Handheld computing devices such as electronic book reader devices, smartphones, personal data assistants, personal media players, and tablet computers have begun to rival personal computers for versatility and functionality. Users of such devices are able to perform a multitude of functions such as checking email, browsing the internet, viewing videos, playing games, downloading applications, listening to music, and reading eBooks. Users find these devices handy for consuming media while commuting, travelling, or while just staying at home.
Many such devices have graphical user interfaces paired with touch screen input capability. A “home screen” or “start screen” of the device usually presents a collection of application icons. If a user desires to view media content, such as video or music content, the user launches the appropriate application and selects the content that he or she desires. To obtain new content, the user launches a web browser or a dedicated application for purchasing or discovering new content, and browses the selections available from various sources.
The detailed description is described with reference to the accompanying figures. In the figures, the left-most digit(s) of a reference number identifies the figure in which the reference number first appears. The same reference numbers in different figures indicate similar or identical items.
As noted above, conventional handheld computing devices have user interfaces (UI) that display start screens with application icons that are selectable to launch the associated applications. To select particular content—such as a particular electronic book, song, or video—the user launches the appropriate application and then selects the content that he or she desires.
Some examples herein describe a computing device, and a user interface (UI) for a computing device, that streamlines the process of accessing and obtaining media content. A home screen of the UI displays a list of media content items that are available to the device. The media content items may be audio files, video files, electronic books, web content, and so forth. Some of the media content items may also be an aggregate of other media content items, such as a playlist of songs, an album, or a television series. The media content items may be stored on the device or available to the device via a network connection. The list may include other things such as applications, widgets, profile information, and so forth. The UI presents the list in an order that is determined based on a prediction of how likely a user of the device is to select the individual media content items.
In embodiments, “recency” data may be used to predict how likely a user is to select content. Recency data may include a most recent access time, a most recent purchase time, a most recent download time, or other time-based data. Media content items with more recent accesses, purchases, downloads, etc. may be ordered nearer to the top of the list than are media content items with less recent accesses, purchases, downloads, etc. Predictions may also be made based on the recent availability of a media content item, even if the media content item is not available. In one example, a newly available television episode may be listed high in the list based on prior viewing of other episodes in the same television series, even if the newly available television episode has not been previously downloaded, accessed, or purchased.
In embodiments, only a portion of the list is viewable at any particular time, and the portion of the home or start screen that displays the list may be interactive to enable the user to browse the list and cause other portions of the list to be viewable. The UI may also present recommendations, related content, or other information to the user on the start screen based on the particular media content item that has user interface focus. For example, the UI may display links to related works or links to information about a work that has current user interface focus.
By including a list of media content items ordered based on a likelihood of user selection, the UI start screen makes it easier for the user to immediately select or discover desired content. Because multiple types of media content items are presented in an ordered list, the user does not need to open an application to view videos, and another application to read an electronic book. Rather, the user can immediately browse all of his or her media content items and choose the desired one directly from the start screen.
The present description uses the words “start screen” and “home screen” to describe a primary or default screen shown to users via a UI. In various embodiments, the home screen is the screen displayed after the user presses a “home” button or selects an analogous touch screen feature or after the device is powered on or woken up from a low-power state, either immediately after power-on or wake up or after an initial unlock screen(s) and/or start-up screen(s). A home screen may be the first screen in the UI hierarchy that allows the user to launch applications or content, and is typically the screen from which substantially all other functions are accessible, either directly or indirectly, without having to “back out” to a previous screen in the UI hierarchy.
The techniques and systems described herein may be implemented in a number of ways. Example implementations are provided below with reference to the following figures.
Illustrative Computing device
In various embodiments, the media content items 108 include one or more electronic books, videos (such as television episodes, movies, music videos, news segments, and others), blog content, web content, periodicals such as electronic versions of newspapers and magazines, and audio files (such as music files, audio book segments, and podcasts). In addition, the user interface module 102 is configured to display aggregated media content items 112 such as music albums, audio books, playlists, collections of television programs or television series, periodical subscriptions, aggregates of frequently accessed web or blog content, a most recently played songs list, and others. The user interface module 102 is configured to display other items in the list such as advertisements, promotional offers, special offers, content recommendations, user profile information/links, third party widgets, system settings/links, and so forth.
