Visual Interruption Symbol Queue Management in Virtual Meetings
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current virtual meeting systems face challenges in timely identifying and notifying the next speaker due to sensory distractions and limited display space on devices, leading to missed opportunities for participants to contribute.
Innovation Solution
A raising-hand queue management system that persistently displays a visual interruption symbol for the next speaker in the queue, suppressing other symbols until their turn, using a server and client device architecture to manage interruption signals based on criteria like timestamps and user roles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If multiple visual interruption symbols are displayed simultaneously for all participants requesting to speak, then all participants can see who is waiting to talk, but sensory distractions increase and the next speaker indication can be hidden in other interactions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and highlights only the most important information (the next speaker's interruption symbol) while suppressing or hiding other interruption symbols. This selective display removes distracting elements while preserving the critical next speaker indication, directly resolving the contradiction between information visibility and sensory distraction.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different display qualities to different interruption symbols based on their priority. The next speaker's symbol receives enhanced visibility (local emphasis) while other symbols are suppressed. This localized quality enhancement ensures the critical information stands out without the clutter of equal-weighted multiple symbols.
2Loss of information
If all interruption symbols are displayed on small screens, then all participants can see the queue, but the display space is insufficient and participants may miss their turn unless they scroll
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential information (next speaker indication) for display on small screens, omitting non-critical elements (other queue members). This extraction allows the critical information to be displayed without scrolling while keeping the interface simple and accessible on mobile devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent displays only the necessary portion of the interruption queue (the next speaker) rather than the complete queue. This partial display action is sufficient to solve the problem of missed turns on small screens, as participants only need to know when it's their turn, not see the entire queue.
3Measurement precision
If the meeting organizer manually tracks raised hand indications, then the next speaker can be identified, but user experience is impaired due to additional cognitive load
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs automatic tracking and identification of the next speaker without requiring the organizer's manual intervention. The interruption symbols are automatically managed and displayed, allowing the system to serve itself in tracking speaker requests, thereby eliminating the cognitive load on the organizer while maintaining precise next speaker identification.
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides automatic visual feedback through interruption symbols that clearly indicate who should speak next. This automated feedback mechanism replaces manual tracking, providing real-time, error-free information about the next speaker without requiring organizer attention or cognitive resources.
4Loss of information
If multiple interruption symbols are displayed, then all waiting participants are visible, but the display becomes cluttered and the next speaker indication can be ignored
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and displays only the critical interruption symbol (next speaker) while suppressing others. This extraction simplifies the interface by removing redundant visual elements that contribute to clutter, while preserving the essential information about who should speak next.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies enhanced visual quality locally to the next speaker's interruption symbol while suppressing or minimizing other symbols. This creates a clear visual hierarchy that reduces interface complexity by making only the necessary element prominent, rather than displaying all symbols with equal weight.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for identifying the next speaker from multiple meeting participants requesting to speak in a virtual meeting and persistently displaying a visual interruption symbol for the next speaker is disclosed. The system is configured to maintain a display of the visual interruption symbol along with a visual representation of the next speaker at a position of each meeting interface associated with meeting participants while changing displays of other visual representations of other participants at other positions of each meeting interface. The system is also configured to suppress displays of other visual interruption symbols from other participants of the virtual meeting.