Prioritizing UI Controls on Small Displays via Enlargement

Solution Overview

Problem

Small display screens on handheld mobile devices make it difficult for users to read and interact with multiple apps simultaneously due to the 'squished' appearance of user interface controls, which are often hard to select and utilize.

Innovation Solution

A method that detects multiple apps on a display screen, identifies key user interface controls, and enlarges them based on user preference and usage metrics, such as eye tracking, to prioritize important information and improve readability and selectability.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If multiple apps are displayed simultaneously on a small screen, then the device can perform multiple functions at once, but the user interface controls become squished and difficult to read and select

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemulti-app display capabilityVSAvoidcontrol selectability

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by selectively enlarging only the most frequently used controls within each app's interface while maintaining the multi-app display layout. This allows the system to preserve the productivity benefit of displaying multiple apps simultaneously while improving ease of operation for critical controls by making them locally larger and more accessible.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces a new dimension to the display by creating an overlay layer that sits above the standard multi-app interface. This overlay dimension contains the enlarged controls, allowing them to be displayed in a different spatial plane without disrupting the underlying multi-app layout, thus resolving the contradiction between maintaining multi-app display and improving control accessibility.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Productivity

If multiple apps are displayed simultaneously on a small screen, then the device can perform multiple functions at once, but the text and controls appear squished and difficult to read

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemulti-app display capabilityVSAvoidreadability

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by selectively enlarging only the most frequently used controls within each app's interface while maintaining the multi-app display layout. This allows the system to preserve the productivity benefit of displaying multiple apps simultaneously while improving ease of operation for critical controls by making them locally larger and more accessible.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces a new dimension to the display by creating an overlay layer that sits above the standard multi-app interface. This overlay dimension contains the enlarged controls, allowing them to be displayed in a different spatial plane without disrupting the underlying multi-app layout, thus resolving the contradiction between maintaining multi-app display and improving control accessibility.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Data Source

PatentUS11231833B2Prioritizing information when app display size is reduced

Publication Date: 2022.01.25 LENOVO SWITZERLAND INTERNATIONAL GMBH

AI summary

An approach is provided that detects when multiple apps are being displayed on a display screen with each of the apps having any number of user interface controls. A set of user interface controls is identified from the user interface controls being displayed. The identified set of user interface controls have an increased display preference. The identified set of user interface controls are enlarged on the display screen making such controls easier to read and select.