Dynamic Virtual Button Mapping for Screen Space Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users interacting with applications on electronic devices, especially game applications, face inconvenience when using physical or pop-up virtual keyboards, which occupy screen space and degrade the user experience due to their size and the need for quick inputs.
Innovation Solution
Displaying selected virtual buttons on a touch-sensitive screen that can be actuated to control application operations, allowing users to interact without physical or pop-up virtual keyboards, with the virtual buttons being dynamically mapped to specific keyboard characters for different applications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a physical keyboard or pop-up virtual keyboard is used to control applications, then user input capability is provided, but screen space is occupied and user experience is degraded
Solution Approach 1:
The virtual keyboard is segmented into individual virtual buttons that are displayed only when needed for specific applications. Instead of showing a complete keyboard layout, only the relevant buttons for the current application are presented, reducing screen space occupation while maintaining full input capability when required.
Solution Approach 2:
The virtual keyboard transitions from a static, always-present interface to a dynamic, on-demand interface. The virtual buttons are displayed temporarily when an application requires input and hidden when not needed, allowing the interface to adapt to the current application's needs and minimize screen space usage.
2Productivity
If a physical keyboard is used for game applications requiring quick inputs, then input speed is improved, but device portability and ergonomics are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The mechanical physical keyboard is replaced with a touch-sensitive display interface that uses software-based virtual buttons. This substitution eliminates the need for physical keyboard hardware, improving device portability and ergonomics while maintaining the ability to provide quick inputs through the touch-sensitive screen's rapid response capability.
3Ease of operation
If a pop-up virtual keyboard is displayed to provide input capability, then application control is enabled, but the amount of content visible on screen is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
Only the necessary virtual buttons required for the current application are extracted and displayed, rather than showing the entire virtual keyboard layout. This selective display approach enables application control while minimizing the screen space occupied by the virtual keyboard, thereby preserving more visible content area.
Solution Approach 2:
The virtual keyboard interface is customized to display different buttons in different locations based on the specific application requirements. Each application receives a tailored set of virtual buttons positioned optimally for that application, providing efficient control while minimizing overall screen space usage compared to a universal keyboard layout.
Data Source
AI summary
Content of an application is presented for display. A virtual controller module receives information relating to keyboard characters for controlling operation of the application. The virtual controller module presents, based on the received information, a first set of buttons for display, where the buttons are to control operation of the application, and where the buttons are mapped to corresponding ones of the keyboard characters.