Touch Screen Table Editing With Hold And Flick Gestures
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional electronic devices lack practical gestures for inserting and deleting rows and columns in data tables, relying on complex and cumbersome methods.
Innovation Solution
Implementing hold and flick gestures on touch screens, where the direction and relative position of the flick portion of the gesture determine the action, such as inserting or deleting rows and columns, allowing for intuitive table manipulation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional touch gestures are used for table manipulation, then the device can process user input, but the gestures are complex and cumbersome making them impractical
Solution Approach 1:
The gesture is segmented into two distinct phases: a hold phase for selecting the target row or column, and a flick phase for indicating the insertion or deletion direction. This segmentation allows each phase to have a simple, intuitive function while together they achieve complex table manipulation without requiring complicated continuous gestures.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from static touch detection to dynamic gesture recognition by detecting the temporal sequence and spatial relationship between the hold phase and flick phase. The flick portion must occur within a specific time window after the hold phase, creating a dynamic gesture pattern that is both simple to execute and unambiguous in its intent.
2Reliability
If complex gestures are used for inserting and deleting rows and columns, then the system can distinguish between different operations, but the user effort and processing time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The hold phase serves as a preliminary action that establishes the target location before the flick phase indicates the desired operation. This preliminary selection ensures that the subsequent flick gesture has an unambiguous reference point, allowing the system to quickly and accurately determine whether the user wants to insert or delete based solely on the flick direction.
Solution Approach 2:
The gesture follows a periodic sequence where the hold phase is followed by the flick phase within a specific time window. This temporal periodicity creates distinct, recognizable patterns for different operations (e.g., hold then flick up vs. hold then flick down), enabling reliable operation distinction without requiring complex continuous movements.
3Measurement precision
If gestures require precise timing and positioning, then the system can accurately interpret user intent, but the learning curve and user effort increase
Solution Approach 1:
Different portions of the gesture have different functions: the hold phase focuses on local selection accuracy at the target location, while the flick phase focuses on directional intent. This local quality differentiation allows the system to achieve high interpretation accuracy without requiring the user to maintain precise positioning throughout the entire gesture, reducing overall user effort.
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides visual feedback during the hold phase by highlighting the selected row or column, confirming to the user that the correct target has been identified. This feedback mechanism ensures accurate gesture interpretation while reducing user effort by eliminating the need for trial-and-error positioning.
Data Source
AI summary
Computing equipment may display tables of data that contain rows and columns. Touch gestures such as hold and flick gestures may be detected using a touch screen or other touch sensor. In response to a detected hold portion of a hold and flick gesture, a row or column in a table may be selected. In response to detection of a simultaneous flick portion, columns or rows may be inserted or deleted. A column may be inserted after a selected column using a hold and right downflick gesture. A hold and left downflick gesture may be used to insert a column before a selected column. Rows may be inserted before and after selected rows using hold and upper rightflick and hold and lower rightflick gestures. One or more columns or rows may be deleted using upflick or leftflick gestures.