UI Element Highlighting for Selectable Control Discoverability

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Solution Overview

Problem

Users often fail to recognize selectable user interface elements due to uniform presentation, leading to missed opportunities for interacting with the interface.

Innovation Solution

Intelligent identification and visual modification of selectable user interface elements based on user object location and device orientation, using artificial intelligence and visual effects like gleam appearance or highlighting to draw attention to these elements.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If user interface elements are presented uniformly, then the interface design is simple and consistent, but users cannot easily identify which elements are selectable

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveUser ability to identify selectable elementsVSAvoidInterface design complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by providing different visual presentations for different types of user interface elements. Specifically, selectable elements receive enhanced visual treatment (such as highlighting, borders, or other distinctive markings) while non-selectable elements maintain the standard uniform presentation. This allows users to easily distinguish which elements can be interacted with without requiring a complete redesign of the entire interface, thus improving ease of operation while maintaining reasonable design complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Loss of information

If all user interface elements are highlighted to indicate selectability, then user discoverability is improved, but visual clutter and distraction increase

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveUser awareness of selectable elementsVSAvoidVisual clutter and distraction
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent resolves this contradiction by applying visual highlighting selectively only to selectable user interface elements rather than uniformly to all elements. This localized approach ensures that users can easily discover which elements are interactive (improving information retention) while avoiding the visual clutter and distraction that would result from highlighting every element on the screen. The enhanced visual treatment is concentrated where needed to guide user attention without creating unnecessary noise.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

3Loss of information

If visual modifications are applied to indicate selectability, then user discoverability increases, but processing and rendering overhead increases

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveUser knowledge of interactive elementsVSAvoidComputational resources for visual processing
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent minimizes computational overhead by applying visual modifications only to a subset of user interface elements that are selectable, rather than processing and rendering modifications for all elements. This selective approach reduces the number of elements that require special visual treatment, thereby lowering the processing and rendering overhead while still effectively communicating interactivity information to users. The system identifies selectable elements and applies enhancements only where necessary, optimizing the balance between user discoverability and resource consumption.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentEP3765949B1Systems and methods to increase discoverability in user interfaces
Publication Date: 2026.03.04 GOOGLE LLC
  • EP3765949B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3765949B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3765949B1 patent drawingFigure 3A~3B

AI summary

The present disclosure provides systems and methods to improve discoverability of selectable user interface elements. In particular, the present disclosure provides computing devices that, in some implementations, intelligently identify user interface elements that are selectable (e.g., based on intelligent understanding of the user interface content) and visually modify one or more of such selectable user interface elements to indicate to the user that they are selectable. The visual modification can highlight or otherwise draw attention to the user interface element(s), thereby improving their discoverability.