Visual Media Search Tool for Touchscreen Interfaces
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing media search systems in media services are inefficient for users, particularly when they lack information about specific media content or face difficulties entering keywords, especially on small touch screens.
Innovation Solution
A visual media content search creation tool within a graphical user interface that allows users to submit graphical objects, such as cover art images, to define a search, generating search parameters based on these objects and facilitating intuitive media content searches.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If keyword search is used, then search functionality is provided, but user convenience deteriorates due to difficulty in entering keywords and lack of necessary information
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical keyboard input system with a visual touch-based selection system. Users interact with graphical objects (thumbnails, icons, cover art) displayed on the screen by touching or clicking them, eliminating the need for physical keyboard typing. This substitution dramatically improves ease of operation on mobile devices with small touch screens, as users can simply tap visual representations of media content rather than manually typing search keywords.
2Ease of operation
If visual search interface is implemented, then ease of operation improves, but device complexity increases due to additional graphical interface elements
Solution Approach 1:
The graphical objects served multiple functions: they act as visual search queries, provide search results previews, and serve as navigation elements. Each thumbnail or icon represents both the user's search intent and the potential search results, eliminating the need for separate search bars, result lists, and navigation menus. This multi-functionality reduces overall interface complexity while maintaining ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the search query input interface and search results display into a single unified graphical object selection interface. Instead of having separate screens or sections for entering search terms and viewing results, users select from graphical objects that simultaneously represent both the query and the results, consolidating multiple interface elements into one cohesive interaction model.
Data Source
AI summary
An exemplary method includes a media content search system providing a media content search creation tool in a graphical user interface, detecting a user-submission of one or more user-selectable graphical objects representing one or more media programs to the media content search creation tool in the graphical user interface, and generating a set of media content search parameters based on the one or more media programs represented by the one or more user-selectable graphical objects submitted to the media content search creation tool. Corresponding systems and methods are also described.