Remote UI Synonym Database for Home Network Consistency
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Solution Overview
Problem
In home networking, there is a lack of standardized user interfaces for consumer electronic devices, leading to inconsistent and confusing user experiences across different devices and vendors, making it difficult for developers to maintain control over their applications and interfaces, especially in scenarios involving multiple devices and users.
Innovation Solution
A system utilizing an extensible database of 'synonyms' to standardize user interface components, such as labels and patterns, across consumer electronic devices, ensuring consistency by replacing similar constructs in incoming remote user interfaces with predefined or user-added synonyms, with a control device acting as the central hub for UI management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If developers create custom user interfaces for each device, then developer control and distinguishing features are maintained, but user interface consistency and ease of operation deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
A control device acts as an intermediary between multiple consumer electronic devices and the user. It receives remote user interface requests from various devices, translates them into a standardized interface format, and presents a consistent user experience regardless of the underlying device. This mediator approach allows developers to maintain control over their devices while users experience uniform interaction patterns.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the presentation parameters of user interface elements dynamically. Instead of displaying device-specific controls, the control device transforms and remaps device parameters into standardized parameter sets that present a consistent interface. This allows the same physical device to present different interface representations based on the standardized parameter set.
2Ease of operation
If standardized user interfaces are implemented, then user interface consistency and ease of operation improve, but device complexity and loss of developer control increase
Solution Approach 1:
The control device serves as a centralized intermediary that handles the complexity of interface standardization. Individual consumer electronic devices remain relatively simple since they only need to communicate basic control signals to the control device, which then manages the complexity of translating these into standardized interface representations.
Solution Approach 2:
The complexity of user interface standardization is extracted from individual devices and consolidated into a separate control device. This extraction allows each consumer electronic device to maintain simplicity while the control device assumes the burden of managing interface consistency across all devices.
3Adaptability or versatility
If remote UI technology is used, then developer ownership of applications and interfaces is maintained, but device complexity and configuration requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The control device automatically discovers connected consumer electronic devices and configures itself without user intervention. It autonomously establishes the necessary communication protocols, identifies device capabilities, and configures the standardized interface accordingly. This self-service approach eliminates manual configuration requirements while maintaining developer ownership through the remote UI technology.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and device for providing a single consistent user interface based on replacing disparate user interface constructs (components) with equivalent constructs (components) from a “synonym” database of user interface constructs (components). The database is initiated with a set of foundational “synonym” constructs (components) and extended with user interface constructs (components) as they are discovered during reduction of an inconsistent user interface to a consistent state.