Smart Device Interface Visual Prominence Segmentation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional user interfaces for smart-device-enabled environments become cumbersome as the number of rooms or devices increases, requiring users to sift through excessive visual information to perform simple tasks, leading to increased cognitive load and time consumption.

Innovation Solution

A system that prioritizes physical spaces within a smart-device-enabled environment, displaying information associated with primary, secondary, and tertiary spaces with varying visual prominence based on user location, interaction history, and device activity, allowing for contextually relevant and efficient interaction with smart devices.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of information

If conventional user interfaces display all available smart devices and rooms, then complete information is provided, but cognitive load and time to locate specific devices increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecompleteness of informationVSAvoidtime to locate device
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The user interface is segmented into multiple priority levels (primary, secondary, tertiary spaces) rather than displaying all devices uniformly. This segmentation allows the system to divide the comprehensive device list into manageable groups based on user relevance, enabling quick access to frequently used devices while maintaining access to less frequently used ones through lower-priority sections.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different visual prominence levels are applied to different sections of the interface based on their importance. Primary spaces receive enhanced visual treatment (larger size, brighter colors, prominent positioning) while secondary and tertiary spaces receive progressively reduced visual emphasis. This local differentiation of quality allows users to quickly identify and access important devices without being overwhelmed by the entire device set.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Loss of information

If conventional user interfaces present all visual information, then all device options are visible, but ease of operation decreases due to excessive information

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvevisibility of optionsVSAvoidease of device control
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system extracts and highlights only the most relevant devices and spaces from the complete device set, separating them into a primary view that receives enhanced visual prominence. Less critical devices are extracted to secondary and tertiary views with reduced visual emphasis. This extraction approach maintains visibility of all options while making the primary operational targets stand out for easier interaction.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The visual prominence of different spaces is made dynamic rather than static. The system automatically adjusts which spaces receive primary, secondary, or tertiary prominence based on real-time factors such as user location, recent interaction history, and current device activity. This dynamic reconfiguration optimizes ease of operation as user needs change while maintaining comprehensive access to all devices.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

3Adaptability or versatility

If smart devices are added to increase functionality, then system capability improves, but device complexity increases making control more difficult

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesystem capabilityVSAvoidinterface complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

As more smart devices are added to the system, the interface automatically segments them into priority-based groups rather than presenting them as a single overwhelming list. New devices are integrated into appropriate priority levels based on their relevance to the user, allowing the system to scale in capability while maintaining manageable interface complexity through automatic categorization.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes the parameter of visual prominence dynamically based on multiple factors including user location, interaction frequency, and device importance. This parameter adjustment allows the interface to adapt to increasing numbers of devices by automatically reconfiguring which devices receive visual emphasis, thereby maintaining ease of operation despite growing system complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentUS10778463B2Displaying information for a smart-device-enabled environment
Publication Date: 2020.09.15 HARMAN INT IND INC
  • US10778463B2 patent drawing
  • US10778463B2 patent drawing
  • US10778463B2 patent drawing

AI summary

A method for displaying information associated with a smart-device-enabled environment includes receiving an activation signal; in response to receiving the activation signal, selecting as a primary space in the environment a first physical space that includes at least one apparatus that is controllable by a networked computing device; selecting as a secondary space in the environment a second physical space that includes at least one apparatus that is controllable by a networked computing device; causing information associated with the at least one apparatus included in the first physical space to be displayed with a first visual prominence on a display device; and causing information associated with the at least one apparatus included in the second physical space to be displayed with a second visual prominence on the display device, wherein the first visual prominence is greater than the second visual prominence.