Unified Interface Automating Cross-Application Actions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users of productivity suites often face inefficiencies and time-consuming workflows due to the need to manually switch between different applications to perform tasks, leading to increased computing resource usage.
Innovation Solution
A computing system that automates actions across applications by receiving user inputs through a user interface, allowing actions to be performed in one application using content from another application without requiring users to navigate away.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If users manually switch between different applications to perform tasks, then they can access content from multiple applications, but user time and workflow productivity are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple application interfaces and content sources into a single unified interface. The system combines data from the first application (e.g., document content) and the second application (e.g., contact list) into one consolidated view, allowing users to perform cross-application tasks without physically switching between applications. This directly resolves the contradiction by maintaining content accessibility while eliminating time-consuming switching operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The unified interface performs multiple functions simultaneously: it displays content from different applications, allows selection of items from different sources, and enables actions that affect multiple applications through a single interaction. This multi-functionality approach allows the system to access and manipulate content across applications while maintaining a single stable interface, thereby resolving the time loss issue.
2Productivity
If users manually switch between different applications to perform tasks, then they can complete cross-application workflows, but computing resource usage increases
Solution Approach 1:
By merging the interfaces and data sources of multiple applications into a single unified interface, the system eliminates the need for repeated data loading and interface rendering that occurs during manual switching. The unified interface maintains a single state that incorporates content from multiple applications, reducing computational overhead and energy consumption while enabling cross-application workflows.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-loading and integrating content from multiple applications into the unified interface before the user needs to perform cross-application tasks. This advance preparation eliminates the need for real-time data fetching and processing during task execution, thereby reducing computing resource usage while maintaining productivity.
3Loss of information
If users manually look up data by switching between applications, then they can gather information from multiple sources, but the process becomes repetitive and inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The unified interface merges content from multiple application sources into a single consolidated display. Users can view and access information from different applications simultaneously in one interface, eliminating the repetitive switching process while ensuring no information is lost. The system maintains the integrity of data from each source while presenting it in a unified, easily accessible format.
Data Source
AI summary
A computer-implemented method for automating actions across applications includes providing a user interface of an object within a first application to a user computing system. The method further includes receiving an input from the user computing system via the user interface, where the input is associated with requesting an action to be taken with a second application, and where the action uses content associated with the object of the first application. Additionally, the method includes performing the action with the second application based at least in part on the input being received.