3D Spherical Interface Tile Prioritization for Cluttered Content Displays
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional user interface displays, such as electronic channel guides, become cluttered and impractical when dealing with a large number of items, making it difficult for users to quickly find information of interest due to the crowding and distortion of tiles on a 3D surface contour representation.
Innovation Solution
A method and device that prioritize information of greater interest by populating larger, less distorted tiles in prominent positions and lesser interest information in less prominent positions on a 3D surface contour, using a signal processing electronic device to identify user preferences and sort content accordingly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If information is displayed in a tabular format with each item on a separate line, then the listing is easy to read and navigate, but the display becomes cluttered and impractical when dealing with a large number of items
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a traditional two-dimensional tabular layout to a three-dimensional spherical interface where content is distributed across the surface of a globe. This dimensional change allows numerous items to be displayed simultaneously without clutter, as users can view multiple regions of the sphere at once and navigate by rotating the globe rather than scrolling through linear lists.
Solution Approach 2:
The spherical interface is divided into multiple discrete regions or segments across its surface, each capable of displaying different content items. This segmentation allows the large quantity of information to be organized into manageable portions distributed throughout the 3D space, reducing visual clutter while maintaining accessibility.
2Loss of information
If thumbnail illustrations and icons are added next to items in a listing, then visual information is enhanced, but the display becomes more crowded and less usable
Solution Approach 1:
By moving from a flat 2D layout to a 3D spherical interface, the patent creates additional spatial dimensions for organizing content. Visual elements like thumbnails and icons can be distributed across the curved surface without overlapping or crowding, as the third dimension provides extra room for visual information while maintaining usability through natural rotation and viewing gestures.
3Loss of information
If the listing is mapped onto the skin of a displayed object in perspective view, then the interface becomes more engaging and informative, but tiles become smaller and more distorted as they extend from the equator toward the poles
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different display qualities to different regions of the spherical interface. Tiles in prominent, centrally-viewed regions are rendered with higher resolution and less distortion, while tiles in peripheral regions may be smaller or less detailed. This local quality approach ensures that the most important content receives the highest visual fidelity while still allowing comprehensive information to be distributed across the entire sphere.
Solution Approach 2:
The spherical interface is designed to be dynamically rotatable and adjustable, allowing users to bring any region of interest into the optimal viewing position at the front-center of the globe. This dynamic capability compensates for perspective distortion by enabling users to reposition content as needed, ensuring that tiles of interest are always displayed with minimal distortion regardless of their initial position on the sphere.
4Adaptability or versatility
If a large number of channels or content are provided, then the service offering is more comprehensive, but the tiles become too small and crowded to be readily perceptible and locatable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a three-dimensional spherical interface to display a large number of channels and content items, distributing them across the curved surface rather than confining them to a flat 2D grid. This dimensional expansion provides vastly more display real estate, allowing comprehensive content variety to be presented without excessive crowding, while users can locate specific content by rotating the globe to bring desired regions into view.
Solution Approach 2:
The spherical interface segments the large volume of content into numerous smaller regions distributed across the globe's surface. Each segment or tile represents a discrete content item or channel, and the segmentation allows comprehensive content libraries to be organized into manageable, visually distinct units that can be independently located and selected through rotation and zoom operations.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of populating a series of tiles of an interactive user interface with information is disclosed. The interactive user interface is in a form of a visual display of a representation of an object having a surface contour, and the method includes the step of populating the tiles such that information of greater priority is initially populated in tiles that are most prominently displayed on the object and information of lesser priority is initially populated in tiles that are less prominently displayed on the object. Apparatus and a computer readable storage medium for performing the method are also disclosed.