Method to aid in sizing graphical user interface touch controls

• US 6,720,954 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2001
• Issued: 04/13/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Conzola, Vincent Charles, Ortega, Kerry A
• Primary Examiner(s): Saras, Steven
• Assistant Examiner(s): Anyaso, Uchendu O.
• Application Number:
  US09/808,257
• Publication Number:
  US 20020130847A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,126 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173, 345/178, 345/181
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

A software tool acquires data on the position of touches relative to controls on a particular window or dialog box using touch screen controls. Subjects or users log on and the time the bring a dialog box into focus is time stamped. The coordinates of each touch is recorded along with a time stamp of the touches. The test sessions are saved in a data file identifying the subject. The software tool is used by a User Interface designer to design controls for a touch screen application. The acquired data is played back graphically to the designer where each touch appears as a dot or like indication over laid over a representation of the dialog box to which it relates. The acquired data may be displayed in various ways including composite, realtime or in a single dialog box or a single touch. Previous touch data may be kept or discarded giving the UI designer many options of how to analyze the dat to determine optimum size and placement of controls. The software tool may be integrated to a Graphic User Interface (GUI) building package for various software platforms.

Claims

1. A method for designing touch screen controls for touch screen comprising the steps of:

executing a data acquisition routine of a software tool, said data acquisition routine acquiring, over a test session, touch data corresponding to user touches of said touch screen controls for an application program, said touch screen controls disposed in a dialog box of said touch screen;

saving said touch data in a file;

executing an analysis routine within said software tool, said analysis routine generating graphic display elements corresponding to said touch data; and

displaying said graphic display elements in selected playback modes, wherein said touch data comprises touch coordinates of said user touches relative to said touch screen dialog box, and a relative time said user touch was made.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each of said graphic display elements are displayed overlaid on a graphical representation of said touch screen controls and said touch screen dialog box.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein display coordinates of said graphic display elements have a one to one correspondence to said touch coordinates of said user touches.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said touch data further comprises an identification of said user of said touch screen.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said touch data further comprises a time said touch screen dialog box obtains a focus of said user.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said touch data further comprises an identification of each touch screen dialog box in use.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said touch data further comprises an identification of a particular touch screen control to which each user touch relates.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said selected playback modes comprise:

displaying concurrently as a composite all of said graphic display elements corresponding to said test session of one or more users of a selected touch screen dialog box.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said selected playback modes comprise:

displaying concurrently as a composite first selected graphic display elements corresponding to said test session of said user of said touch screen dialog box, said first selected graphic display elements corresponding to user touches occurring offset in time from a beginning of said test session.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said selected playback modes comprise displaying in a first time sequence said graphic display elements corresponding to said test session of said user of said touch screen dialog box, said first time sequence corresponding to a realtime sequence said touch data corresponding to said graphic display elements was acquired in said test session.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein said selected playback modes comprise displaying in a second time sequence said graphic display elements corresponding to said test session of said user of said touch screen dialog box, said second time sequence corresponding to a fixed time sequence.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein said selected playback modes comprise displaying in a third time sequence said graphic display elements corresponding to said test session of said user of said touch screen dialog box, said third time sequence corresponding to a time sequence determined by manual occurring input commands.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein said graphic display elements correspond to user touches which occur in a specific area of said touch screen dialog box.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein displaying a present graphic display element erases a previous graphic display element.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein displaying a present graphic display element retains a previous graphic display element.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein a graphic display element is modified in response to a position of a previous graphic display element.

17. A computer program product, said computer program product embodied in a machine readable medium, including programming for a processor, said computer program comprising a program of instructions for performing the program steps of:

executing a data acquisition routine of said computer program product, said data acquisition routine acquiring, over a test session, touch data corresponding to user touches of touch screen controls for an application program, said touch screen controls disposed in a dialog box of said touch screen;

saving said touch data in a file;

executing an analysis routine within said computer program product, said analysis routine generating graphic display elements corresponding to said touch data; and

displaying said graphic display elements in selected playback modes, wherein said touch data comprises touch coordinates of said user touches relative to said touch screen dialog box, and a relative time said user touch was made.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein each of said graphic display elements are displayed overlaid on a graphical representation of said touch screen controls and said touch screen dialog box.

19. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein display coordinates of said graphic display elements have a one to one correspondence to said touch coordinates of said user touches.

20. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein said touch data further comprises an identification of said user of said touch screen.

21. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein said touch data further comprises a time said touch screen dialog box obtains a focus of said user.

22. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein said touch data further comprises an identification of each touch screen dialog box in use.

23. The computer program product of claim 22, wherein said touch data further comprises an identification of a particular touch screen control to which each user touch relates.

24. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein said selected playback modes comprise displaying concurrently as a composite all of said graphic display elements corresponding to said test session of one or more users of a selected touch screen dialog box.

25. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein said selected playback modes comprise displaying concurrently as a composite first selected graphic display elements corresponding to said test session of said user of said touch screen dialog box, said first selected graphic display elements corresponding to user touches occurring offset in time from a beginning of said test session.

26. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein said selected playback modes comprise displaying in a first time sequence said graphic display elements corresponding to said test session of said user of said touch screen dialog box, said first time sequence corresponding to a realtime sequence said touch data corresponding to said graphic display elements was acquired in said test session.

27. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein said selected playback modes comprise displaying in a second time sequence said graphic display elements corresponding to said test session of said user of said touch screen dialog box, said second time sequence corresponding to a fixed time sequence.

28. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein said selected playback modes comprise displaying in a third time sequence said graphic display elements corresponding to said test session of said user of said touch screen dialog box, said third time sequence corresponding to a time sequence determined by manual occurring input commands.

29. The computer program product of claim 26, wherein said graphic display elements correspond to user touches which occur in a specific area of said touch screen dialog box.

30. The computer program product of claim 26, wherein displaying a present graphic display element erases a previous graphic display element.

31. The computer program product of claim 26, wherein displaying a present graphic display element retains a previous graphic display element.

32. The computer program product of claim 26, wherein a graphic display element is modified in response to a position of a previous graphic display element.

33. A data processing system comprising:

a central processing unit (CPU);

random access memory (RAM);

read only memory (ROM);

a display adapter;

an I/O adapter; and

a bus system coupling said CPU to said ROM, said RAM and said display adapter, wherein said CPU further comprises;

a data acquisition circuit, said data acquisition circuit acquiring, over a test session, touch data corresponding to user touches of touch screen controls for an application program, said touch screen controls disposed in a dialog box of said touch screen, said touch screen coupled to said display adapter;

a storage circuit operable to store said touch data in said RAM or a storage unit coupled to said I/O adapter;

an analysis circuit, said analysis circuit generating graphic display elements corresponding to said touch data ; and

a display circuit operable to display said graphic display elements on said touch screen or another display system coupled to said display adapter, said display of graphic display elements using selected playback modes, wherein said touch data comprises touch coordinates of said user touches relative to said touch screen dialog box, and a relative time said user touch was made and an identification of said user in said test session.

34. The data processing system of claim 33, wherein each of said graphic display elements are displayed overlaid on a graphical representation of said touch screen controls and said touch screen dialog box.

35. The data processing system of claim 33, wherein display coordinates of said graphic display elements have a one to one correspondence to said touch coordinates of said user touches.

36. The data processing system of claim 33, wherein said touch data further comprises an identification of said user of said touch screen.

37. The data processing system of claim 36, wherein said touch data further comprises a time said touch screen dialog box obtains a focus of said user.

38. The data processing system of claim 37, wherein said touch data further comprises an identification of each touch screen dialog box in use.

39. The data processing system of claim 38, wherein said touch data further comprises an identification of a particular touch screen control to which each user touch relates.

40. The data processing system of claim 33, wherein said selected playback modes comprise displaying concurrently as a composite all of said graphic display elements corresponding to said test session of one or more users of a selected touch screen dialog box.

41. The data processing system of claim 33, wherein said selected playback modes comprise displaying concurrently as a composite first selected graphic display elements corresponding to said test session of said user of said touch screen dialog box, said first selected graphic display elements corresponding to user touches occurring offset in time from a beginning of said test session.

42. The data processing system of claim 33, wherein said selected playback modes comprise displaying in a first time sequence said graphic display elements corresponding to said test session of said user of said touch screen dialog box, said first time sequence corresponding to a realtime sequence said touch data corresponding to said graphic display elements was acquired in said test session.

43. The data processing system of claim 33, wherein said selected playback modes comprise displaying in a second time sequence said graphic display elements corresponding to said test session of said user of said touch screen dialog box, said second time sequence corresponding to a fixed time sequence.

44. The data processing system of claim 33, wherein said selected playback modes comprise displaying in a third time sequence said graphic display elements corresponding to said test session of said user of said touch screen dialog box, said third time sequence corresponding to a time sequence determined by manual occurring input commands.

45. The data processing system of claim 42, wherein said graphic display elements correspond to user touches which occur in a specific area of said touch screen dialog box.

46. The data processing system of claim 42, wherein displaying a present graphic display element erases a previous graphic display element.

47. The data processing system of claim 42, wherein displaying a present graphic display element retains a previous graphic display element.

48. The data processing system of claim 42, wherein a graphic display element is modified in response to a position of a previous graphic display element.