In embodiments, the user interface module 102 may display the list as a text listing of the content, including for example name and/or artist. In embodiments, the user interface module 102 may display the list as a series of graphic tiles 114 that are selectable to launch an appropriate one of the applications 110 to view, listen, or otherwise consume the corresponding one of the media content items 108. In embodiments, the graphic tiles 114 include “cover art” for the media content items 108. In embodiments, where one or more applications 110 are listed in the list, the graphic tiles 114 may resemble application icons. In embodiments where blog and/or web content are displayed in the list, the graphic tiles 114 may include website or blog logos and may include content taken from the blog or website. The graphic tiles 114 include, in various embodiments, the front page or cover of one or more periodicals. Where the list includes an aggregation of media content items, the graphical tiles 114 may include a graphical tile mosaic with two or more graphical tiles corresponding to some or all of the aggregated media content items may be displayed to represent two or more of the aggregated media content items.
The user interface module 102 is configured to accept user input from user input device(s) 116. In embodiments, the user input device(s) 116 may include a touch screen that overlays or is integrated with the display 106. The user input device(s) may include other types of input devices such as pointer devices, buttons, audio input devices, keyboards, and so forth. A user may use the input device(s) to tap on or otherwise select a graphical tile displayed within the list to download, purchase, access, and/or launch the content or underlying application associated with the tapped graphical tile.
As noted above, the user interface module 102 is configured in various embodiments to display only a portion of the list of the media content items 108 that are available to the computing device 100. In these embodiments, the user interface module 102 is configured to enable the portion of the home screen that includes the list to be interactive to cause display of additional ones of the plurality of media content items 108. A user may swipe through the list using a touch screen display or interact with the list using some other user input device type. The UI 104 may scroll through the list using animation such as by showing a sliding view of the available content. In embodiments, the list may be presented as a “carousel” that rotates either to the left or to the right (or up or down) depending on the received user input. The “carousel” may be looped, such that scrolling through the list of content media items to the end of the list results in a return to the beginning of the list. In embodiments, the “carousel” is not looped, such that scrolling to the end of the list does not result in a return to the beginning of the list.
A prediction module 118 is configured to determine an order of the list as it is presented by the user interface module 102. The prediction module 118 determines the order based at least on a prediction of a likelihood that the media content items 108 will be selected, such as by a user. The prediction module 118 is configured, in embodiments, to predict the likelihood of user interaction based on history data 120 associated with the individual ones of the media content items 108 and applications 110. The history data 120 may include, among other things, recency data associated with the times of most recent download, access, and/or purchase of the various media content items 108 and applications 110. Recency data may be used to determine the order that the media content items 108 and the applications 110 appear in the list. In embodiments, the more recently an item has been downloaded, accessed, or purchased, the closer the item is to the top of the display order. In embodiments, the most recent of the purchase, download, or access of a particular item is used to determine its place in the display order.
In embodiments, the prediction module 118 compares absolute times to determine the display order; in other embodiments, durations since the most recent access, download, or purchase are used by the prediction module 118 to determine the display order. In embodiments, the history data 120 may include an aggregate recency score or metric, such as an average of two or more of the purchase, download, and access times, or an average of the times elapsed since two or more of the purchase, download, and access times. In embodiments, an aggregate recency score or metric may apply various weightings to the purchase, download, and access times. Other recency data may also be used, such as time of nth access, download, and/or purchase.
In one example, an electronic book was purchased three months ago and downloaded 45 minutes ago. A movie was purchased 80 minutes ago and downloaded 10 minutes ago. Meanwhile, web content was viewed 30 minutes ago. In this example, the prediction module 118 predicts that the user will be most likely to select the movie (downloaded 10 minutes ago), second most likely to select web content (accessed 30 minutes ago), and third most likely to select the electronic book (downloaded 45 minutes ago). In this example, the prediction module 118 causes the user interface module 102 to display the list of media content items 108 with the movie higher in the list than the web content, which is itself higher in the list than the electronic book.
In embodiments, the prediction module 118 uses recency data to predict how likely an aggregated media content item is to be selected. In one example, the prediction module 118 may use the most recent time that that an audio file or a video file was placed into an active play queue in order to predict how likely the “now playing” aggregated media content item is to be selected.
