Summary Menu Interface for Educational Tool Navigation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional interfaces on electronic devices are inefficient, requiring users to navigate through multiple screens and views to locate a desired function, especially on small screens, leading to slow and cumbersome navigation processes.

Innovation Solution

The implementation of a summary menu that allows direct access to frequently used functions of an educational tool application, reducing navigation steps to three: launching the main menu, selecting the application, and then the specific function, without launching the application until the user chooses to engage with it, thereby streamlining the process and improving usability.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If conventional interface navigation is used, then users can access all functions of the application, but the navigation process becomes slow and inefficient requiring multiple screen switches

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenavigation efficiencyVSAvoidtime to locate function

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The interface is segmented into multiple hierarchical levels: main menu, summary menu, and function-specific screens. This segmentation allows users to access frequently used functions through a condensed summary menu that presents only relevant options, reducing the number of navigation steps required to reach desired functions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The summary menu is prepared in advance and displayed directly from the main menu before the user needs to access specific functions. This preliminary presentation of commonly accessed functions allows users to quickly locate and select desired operations without navigating through multiple intermediate screens.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Productivity

If the application is launched to access a function, then the function can be executed, but memory resources are consumed unnecessarily when the application is not fully needed

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefunction access speedVSAvoidmemory resource consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

A summary menu interface acts as an intermediary layer between the main menu and the full application. This intermediary provides direct access to frequently used functions without requiring the complete application to be launched, thereby reducing memory resource consumption while maintaining quick access to essential operations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of launching the entire application to access a single function, the system provides partial access through the summary menu that displays only the most commonly used functions. This partial action approach allows users to perform frequent operations with minimal resource allocation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Data Source

PatentUS11545043B1Interface for educational tool

Publication Date: 2023.01.03 MORGAN MARLYN ANDREW

AI summary

An interface for an educational tool on an electronic device is described. The interface comprises a main menu to display at least an icon for the educational tool. The main menu appears on a display screen of the electronic device. The interface also comprises a summary menu to list a subset of at least one function of the educational tool. The summary menu is accessed directly from the main menu when a user selects the icon for the educational tool. The interface further comprises an exhibitory window to display a rhyming riddle function of the educational tool selected by the user from the subset listed on the summary menu. The rhyming riddle function presents the user with a rhyming riddle to be solved.