Software Shield for Inadvertent UI Selection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Humans often inadvertently select user interface elements due to confirmation fatigue, exacerbated by the lack of tactile feedback in software buttons compared to hardware buttons, leading to potential errors or unsafe operations.
Innovation Solution
Implementing software safety-locked controls that display a shield to cover user interface elements in a locked state, requiring user input on the shield to unlock and enable interaction, followed by confirmation procedures using separate buttons to prevent accidental selections.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If hardware buttons are converted to software buttons, then device complexity is reduced and ease of operation is improved, but tactile feedback is lost leading to inadvertent selections
Solution Approach 1:
The shield is displayed over the user interface element before the user can interact with it, requiring intentional unlocking action. This preliminary protective action prevents inadvertent selections by ensuring users are aware of and intentionally interact with the control element before it becomes active.
Solution Approach 2:
The shield acts as an intermediary layer between the user and the user interface element. It mediates the interaction by requiring explicit user action (tapping the shield) to unlock access, thereby providing the missing tactile feedback and preventing accidental selections while maintaining software button benefits.
2Reliability
If dialog confirmations are displayed, then reliability is improved by preventing errors, but confirmation fatigue occurs leading to ignored warnings
Solution Approach 1:
The shield is presented as a preliminary action before the actual user interface element interaction. This upfront warning mechanism is more effective than post-action dialog confirmations because it prevents inadvertent selections before they occur, reducing confirmation fatigue by eliminating the need for repeated dialog warnings.
3Reliability
If a shield is added to cover user interface elements, then reliability is improved by preventing inadvertent selections, but device complexity and interface complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The shield is implemented as a visual overlay layer that copies the protective function of physical shields without requiring additional hardware components. This software-based approach maintains reliability improvements while avoiding increases in physical device complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A method includes displaying a user interface having a first region with one or more user interface elements and determining whether a shield is in a locked state or an unlocked state. The shield covers the first region when in the locked state and uncovers at least part of the first region when in the unlocked state. The method includes, in response to determining that the shield is in the locked state, displaying the shield covering the first region and disabling the user interface element(s). The method includes, in response to receiving user input on the shield while the shield is in the locked state, changing the shield to the unlocked state. Additionally, the method includes, in response to determining that the shield is in the unlocked state, displaying the first region such that the user interface element(s) is/are not covered by the shield and enabling the user interface element(s).