Enhanced visual feedback of interactions with user interface

• US 20070136692A1
• Filed: 12/09/2005
• Published: 06/14/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Aitken, Kevin, Seymour, Eric
• Granted Patent: US 8,060,821 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/835
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04805 Virtual magnifying lens, i.e. window or frame movable on top of displayed information to enlarge it for better reading or selection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04812 Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

An item in a user interface is visually enhanced in response to an interaction with the item or in response to a request. In some implementations, the item (e.g., an icon, button, text, etc.) is visually enhanced and displayed in the user interface at a conspicuous location (e.g., the center of the user interface). Optionally, the user interface can be altered (e.g., darkened) to improve the visibility of the enhanced item. In some implementations, visual enhancement includes displaying enhanced feedback (e.g., text, data, graphical objects or images, etc.) associated with the item in a caption panel. The caption panel can display enhanced feedback associated with any items in the user interface and not just the item associated with a current user interaction. In some implementations, the user can interact with items (e.g., launch an application) from within an interaction panel.

Claims

1. A method of enhancing feedback in a user interface, comprising:

receiving a request to visually enhance an item in a user interface;

visually enhancing the item;

displaying the visually enhanced item in the user interface at a conspicuous location; and

adjusting the user interface to improve the visibility of the item.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting the user interface includes darkening the user interface.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the request is automatically generated in response to interactions with the user interface.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the interactions are associated with an application.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the request is generated from user input.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein visually enhancing the item includes changing one or more attributes associated with the item.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein changing one or more attributes includes magnifying the item.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the visually enhanced item in a conspicuous location includes displaying the item in the center of the user interface.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the visually enhanced item in a conspicuous location includes displaying the item in one or more panels.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the item includes at least one item from a group of items consisting of:

a graphical object, icon, button, text, a portion of the graphical user interface, an application launcher, a shortcut, a link, a directory, a folder and a file.

11. A method of enhancing visual feedback in a user interface, comprising:

providing a caption panel conspicuously displayed within a graphical user interface;

detecting an interaction event, the interaction event associated with an item within the graphical user interface; and

determining enhanced feedback for the caption panel, describing the interaction event.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein detecting an interaction event includes:

detecting an interaction event associated with an item on a desktop within the graphical user interface.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein detecting an interaction event includes:

detecting an interaction event associated with an item in an application window within the graphical user interface.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein providing the caption panel conspicuously displayed within a graphical user interface includes:

floating the caption panel over one or more items within the graphical user interface.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein providing the caption panel conspicuously displayed within a graphical user interface includes:

displaying the enhanced feedback for given interaction events in a common format.

16. The method of claim 11, further including:

determining an audio output, the audio output describing the interaction event; and

playing the audio output concurrently with display of the enhanced feedback.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the interaction event includes one or more of input or output of a text string, selection of an item, or a mouse-over for an item.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the item includes at least one item from a group of items consisting of:

a graphical object, icon, button, text, a portion of the graphical user interface, an application launcher, a shortcut, a link, a directory, a folder and a file.

19. A method of enhancing visual feedback in a user interface, comprising:

detecting interaction events, each interaction event associated with an item presented at a location within a graphical user interface; and

providing a panel within the graphical user interface to conspicuously display content associated with an item associated with the interaction event, the interaction panel displayed at a location that is different from the location associated with the item.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein detecting interaction events includes:

detecting interaction events associated with items on a desktop within the graphical user interface.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein detecting interaction events includes:

detecting interaction events associated with items in an application window within the graphical user interface.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the item includes at least one item from a group of items consisting of:

a graphical object, icon, button, text, a portion of the graphical user interface, an application launcher, a shortcut, a link, a directory, a folder and a file.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein providing the panel conspicuously displayed within the graphical user interface includes:

floating the panel over items within the graphical user interface.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein providing the panel conspicuously displayed within the graphical user interface includes magnifying the item.

25. The method of claim 19, wherein providing the panel conspicuously displayed within the graphical user interface includes emphasizing display of content in the panel while deemphasizing display of content outside of the panel.

26. The method of claim 19, further including:

tracking movements of a cursor at different locations within the graphical user interface, and upon receipt of input, displaying content associated with the interaction in the interaction panel.

