Organizing graphical representations on computing devices

• US 8,701,042 B2
• Filed: 05/09/2013
• Issued: 04/15/2014
• 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:
  US13/890,584
• Publication Number:
  US 20130339901A1
• Time in Patent Office: 341 Days
• Field of Search: 715/765, 715/810, 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 digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041

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 a first navigation rate that reflects a measure of user selections received to access a particular one of the graphical representations in the initial configuration of graphical representations;

generating, using an optimization technique performed by the computing device, a modified configuration of graphical representations based on the determined first navigation rate, such that a second navigation rate that reflects a measure of user selections to access the particular one of the graphical representations in the modified configuration of graphical representations is reduced as compared to the first navigation rate that reflects the measure of user selections received to access the particular one of the graphical representations in 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, wherein;

the optimization technique includes (i) determining respective priority scores for particular computer-executable applications that are associated with respective graphical representations in the initial configuration of graphical representations, the respective priority scores reflecting first user interaction with respective ones of the particular computer-executable applications, (ii) determining a priority order of the respective graphical representations in the initial configuration of graphical representations according to the respective priority scores, and (iii) modifying the priority order based on second user interaction with the particular computer-executable applications, and

the measure of user selections identifies at least one of (i) a number of times that the computing device, responsive to user input, enters or exits particular ones of one or more folders in which at least some of the graphical representations are provided, and (ii) a number of screens that the computing device, responsive to user input, passes through to access the particular one of the graphical representations in the initial 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 each of the first and second user interactions is represented by a respective usage signal.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the respective usage signals are determined at least by recording, with the computing device, usage data that describes the first and second user interactions, respectively, with at least one of the applications from the plurality of computer-executable applications.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the respective usage signals are determined further by transmitting, from the computing device, the usage data to a server system.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the respective usage signals are determined at least by receiving the usage data at the computing device, as having been sent from a server system.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein at least one of the respective usage signals comprises an aggregated usage signal based on usage data generated by multiple users.

8. The method of claim 3, wherein each of the respective usage signals is selected from the group consisting of:

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

9. The method of claim 3, wherein each of the respective usage signals comprises a weighted combination of two or more usage signals.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the measure of user selections received to access the particular one of the graphical representations in the initial configuration indicates a quantity of screen swipes required to access the particular one of the graphical representations in the initial configuration of graphical representations.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising counting screen swipes received after displaying a home screen or a first display of at least a portion of the initial configuration of graphical representations in order to determine the quantity of screen swipes.

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

13. The method of claim 1, wherein a first interstitial time associated with the modified configuration of graphical representations is reduced as compared to a second interstitial time associated with the initial configuration of graphical representations, wherein the first and second interstitial times reflect a measure of one or more periods of time for which portions of the modified or initial configurations of graphical representations are displayed, respectively, between user selections in navigating to one or more graphical representations selected by the user.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising modifying the priority order based on metadata associated with one or more of the computer-executable applications.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising comparing the first navigation rate associated with the initial configuration of graphical representations with a threshold navigation rate, and

wherein the modified configuration of graphical representations is generated in response to determining that the first navigation rate does not satisfy the threshold navigation rate.

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

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

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

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

20. 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.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the first navigation rate further reflects an interstitial time that the user spends on one or more displays provided between the user selections received to access the one or more of the graphical representations.

22. 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 a first navigation rate that reflects a measure of user selections received to access a particular one of the graphical representations in the initial configuration of graphical representations;

generating, using an optimization technique performed by the computing device, a modified configuration of graphical representations based on the determined first navigation rate, such that a second navigation rate that reflects a measure of user selections to access the particular one of the graphical representations in the modified configuration of graphical representations is reduced as compared to the first navigation rate that reflects the measure of user selections received to access the particular one of the graphical representations in 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, wherein;

the optimization technique includes (i) determining respective priority scores for particular computer-executable applications that are associated with respective graphical representations in the initial configuration of graphical representations, the respective priority scores reflecting first user interaction with respective ones of the particular computer-executable applications, (ii) determining a priority order of the respective graphical representations in the initial configuration of graphical representations according to the respective priority scores, and (iii) modifying the priority order based on second user interaction with the particular computer-executable applications, and

the measure of user selections identifies at least one of (i) a number of times that the computing device, responsive to user input, enters or exits particular ones of one or more folders in which at least some of the graphical representations are provided, and (ii) a number of screens that the computing device, responsive to user input, passes through to access the particular one of the graphical representations in the initial configuration of graphical representations.

23. The computer-readable medium of claim 22, each of the first and second user interactions is represented by a respective usage signal.

24. 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 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 a first navigation rate that reflects a measure of user selections received to access a particular one of the graphical representations in the initial configuration of graphical representations;

generating, using an optimization technique performed by the computing device, a modified configuration of graphical representations based on the determined first navigation rate, such that a second navigation rate that reflects a measure of user selections to access the particular one of the graphical representations in the modified configuration of graphical representations is reduced as compared to the first navigation rate that reflects the measure of user selections received to access the particular one of the graphical representations in 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, wherein;

the optimization technique includes (i) determining respective priority scores for particular computer-executable applications that are associated with respective graphical representations in the initial configuration of graphical representations, the respective priority scores reflecting first user interaction with respective ones of the particular computer-executable applications, (ii) determining a priority order of the respective graphical representations in the initial configuration of graphical representations according to the respective priority scores, and (iii) modifying the priority order based on second user interaction with the particular computer-executable applications, and

the measure of user selections identifies at least one of (i) a number of times that the computing device, responsive to user input, enters or exits particular ones of one or more folders in which at least some of the graphical representations are provided, and (ii) a number of screens that the computing device, responsive to user input, passes through to access the particular one of the graphical representations in the initial configuration of graphical representations.