Task Shortcut Affordance Interface for Digital Assistants
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Solution Overview
Problem
Digital assistants often fail to provide an intuitive system for performing tasks without disrupting a user's ability to interact with electronic devices, as they typically require switching between interfaces, leading to inefficiencies and increased power usage.
Innovation Solution
An electronic device determines whether shortcut criteria are met and displays a first affordance corresponding to a task on the user interface, allowing the task to be completed either without or with the application interface, optimizing task execution and reducing power consumption by enabling efficient device usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a digital assistant requires switching between interfaces to perform tasks, then task completion capability is improved, but user interaction efficiency deteriorates and power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple interface functions into a unified user interface that can display both the user interface and application interface simultaneously or switch between them without requiring full interface transitions. This merging eliminates the need to switch between separate interfaces, thereby improving user interaction efficiency and reducing power consumption associated with interface transitions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a new dimensional approach by overlaying or integrating the affordance display within the existing user interface space rather than requiring a separate interface dimension. This allows task-related information and controls to be presented within the same interface plane, eliminating interface switching and reducing the energy cost of transitions.
2Productivity
If a digital assistant displays full application interfaces to complete tasks, then task functionality is improved, but interface complexity and power usage increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential task-related elements (affordances) from the full application interface and presents them within the user interface. This extraction allows task functionality to be maintained while avoiding the complexity of displaying complete application interfaces, thereby improving task execution efficiency without increasing interface complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by providing task-specific interface elements (affordances) only where and when they are needed within the user interface, rather than displaying full application interfaces throughout. This localized approach maintains task functionality while minimizing interface complexity and associated power consumption.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and processes for operating an intelligent automated assistant are provided. An example process for performing a task includes, at an electronic device having one or more processors and memory, determining whether a shortcut criteria is met and in accordance with a determination that the shortcut criteria is met: displaying a first affordance corresponding to a first task of a shortcut over a user interface, determining whether the first task can be completed without displaying an application interface corresponding to the first task, in accordance with a determination that the first task can be completed without displaying the application interface, performing the first task while displaying the first affordance, and in accordance with a determination that the first task cannot be completed without displaying the application interface, displaying the application interface, and completing the first task using the application interface.