27. A method of enhancing visual feedback in a user interface, comprising:

detecting interaction events, an interaction event being associated with one or more items presented at locations within a graphical user interface;

coincident with an interaction event, providing a common interaction space in the graphical user interface window to conspicuously display content associated with a given interaction, a location of the common interaction space being different from locations associated the items and interaction events; and

contrasting the graphical user interface to graphically emphasize items displayed within the common interaction space and graphically deemphasize content displayed outside of the common interaction space.

28. A method of enhancing visual feedback in a user interface, comprising:

detecting interaction events, an interaction event being a user interaction with a device that includes a graphical user interface and including a designated portion of the graphical user interface for receiving and responding to the interaction event; and

coincident with an interaction event, providing a common interaction space in the graphical user interface window to conspicuously display content associated with a given interaction, a location of the common interaction space being different from the designated portion of the graphical user interface associated with interaction event.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising:

contrasting the graphical user interface to graphically emphasize items displayed within the common interaction space and graphically deemphasize content displayed outside of the common interaction space.

30. The method of claim 28, further comprising:

converting text to speech as part of an interaction event; and

displaying the text in the common interaction space, in addition to, and, separate and apart from, display of text in a designated portion of the graphical user interface that conventionally displays the text.

31. A computer-readable medium including instructions, which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform the operations of:

receiving a request to visually enhance an item in a user interface;

visually enhancing the item; and

displaying the visually enhanced item in the user interface at a common interaction space.

32. A computer-readable medium including instructions, which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform the operations of:

receiving a request to visually enhance an item in a user interface;

visually enhancing the item;

displaying the visually enhanced item in the user interface at a conspicuous location; and

adjusting the user interface to improve the visibility of the item.

33. The computer-readable medium of claim 32, wherein adjusting the user interface includes darkening the user interface.

34. The computer-readable medium of claim 32, wherein the request is automatically generated in response to interactions with the user interface.

35. The computer-readable medium of claim 34, wherein the interactions are associated with an application.

36. The computer-readable medium of claim 32, wherein the request is generated from user input.

37. The computer-readable medium of claim 32, wherein visually enhancing the item includes changing one or more attributes associated with the item.

38. The computer-readable medium of claim 37, wherein changing one or more attributes includes magnifying the item.

39. The computer-readable medium of claim 32, wherein displaying the visually enhanced item in a conspicuous location includes displaying the item in the center of the user interface.

40. The computer-readable medium of claim 32, wherein displaying the visually enhanced item in a conspicuous location includes displaying the item in one or more panels.

41. The computer-readable medium of claim 40, wherein the item includes at least one item from a group of items consisting of:

a graphical object, icon, button, text, a portion of the graphical user interface, an application launcher, a shortcut, a link, a directory, a folder and a file.

42. A computer-readable medium including instructions, which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform the operations of:

providing a caption panel conspicuously displayed within a graphical user interface;

detecting an interaction event, the interaction event associated with an item within the graphical user interface; and

determining enhanced feedback for the caption panel, describing the interaction event.

43. A computer-readable medium including instructions, which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform the operations of:

detecting interaction events, each interaction event associated with an item presented at a location within a graphical user interface; and

providing a panel within the graphical user interface to conspicuously display content associated with an item associated with the interaction event, the interaction panel displayed at a location that is different from the location associated with the item.

44. A computer-readable medium including instructions, which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform the operations of:

detecting interaction events, an interaction event being associated with one or more items presented at locations within a graphical user interface;

coincident with an interaction event, providing a common interaction space in the graphical user interface window to conspicuously display content associated with a given interaction, a location of the common interaction space being different from locations associated the items and interaction events; and

contrasting the graphical user interface to graphically emphasize items displayed within the common interaction space and graphically deemphasize content displayed outside of the common interaction space.

45. A computer-readable medium including instructions, which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform the operations of:

detecting interaction events, an interaction event being a user interaction with a device that includes a graphical user interface and including a designated portion of the graphical user interface for receiving and responding to the interaction event; and

coincident with an interaction event, providing a common interaction space in the graphical user interface window to conspicuously display content associated with a given interaction, a location of the common interaction space being different from the designated portion of the graphical user interface associated with interaction event.

46. A computer-readable medium including instructions, which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform the operations of:

receiving a request to visually enhance an item in a user interface;

visually enhancing the item; and

displaying the visually enhanced item in the user interface at a common interaction space.