JP2006004054A - Electronic device user interface generation device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To generate and display a GUI suitable for a user.
When power of an electronic device is turned on as an opportunity to start questionnaire processing in step S1, it is determined whether or not to perform a GUI setting questionnaire in step S2. When conducting a GUI setting questionnaire (Yes), the process proceeds to step S3 and the questionnaire is analyzed. Next, the process proceeds to step S4, and the user category is determined based on the analysis result. In step S5, it is determined whether or not the determined GUI data for each user category is stored in the GUI forming database 11 shown in FIG. When the determination result in step S5 is stored (present), the GUI data is read from the GUI forming database 11, and in step S8, GUI display for each user is performed based on the read GUI data.
[Selection] Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a user interface generation technique for an electronic device, and more particularly to a graphic user interface (hereinafter referred to as “GUI”) generation technique.

In recent electronic devices, since various functions can be executed, the operation devices provided in the electronic devices have become complicated accordingly. For example, when the user of the electronic device is an elderly person, it is preferable that the operation is simpler than that of a general user. Therefore, in the operation device, a first surface for general users provided with general operation keys, and a second surface provided with operation keys formed so as to overlap the first surface and having a large character display for the elderly. Have been proposed (for example, see Patent Document 1).
JP-A-8-293940

  By the way, in the operation device of the electronic device, in the manufacturing stage, it is assumed that there are about two or three user layers, and the operation of the operation keys and the like adapted to the characteristics of these user layers is generalized. The device is formed in hardware. However, it is difficult to generalize the characteristics of users, and it is often the case that the strengths and weaknesses of the types of operation devices differ depending on the users or the usage period.

  An object of this invention is to provide the user interface production | generation technique of the electronic device which can be matched with various users.

  According to one aspect of the present invention, a user interface generation unit that generates a user interface based on user interface generation data for generating a user interface of an electronic device, a user characteristic acquisition unit that acquires user characteristics, A user interface generation of an electric device, comprising: a control unit that controls the user interface generation unit to generate a user interface based on user interface generation data related to the user characteristic acquired by the user characteristic acquisition unit An apparatus is provided. Since user interface generation data is generated based on user characteristics and a user interface is generated, a user interface customized for each user can be provided.

  An operation history acquisition unit that acquires the operation history of the electronic device, an operation history storage unit that stores the acquired operation history, and a user characteristic that determines the user characteristic based on the operation history stored in the operation history storage unit And a determination unit. Thereby, since a user interface is changed based on a user's operation history, a user interface customized according to a user's state can be provided.

  According to the user interface display technology of the present invention, it is possible to provide a user interface customized according to the characteristics of the user. When displaying the GUI, by not displaying an unnecessary GUI operation area, the GUI area can be used without being wasted. In addition, since the GUI display can be changed or updated as appropriate according to the user's preference and skill level, a GUI display more suitable for the skill and preference of the user can be performed.

  In recent electronic devices, there are an increasing number of operation devices configured with a GUI. Since the GUI has few hardware limitations, the degree of freedom of design is greater in terms of user interface generation than the hardware user interface. The user interface of the electronic device according to the present invention is an electronic device that can select a GUI according to the user (operator). The user characteristics are characteristics related to the operation of the electronic device, and include, for example, age and years of use experience. In some cases, it is preferable to change the GUI display according to age and skill level. In other words, it is a characteristic that can be distinguished according to individual differences of users such that the GUI is preferably changed.

  Hereinafter, a GUI generation apparatus for an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the embodiment according to the embodiment of the present invention, the GUI is described as an example, but the present invention can be similarly applied to hardware related to the operation of the device. FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a GUI generation apparatus for an electronic device according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the flow of GUI selection processing based on a questionnaire, which is one method for generating a user-specific GUI. FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram showing an image of GUI selection based on a questionnaire. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a simplified type of GUI to be generated.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the GUI generation apparatus for an electronic device according to the present embodiment includes a GUI formation database 11 for storing GUI generation data for forming various GUIs, a display monitor 13, and a GUI formation And a GUI screen generation unit 12 that generates a GUI screen on the display monitor 13 of the electronic device based on the GUI formation data acquired from the database 11. The functions indicated by reference numerals 15 to 17 are a user characteristic acquisition unit T that acquires a user characteristic having a function of acquiring a user characteristic (user characteristic) related to operation of the electronic device. Detailed functions of the user characteristic acquisition unit T will be described later. Although omitted in FIG. 1, the GUI screen display and the actual processing contents are associated with each other on a one-to-one basis, for example, and the processing contents are based on, for example, a program corresponding to an input from the GUI screen. A control unit (CPU) (not shown) is configured to perform actual processing.

  FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing including a questionnaire which is one method according to the present embodiment for acquiring user characteristics and generating GUI formation data according to the acquired user characteristics. As shown in FIG. 2, when the electronic device is turned on as an opportunity to start the questionnaire process in step S1, it is determined in step S2 whether or not to perform a GUI setting questionnaire. When the GUI setting questionnaire is not performed (No), a generally used general-purpose GUI display or the same display as the previous time is displayed on the display monitor (step S9). Alternatively, a default display may be displayed, and the default display may be manually changed.

  When performing a GUI setting questionnaire (Yes), it progresses to step S3 and a questionnaire is analyzed. Next, the process proceeds to step S4, and the user category is determined based on the analysis result. In step S5, it is determined whether or not the determined GUI data for each user category is stored in the GUI forming database 11 shown in FIG. If not stored (no), the process proceeds to step S6 to request GUI data (step S6), and the GUI data determined in step S4 is obtained from a recording medium such as a CD-ROM (step S7). When the determination result in step S5 is stored (Yes), the GUI data is read from the GUI forming database 11, and in step S8, the GUI display customized for each user is performed based on the read GUI data. .

  Through the above processing, user characteristics can be acquired, GUI data suitable for the user characteristics can be generated, and a customized GUI can be displayed based on the GUI data. Note that a storage medium such as a CD-ROM for acquiring the GUI data may be provided to the user in a state where the GUI data is bundled with the electronic device. Or you may enable it to acquire from a manufacturer's homepage etc. via the internet.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a GUI setting questionnaire in step S2 of FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, it is performed in a format in which the user answers a questionnaire from 0 to n (n is an integer of 1 or more). Examples of questionnaire contents include, for example, personality determination, usage history, frequency of use for various special operations such as fast forward and fast rewind, timer reservation, presence / absence of usage of so-called trick play such as frame advance and double speed playback, etc. Is mentioned. Answers related to these are the criteria for determining the skill level of the user and the usage status of the electronic device. Based on these determination criteria, the user is classified into a plurality of categories, and GUI display suitable for the categories is performed.

  Based on the answer result of the questionnaire, the user category can be classified into A23-1 to N23-n (n is an integer of 2 or more). A GUI display 27 based on the GUI data of the selected category is made automatically from the classified categories or in consideration of the user's selection 25. The larger the number n of questionnaires, the more detailed grouping can be performed. However, since the procedure becomes complicated, it is necessary to appropriately narrow down n.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing a display example of a GUI displayed on the GUI display unit based on GUI data selected based on a questionnaire result. The GUI display 31 shown in FIG. 4A is displayed with solid lines 33a related to 1 and 4 and 7 among GUI displays related to functions 1 to 10, and 2, 3, 5, 6 shown by broken lines 33b. , 8 to 10 are not displayed on the GUI. Therefore, the user performs an operation with the three operation buttons. Similarly, a GUI display for doing so is performed by six operation buttons in FIG. 4B and nine operation buttons in FIG. 4C. In general, it can be said that a user with more operation buttons is a more specialized GUI for a specialized user. The skill level may be displayed on the GUI.

  In FIG. 4, for the sake of simplicity, the user is distinguished by narrowing down the function by the quantitative characteristic such as the number of operation buttons. However, the qualitative characteristics such as the size of characters, the presence / absence of a manual function, the presence / absence of animation display, It is possible to distinguish users according to various characteristics and to combine both quantitative and qualitative properties appropriately.

  Note that the display shown in FIG. 4 is described by taking the GUI display of the electronic device main body as an example, but it goes without saying that the display can be applied to the case where the operation on the remote controller for operating the electronic device main body is formed by the GUI, for example.

  As described above, the GUI generation apparatus according to the present embodiment can acquire GUI display data suitable for the user based on a questionnaire regarding GUI display, and can automatically provide the GUI based on the GUI display data. Therefore, a GUI display appropriate for the user can be performed. Therefore, since unnecessary GUI display can be omitted, the GUI display area of the electronic device can be used effectively, and it is also effective for power saving by not performing unnecessary display. In addition, assuming that different users use the electronic device, it is possible to store GUI data appropriate for each user in association with the user name.

  Next, a GUI generation technique according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The difference between the GUI generation technique according to the present embodiment and the technique according to the first embodiment will be described in detail. Accordingly, the description will be made with reference to FIG. 5 in addition to the drawings of FIGS. The GUI generation technique according to the present embodiment is characterized in that grouping based on user characteristics related to GUI display is performed based on user operations rather than questionnaires. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing including operation data acquisition processing, which is a method for generating GUI formation data according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 5, when the power of the electronic device is turned on for the first time after purchase or after reset processing as an opportunity to start processing in step S11, in step S12, the operation data of the user, for example, using a remote controller is obtained. Acquire (input device 14 and operation history acquisition unit 15 in FIG. 1). In step S13, the acquired operation data is stored and a history is generated (operation history storage unit 16 in FIG. 1). In step S14, based on the history of the operation data, it is determined which of the operation buttons of the remote controller is used and how often (user determination unit 17a in FIG. 1).

