Automatic User Interface Layout Organization via Constraint-Based Permutation Selection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Modern user interfaces offer flexibility in reorganizing sections, leading to uncertainty about the visual state due to numerous possible permutations, making it impractical to design for each permutation without constraints.
Innovation Solution
A system that receives modifications to a source user interface layout, applies constraints to generate all valid permutations, calculates differences, and selects the permutation least different from the source layout as the target layout, ensuring design validity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If flexibility to reorganize UI sections is provided, then user customization capability is improved, but the number of possible layout permutations increases leading to uncertainty and complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the parameter space by introducing constraints that limit the number of valid layout permutations. By defining rules about which sections can be moved to which positions, the system transforms an unbounded permutation problem into a constrained optimization problem, reducing complexity while preserving essential customization flexibility
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces an intermediary computational layer that automatically determines valid layout permutations based on constraints. This intermediary process mediates between user customization requests and the complexity of possible permutations, selecting only valid layouts that satisfy the defined constraints
2Reliability
If all possible layout permutations are designed, then complete coverage of visual states is achieved, but the time and resources required become impractical
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of exhaustively designing all possible permutations, the system applies partial action by generating only the subset of permutations that satisfy the defined constraints. This approach achieves sufficient visual state coverage for practical purposes without the excessive time and resources required for complete permutation enumeration
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary action by pre-defining constraints that will guide the generation of valid permutations. By establishing rules in advance about section movement validity, the system prepares a framework that automatically filters permutations, saving time during actual layout generation while ensuring reliability through constraint-based validation
Data Source
AI summary
A system, method, and computer program product are provided for automatic user interface layout organization. In operation, a system receives an action representing at least one modification to a source user interface layout, or an unbalanced layout (a layout that violates the constraints). The system receives a list of constraints that define the validity of a given layout. The system creates a list of all possible valid user interface layout permutations including the at least one modification based on the constraints. The system determines a difference between the source user interface layout and each of the possible valid layout permutations. Further, the system selects one of the possible valid layout permutations that is least different from the source user interface layout to be used as a target user interface layout including the at least one modification.