to the user's finger position and movement patterns. The menu segments and their associated options are reconfigured based on real-time touch input, allowing the same menu structure to serve multiple finger movement styles without requiring complex manual configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes key parameters of the radial menu configuration based on detected finger movements. Parameters such as segment angles, radial distances, and menu item assignments are dynamically adjusted to match the user's interaction pattern, providing versatility while maintaining a relatively simple base configuration.
3Quantity of substance
If the radial menu uses a complete circle arrangement, then all menu options are accessible, but hand positioning requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of requiring a complete circular arrangement for optimal accessibility, the patent implements a partial radial menu configuration that provides sufficient access to all menu options through strategic segment placement. This partial action approach reduces positioning requirements while still accommodating the full set of menu options.
Data Source
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AI summary
The subject technology discloses configurations for providing a radial menu on one o more computing devices with a touch-sensitive screen. In one example, a user activates the radial menu after touching a first finger at a first or anchor point on a touchscreen that serves as a center of the radial menu. While the first finger is disposed, the user then touches a second finger at a second point some distance from the anchor point corresponding to the first finger on the touchscreen. The radial menu is generated based on a distance calculated between the anchor point and the second finger at the second point. The radial menu is not a complete circle and instead displayed as a partial circle, and the radial menu is generated so that the display area is bisected from the anchor point to the second point in some configurations.