  That is, the level of the user's skill level or preference is determined. Based on these level determinations, it is determined in step S14 which of the groups categorized in advance (GUI change processing unit 17b in FIG. 1). In step S15, GUI display data is selected and saved. This GUI data is preferably stored, for example, in a relatively small memory capable of high-speed reading. Based on the GUI display data selected and stored in step S16, a customized GUI display is performed for the user, and the process ends. According to the GUI generation technique according to the present embodiment, since a suitable GUI display is performed based on a user operation, there is an advantage that the GUI display can be easily customized. It is also possible to consider the case where the user's skill is improved at a certain point in time, and to trigger the start of step S11 every certain period or based on the user's will.

  As described above, according to the GUI display technology according to each embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to provide a GUI customized in accordance with the characteristics of the user and to display the GUI area by not displaying an unnecessary GUI operation area. It can be used without wasting. In addition, since the GUI display can be changed or updated as appropriate according to the user's preference and skill level, a GUI display more suitable for the skill and preference of the user can be performed.

  In the GUI generation technique according to the present embodiment, the GUI display of the electronic device main body or the remote control has been described. However, in addition to this, the definition of the actual command for the operation buttons can be changed, or the electronic device can be customized. It can also be applied to change the specifications of the operation unit. For example, the present invention can be applied to a GUI displayed on the LCD display screen of a mobile phone. In the case of a mobile phone, GUI data suitable for the user can be acquired via the Internet. In addition, when a mobile phone is used as a remote controller for another electronic device, it is preferable because a GUI suitable for the user can be acquired.

  As an electronic device, it can be applied to various AV devices and information processing devices (PC), a remote control device for operating them, a portable terminal including a mobile phone and a PDA.

It is a functional block diagram which shows the example of 1 structure of the GUI production | generation apparatus of the electronic device by the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart figure which shows the flow of the GUI selection process based on the questionnaire which is one method at the time of producing | generating GUI according to a user. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the image of GUI selection based on a questionnaire. It is the figure which simplified and showed the kind of GUI produced | generated based on the process shown in FIG. It is a flowchart figure which shows the flow of a process including the operation data acquisition process which is a method for producing | generating the data for GUI formation by the 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Database for GUI formation, 12 ... GUI screen production | generation part, 13 ... Display monitor of an electronic device, 14 ... Input device, 15 ... Operation history acquisition part, 16 ... Operation history memory | storage part, 17a ... User determination part, 17b ... GUI Change processing unit, T ... user characteristic acquisition unit.

Claims (11)

A user interface generation unit that generates a user interface based on user interface generation data for generating a user interface of the electronic device;
A user characteristic acquisition unit for acquiring user characteristics;
A control unit that controls the user interface generation unit to generate a user interface based on user interface generation data related to the user characteristic acquired by the user characteristic acquisition unit; Generator.   A user property assigning unit that performs processing for assigning the acquired user property to any of the groups that are classified into a plurality of categories and highly related to the user property, and the user interface generation unit includes the user property 2. The user interface generation device for an electrical device according to claim 1, wherein a different user interface is generated for each category based on the category related to the acquired user characteristic allocated by the allocation unit. The user interface generation device according to claim 1 or 2,
An electronic device comprising: a display unit that displays a user interface.   An operating device for an electronic device comprising a display unit for operating the electronic device and displaying a user interface generated based on the user interface generating device according to claim 1.   An operation history acquisition unit that acquires the operation history of the electronic device, an operation history storage unit that stores the acquired operation history, and a user characteristic that determines the user characteristic based on the operation history stored in the operation history storage unit 5. The apparatus for generating a user interface of an electric device according to claim 1, further comprising: a determination unit.   5. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the user interface generation data is acquired from data stored in a storage medium bundled with the electronic device. 6.   5. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the user interface generation data is acquired from a homepage related to the electronic device via a network. 6. A method for acquiring user interface generation data for generating a user interface of an electronic device,
Conducting a user survey,
Analyzing the survey results,
Determining a user category for the operation based on the analysis result;
Providing a customized user interface display based on user interface generation data associated with the determined user category. A method for acquiring user interface generation data for generating a user interface of an electronic device,
Acquiring an operation history related to the user's operation;
Analyzing the operation history;
Determining a user category based on the analysis results;
Performing customized user interface display based on the determined user interface generation data for each user category.   A program for causing a computer to execute the steps according to claim 8 or 9.   The medium which recorded the user interface production | generation data of any one of Claim 1-10 linked | related with the user characteristic.

Images