In embodiments, other factors besides recency data are used to determine the order. In embodiments, the prediction module 118 predicts that there is relatively high likelihood that content available to the computing device 100 (but not previously purchased, downloaded, or accessed on the computing device 100) will be selected based on the previous purchases, downloads, or accesses of related content. In one example, if a user has previously accessed periodical content, the prediction module 118 may predict that the user is relatively likely to select a newly available issue from the same periodical. This may occur, for example, where the user subscribes to the periodical content and the newly available issue is therefore available to the computing device 100 without additional purchase due to the subscription. In another example, where a user has previously downloaded or accessed television episodes, the prediction module 118 may predict that the user is relatively likely to select a newly available television episode that comes from the same television series as do the previously viewed episodes. Based on the user's history in previously accessing the related content, the prediction module 118 may place the newly available content higher or lower in the list. In one example, the prediction module 118 may determine that a user is more likely to view a first newly available television episode if the user has previously viewed 20 episodes of the corresponding television series, and less likely to view a second newly available television episode of a different series if the user has viewed only two previous episodes of the other series. In this example, the prediction module 118 may order the list such that the first television episode is closer to the top of the list than is the second television episode.
In still further embodiments, the prediction module 118 predicts the likelihood of selection based on previous user selection of similar media content items, or based on time-of-day, day-of-week, time-of-month, location data, or other data within history data 120.
The user interface module 102 is also configured to display a second portion of the UI 104, different from the list of the media content items 108, on the home screen. In embodiments, the second portion may include application icons to launch one or more of the applications 110. The second portion may be a “ribbon” showing a group of icons. The list of application icons that are in the second portion may be configurable by the user, so that the user can select those applications that he or she wants to access from the home screen. For example, in a separate screen listing the applications 110, the icons for each application can be selected (such as with a tap-and-hold user input) to place the applications in the bottom ribbon portion. In embodiments, one or more of the application icons in the second portion may be based on recency data, such that the most recently accessed applications have icons in the second portion. In embodiments, recently accessed documents (such as spreadsheets, word processing documents, text documents, or portable document format (PDF) documents) may be shown in the second portion.
The one or more icons in the second portion may be included on one or more “shelves” that are viewable on the home screen. One or more shelves may be available “off screen” thus requiring user input, such as a swipe on a touch screen, to cause the additional shelves to become viewable on the home screen. In embodiments, one or more of the icons in the second portion of the UI 104 may be determined based on a particular media content item in the list that has current user interface focus. A focus module 122 may determine which media content item has focus. Focus may be determined based on the user input to select the media content item (such as by tapping or clicking on it). Focus may be determined by user input to scroll through the list thereby causing some item in the list to be given UI focus. Based on the item in the list with UI focus, the focus module 122 may cause the user interface module 102 to display associated information 124 that corresponds to the item with user interface focus. The corresponding associated information 124 may be displayed in the form of icons 126 within the second portion of the home screen.
The associated information 124 includes, in embodiments, links to purchase or download recommendations such as content that is similar to the item with focus or selections of media content items that have been purchased or downloaded by other users (using for example other devices) who have also purchased, downloaded, and/or accessed the item with focus. The associated information 124 includes, in embodiments, links to related content available to the computing device 100 (i.e., content that is similar to the item with focus and that is already available without making further purchase; this may include content that has already been purchased or downloaded, and it may include content that is available to the user for free such as through an existing subscription). The associated information 124 may include links to artist or media information stored on the computing device 100. The associated information may include links to artist or media information available to the computing device 100 via a network connection, such as via the internet. The icons displayed in the second portion may include graphics that identify the source of the artist or media information (such as the website where the content resides.) The associated information 124 includes links to other issues of periodicals, other episodes of television series, other content by the same artist, and so forth. The associated information 124 includes links to content already stored or otherwise available to computing device 100, and other links that are selectable to purchase content not currently available to computing device 100.
The associated information 124 may include links to “extras” such as “behind the scenes” videos, text descriptions of the content and/or artist, photos related to the media item with focus, or other content related to the media content item with focus. When a playlist item has UI focus, an icon associated with a currently playing audio or video file may be displayed in the second portion. In embodiments, the associated information 124 includes links to application details when an application has UI focus.
In embodiments, when the item in the list with UI focus is an aggregated web content item, the focus module 122 causes the user interface module 102 to display links to recently viewed web pages. The icons shown in the second portion of the home page may include web page logos or a thumbnail of the most recently viewed web content, or dynamically generated to show the current web content (such as the content of a home page of the website linked to).
The icons used may be generic icons (such as “artist information icons” or “currently playing song”). In other embodiments, the icons may be based on cover art, or be branded logos representing the source the information. The icons may also include, either within the logo itself or placed near it, text information that provides additional information about the link associated with the icon. In some examples, the text may state “website” to indicate that the icon is a link to a website, or “movie info” to indicate that the icon is a link to information about a movie that has current UI focus in the list.
