3D Window Navigation in XR Environments
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current web browsers face difficulties in concurrently viewing past and present web pages and searches due to their tab arrangement, making it hard to navigate between them effectively.
Innovation Solution
A method for navigating windows in 3D within an extended reality (XR) environment, where content panes are displayed at different z-depths and can be moved and modified based on user inputs, such as hand tracking, eye tracking, or speech inputs, allowing for seamless transitions between content panes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If tab arrangement is used for organizing web pages, then the structure is simple and easy to implement, but it becomes difficult to concurrently view past and present web pages and searches
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from 2D tab arrangement to 3D spatial organization of content panes. Content panes are positioned at different z-depths within the XR environment, allowing users to navigate through historical web pages by moving through depth space. This dimensional change enables concurrent viewing of multiple pages without the clutter limitations of traditional tabs.
2Loss of information
If multiple content panes are displayed concurrently, then past and present web pages can be viewed simultaneously, but the interface complexity and difficulty of navigation increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the positioning, scaling, and appearance of content panes based on user interactions. Recently accessed panes are positioned closer to the user with larger scale, while historical panes are positioned further away with smaller scale. This dynamic organization maintains visibility of browsing history while keeping the interface intuitive through automatic spatial prioritization.
Solution Approach 2:
Content panes utilize appearance changes including transparency, blur effects, and color modifications to indicate their temporal and spatial relationship to the user. Panes further in z-depth exhibit greater blur and transparency, providing visual cues about their relative recency and accessibility without requiring additional UI elements.
3Adaptability or versatility
If traditional 2D interface is used, then the implementation is straightforward, but the user experience lacks interactivity and organization for multiple content panes
Solution Approach 1:
The XR environment serves multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as both the display medium and the navigation mechanism. The same 3D space that displays content panes also provides the navigation structure through depth-based organization. Hand tracking, eye tracking, and speech inputs all interact with the same spatial environment, eliminating the need for separate control interfaces and reducing overall system complexity despite the advanced display capabilities.
Data Source
AI summary
In one implementation, a method for navigating windows in 3D. The method includes: displaying a first content pane with a first appearance at a first z-depth within an extended reality (XR) environment, wherein the first content pane includes first content and an input field; detecting a user input directed to the input field; and, in response to detecting the user input directed to the input field: moving the content first pane to a second z-depth within the XR environment, wherein the second z-depth is different from the first z-depth; modifying the first content pane by changing the first content pane from the first appearance to a second appearance; and displaying a second content pane with the first appearance at the first z-depth within the XR environment.