Organizing graphical representations on computing devices

• US 8,464,180 B1
• Filed: 06/15/2012
• Issued: 06/11/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Kirkham, Stephen, Bilinski, Brandon
• Primary Examiner(s): SALOMON, PHENUEL S
• Application Number:
  US13/525,021
• Time in Patent Office: 361 Days
• Field of Search: 715/810, 715/765, 715/825
• US Class Current: 715/810
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72472 wherein the items are sorted according to specific criteria, e.g. frequency of use
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for identifying a current configuration of graphical representations displayed in a user interface presented by a computing device, each of the graphical representations being associated with a respective computer-executable application, determining at least one usage signal corresponding to each of the graphical representations, the usage signal reflecting user interaction with the respective associated computer-executable application, determining one or more success metrics indicative of an efficiency of the current configuration of graphical representations, generating, using an optimization technique, a modified configuration of graphical representations based on the usage signals and the one or more success metrics, and presenting, in the user interface, at least a portion of the modified configuration of graphical representations.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method executed using one or more processors, the method comprising:

identifying an initial configuration of graphical representations displayed in a user interface presented by a computing device, each of the graphical representations being associated with a respective computer-executable application from a plurality of computer-executable applications;

determining two or more usage signals corresponding to one or more of the graphical representations, the two or more usage signals reflecting user interaction with at least one respective computer-executable application from the plurality of computer-executable applications;

determining a first navigation rate of user input associated with the initial configuration of graphical representations;

determining, based on an aggregation of the two or more usage signals, a priority score attributed to each computer-executable application graphically represented in the user interface;

determining a priority order of the graphical representations according to the priority scores; and

modifying the priority order based on a second usage signal of the two or more usage signals;

generating a modified configuration of graphical representations based on the priority order such that a second navigation rate of user input associated with the modified configuration of graphical representations is reduced as compared to the first navigation rate of the user input associated with the initial configuration of graphical representations; and

presenting by the computing device, in the user interface, at least a portion of the modified configuration of graphical representations.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interface includes one or more screens, and wherein identifying the initial configuration of graphical representations comprises identifying spatial relationships between positions of the graphical representations on the one or more screens.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the two or more usage signals comprises recording, with the computing device, usage data describing the user interaction with the at least one respective computer-executable application.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein determining the two or more usage signals further comprises transmitting, from the computing device, the usage data to a server system.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the two or more usage signals comprises receiving the two or more usage signals at the computing device, from a server system.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the two or more usage signals comprises an aggregated usage signal based on usage data generated by multiple users.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the two or more usage signals are selected from the group consisting of:

frequency of use, interaction time, interaction frequency, navigation rate, and order of use.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one usage signal of the two or more usages signals comprises a weighted combination of two or more usage signals.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the first navigation rate comprises recording, with the computing device, usage data describing the user input associated with the initial configuration of graphical representations.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein generating further comprises generating the modified configuration of graphical representations such that a first interstitial time of the user input associated with the modified configuration of graphical representations is reduced as compared to a second interstitial time of the user interaction associated with the initial configuration of graphical representations.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein modifying the priority order further comprises modifying the priority order based on metadata associated with each computer-executable application.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the modified configuration of graphical representations comprises generating the modified configuration when at least the first navigation rate degrades below a predetermined threshold.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the modified configuration of graphical representations comprises generating the modified configuration in response to a user instruction.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the modified configuration of graphical representations comprises removing one or more graphical representations from the user interface.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising re-organizing the graphical representations in the user interface based on the modified configuration of graphical representations.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising prompting a user to accept the modified configuration of graphical representations.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the modified configuration of graphical representations comprises:

generating the modified configuration at predetermined time intervals;

monitoring a difference between the modified configuration and the initial configuration; and

implementing the modified configuration when the difference exceeds a predetermined threshold.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable medium coupled to one or more processors having instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

identifying an initial configuration of graphical representations displayed in a user interface presented by a computing device, each of the graphical representations being associated with a respective computer-executable application from a plurality of computer-executable applications;

determining two or more usage signals corresponding to one or more of the graphical representations, the two or more usage signals reflecting user interaction with at least one respective computer-executable application from the plurality of computer-executable applications;

determining a first navigation rate of user input associated with the initial configuration of graphical representations;

determining, based on an aggregation of the two or more usage signals, a priority score attributed to each computer-executable application graphically represented in the user interface;

determining a priority order of the graphical representations according to the priority scores; and

modifying the priority order based on a second usage signal of the two or more usage signals;

generating a modified configuration of the graphical representations based on the priority order such that a second navigation rate of user input associated with the modified configuration of graphical representations is reduced as compared to the first navigation rate of the user input with the initial configuration of graphical representations; and

presenting by the computing device, in the user interface, at least a portion of the modified configuration of graphical representations.

19. A computing device, comprising:

one or more processors; and

a non-transitory computer-readable medium coupled to the one or more processors and having instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising;

identifying an initial configuration of graphical representations displayed in a user interface of the computing device, each of the graphical representations being associated with a respective computer-executable application from a plurality of computer-executable applications;

determining two or more usage signals corresponding to one or more of the graphical representations, the two or more usage signals reflecting user interaction with at least one respective computer-executable application from the plurality of computer-executable applications;

determining a first navigation rate of user input associated with the initial configuration of graphical representations;

determining, based on an aggregation the two or more usage signals, a priority score attributed to each computer-executable application graphically represented in the user interface;

determining a priority order of the graphical representations according to the priority scores; and

modifying the priority order based on a second usage signal of the two or more usage signals;

generating a modified configuration of graphical representations based on the priority order such that a second navigation rate of user input associated with the modified configuration of graphical representations is reduced as compared to the first navigation rate of the user input with the initial configuration of graphical representations; and

presenting, in the user interface, at least a portion of the modified configuration of graphical representations.