Voice Shortcut Task Sequencing Interface

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Digital assistants often fail to provide an intuitive system for performing multiple tasks simultaneously without requiring users to interact with multiple interfaces and confirm multiple tasks or parameters.

Innovation Solution

The system allows users to select and associate first and second tasks with a voice shortcut, enabling users to efficiently generate user-specific task sequences and perform multiple tasks during a user activity by providing a simple voice shortcut.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If users interact with multiple interfaces and confirm multiple tasks or parameters to perform multiple tasks, then task completion accuracy is improved, but device complexity and ease of operation deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetask completion accuracyVSAvoidinterface complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines multiple task confirmations into a single user interaction. The system presents a consolidated set of tasks derived from contextual data and user activity, requiring only one confirmation action rather than multiple separate confirmations for each task. This merging approach maintains task completion accuracy while reducing interface complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The system creates a universal task execution mechanism that handles multiple different tasks through a single interface paradigm. Instead of requiring different interaction patterns for different tasks, the system provides a unified confirmation interface that works across various task types, thereby reducing overall interface complexity while maintaining reliability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Reliability

If users interact with multiple interfaces and confirm multiple tasks or parameters to perform multiple tasks, then task completion accuracy is improved, but ease of operation worsens

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetask completion accuracyVSAvoiduser interaction simplicity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges multiple task confirmations into a single user action. The system aggregates tasks from contextual data and user activity into one presentation, requiring only a single confirmation from the user. This approach preserves task completion accuracy while dramatically improving ease of operation by eliminating repetitive confirmation steps.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary processing of task information before presentation to the user. By pre-analyzing contextual data and user activity to derive the set of tasks, the system prepares the confirmation interface in advance, allowing the user to simply confirm rather than make multiple decisions. This preliminary action maintains accuracy while simplifying the user's interaction.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Reliability

If users perform multiple tasks sequentially through traditional interfaces, then task accuracy is maintained, but productivity and time efficiency worsen

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetask accuracyVSAvoidtask execution speed
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines multiple task executions into a single user action. By presenting a consolidated set of tasks and requiring only one confirmation, the system enables batch processing of tasks that would traditionally require sequential execution. This merging approach maintains task accuracy while significantly improving productivity and reducing the time required to complete multiple tasks.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The system enables continuous task execution by deriving tasks from ongoing user activity and contextual data. Instead of interrupting the user's workflow for separate task confirmations, the system continuously monitors context and presents tasks that can be executed in a continuous flow, thereby maintaining accuracy while improving overall productivity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #20Continuity of useful action

4Productivity

If users execute multiple tasks quickly using voice shortcuts, then productivity and battery life are improved, but task completion accuracy may worsen

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetask execution speedVSAvoidtask completion accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system incorporates feedback mechanisms in the voice shortcut process. After the user provides a voice shortcut, the system presents the derived tasks for confirmation before execution. This feedback loop ensures that even though the process is quick and efficient, the user can verify task accuracy, thereby maintaining reliability while achieving high productivity and battery savings.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary analysis of the voice shortcut and contextual data to derive tasks before execution. This pre-processing ensures that the tasks are accurately interpreted from the voice input, reducing errors. The preliminary action of deriving and confirming tasks maintains accuracy while keeping the overall process quick and efficient.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP3745242B1User activity shortcut suggestions
Publication Date: 2025.01.22 APPLE INC
  • EP3745242B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3745242B1 patent drawingFigure 2A
  • EP3745242B1 patent drawingFigure 2B

AI summary

Systems and processes for accelerating task performance are provided. An example method includes, at an electronic device with a display, displaying a candidate shortcut affordance associated with a user activity, detecting a first set of inputs corresponding to a selection of the candidate shortcut affordance, in response to detecting the first set of inputs, displaying a first set of candidate task affordances, detecting a second set of inputs corresponding to a selection of a candidate task affordance associated with a first task, displaying a second set of candidate task affordances, detecting a third set of inputs corresponding to a selection of a candidate task affordance associated with a second task, and in response to detecting the second set of inputs and the third set of inputs, associating the first task and the second task with a task sequence for a voice shortcut corresponding to the user activity.