The user interface module 102 is configured to display links to content libraries on the home screen. For example, there may be links to a video library including links to the videos available to the computing device 100, a music library including links to the music files available to the computing device 100, an electronic book library including links to the electronic books available to the computing device 100, a blog library including links to previously accessed blogs, a web library including links to previously accessed web pages, and so on. In addition, the user interface module 102 is configured to display a “store” link that enables a user of the device to search for and purchase content for consumption on the computing device 100.
As noted above, the media content items 108 are listed on the home screen using graphic tiles taken from the graphic tiles 114. In various embodiments, graphic tiles are displayed with dynamic content. The dynamic content may be displayed as part of a “badge” graphic that overlays a portion of the graphic tile, such as a graphic tile associated with an electronic book. The badge graphic may resemble a bookmark or other graphic. According to various embodiments, the dynamic content includes one or more of: a percent or number of pages of an electronic book previously read (i.e., accessed previously by the computing device 100), a percent or pages remaining to be read in an electronic book (i.e., not yet accessed by the computing device 100), the number of highlights or notes made to the copy of an electronic book on the computing device 100, a personal rating given the media content item by a user of the computing device 100, a most recently accessed portion of the media content item on the computing device 100, (such a name or number of a current chapter or page of an electronic book (e.g., the chapter or page that was most recently accessed)), a synopsis of the media content item, an artist name, character names associated with the media content item (such as in an electronic book, movie, television program, or audio book), quotes from the media content item, song lyrics from a song, social media information associated with the media content item (such as a number of “likes” and/or mentions of the media content item in a social media context), social media discussion content related to the media content item, links to social media information associated with the media content item (such as links to a social media page for the media content item), portions of an electronic book commonly highlighted by other users, review content associated with the media content item, and an indication of a sales rank or bestseller status for the media content item. The dynamic badge content may include a download progression. The dynamic badge content may be animated or static. Other examples of dynamic content are possible without departing from the scope of the present application.
In embodiments, the user interface module 102 is configured to adjust the orientation of the home screen (and other screens) displayed on the display 106 based on an orientation of the computing device, such as may be determined by an accelerometer device on the computing device 100. The interactive list showing the media content items 108 and applications 110 available to the computing device 100 and/or the second portion showing application icons or links to associated information 124 may be adjusted to suit the particular orientation of the display (horizontal or vertical). In embodiments, the second portion of the home screen may not be visible on the home screen in an initial view in certain orientations, such as in a horizontal orientation.
In embodiments, computer-readable memory 128 may include volatile memory (such as RAM), nonvolatile memory, removable memory, and/or non-removable memory, implemented in any method or technology for storage of information, such as computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data. Also, the processor(s) 130 may include onboard memory in addition to or instead of the computer-readable memory 128. Some examples of storage media that may be included in the computer-readable memory 128 and/or processor(s) 130 include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), flash memory or other memory technology, compact disk (CD-ROM), digital versatile disks (DVD) or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium usable to store the desired information and that can be accessed by the computing device 100. Any such computer-readable media may be part of the computing device 100.
The computer-readable memory 128, meanwhile, may include software programs or other executable modules that may be executed by the processor(s) 130. Examples of such programs or modules include control modules (e.g., power management), network connection software, an operating system, sensor algorithms, and so forth. The computer-readable memory 128 may also be used to store various databases.
Various processes, instructions, methods and techniques described herein may be considered in the general context of computer-executable instructions, such as program modules, that are executable by one or more computers or other devices. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc. for performing particular tasks or implementing particular abstract data types. These program modules can be implemented as software modules that are executable on the processor(s) 130, as hardware, and/or as firmware. Typically, the functionality of the program modules may be combined or distributed as desired in various embodiments. An implementation of these modules and techniques may be stored on or transmitted across some form of computer-readable media.
The modules stored in computer-readable memory 128 may be implemented across one or more servers in a cloud computing environment, on a local device, or on a combination of both. The following discussion does not limit the implementation of the modules stored in computer-readable memory 128 to any particular device or environment.
A list portion 206 of the home screen 200 includes several overlapping graphic tiles 208. Graphic tile 208a is displayed front-and-center, and is displayed larger than the other graphic tiles 208b-e. In alternative embodiments, the graphic tiles 208b-e may be displayed the same or larger size than graphic tile 208a. The list portion 206 of the home screen 200 is interactive, as is described elsewhere within this Detailed Description, to allow the list of media content items to be browsed. In the example shown in
The graphic tiles 208 are selectable to launch the corresponding media content item and the associated application. Where graphic tiles 208 represent applications, selecting the graphic tiles launches the underlying application.
A ribbon portion 210 includes icons arranged in a row. A second ribbon portion 212 is shown below the ribbon portion 210, and is only partially visible. The home screen may be scrolled upwards, such as by swipe input, to fully display the second ribbon portion 212. Other ribbon portions may also be available beneath the second ribbon portion 212, and further scrolling of the home screen may make them visible.
In embodiments, one or more of these icons in the various ribbon portions are links to applications on the computing device. In other embodiments, the icons may be selected based on a particular one of the graphic tiles 208 that has user interface focus. In embodiments, the icon with focus may be displayed enlarged, or with a highlighted border, or with some other indication that it has focus. For example, the “front-and-center” graphic tile 208a as shown in
Home screen 214 of
A list portion 306 includes several non-overlapping graphic tiles 308a-d. The list portion 306 of the home screen 300 is interactive, as is described elsewhere within this Detailed Description, to allow the user to browse through the list of media content items. In the example shown in
The graphic tiles 308 are selectable to launch the corresponding media content item and the associated application usable to render or access the media content item. Where graphic tiles 308 represent applications, selecting the graphic tiles launches the underlying application.
A ribbon portion 310 includes icons arranged in a row. The home screen 300 may be scrolled upwards, such as by swipe input, to display other ribbon portions may also be available beneath the ribbon portion 310.
In embodiments, one or more of these icons in the various ribbon portions are links to applications on the computing device. In other embodiments, the icons may be selected based on a particular one of the graphic tiles 308 that has user interface focus. In embodiments, the icon with focus may be displayed as enlarged, or with a highlighted border, or with some other indication that it has focus. For example, the left-most graphic tile 308a as shown in
Home screen 312 of
Icons 406 are selectable to launch the application and/or media content item associated with the icon. For example, if the library screen 400 is a “book” library, the icons may display the cover art for the electronic books available to the computing device, and selecting the icons via the user interface opens the electronic books. Where the library screen 400 is an application library, the icons 406 are application icons that are selectable to launch the underlying applications.
The preceding figures illustrated various user interface screens, icons, and graphic tiles. But other user interface screens, icons, and graphic tiles—and other arrangements of user interface screens, icons, and graphic tiles, may be used according to various embodiments to achieve the same or similar results.
Illustrative Process for Displaying Content with Likelihood Prediction
At 602, a display order of a plurality of media content items available to a computing device is determined. The display order is based on a prediction by a prediction module, such as prediction module 118, of how likely individual ones of the plurality of media content items are to be selected. In one example, a prediction for a music file, or an active play queue, is based on how recently the music file or another music file has been added to the active play queue. In embodiments, predictions are based on recency data associated with the individual ones of the plurality of media content items as is described elsewhere within this Detailed Description. In embodiments, predictions are based on other data besides recency data.
At 604, a user interface module, such as user interface module 102, displays an interactive list of the plurality of media content items in a home screen of the UI based on the determined display order. In embodiments, the interactive list includes a sliding window that determines a portion of the interactive list that is viewable on a display of the computing device at a particular time.
At 606, instructions related to user input are received to display a different portion of the interactive list. In embodiments, the viewable items in the interactive list are encompassed by a sliding window, and the sliding window moves along the interactive list to a different location based on the user input. At this point, different media content items are encompassed by the sliding window, thereby causing those different media content items to be displayed in the home screen.
At 608, a focus module, such as focus module 122, determines a particular one of the media content items that has current UI focus. UI focus may be determined based on user selection of the item in the interactive list. Alternatively, or in addition to, UI focus may be determined based on the user input to view other portions of the interactive list, thereby causing a particular media content item to receive UI focus.
At 610, the focus module causes the user interface module to display additional content that is relevant to the particular one of the plurality of media content items that has UI focus. The additional content includes, in various embodiments, links to recommendations, extras, media and/or artist information, related content, and so forth as described elsewhere within this Detailed Description.
The aforementioned techniques include a set of illustrative techniques for display of content on a home screen based on the likelihood of user selection. However other known techniques may be employed to accomplish similar results.
Although the subject matter has been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described. Rather, the specific features and acts are disclosed as illustrative forms of implementing the claims.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/539,940, filed Sep. 27, 2011, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein for all purposes.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61539940 | Sep 2011 | US |