Mobile design patterns

Abstract

A mobile design pattern. In an example embodiment, the design pattern includes a first user interface display screen that depicts a list of user interface controls organized in rows. Each row in the list includes a different set of one or more controls. Each different set of one or more controls is associated with a different set of functionality provided by one or more additional user interface display screens. The example design pattern further includes a second user interface display screen that is accessible via the different sets of one or more controls. The second user interface display screen includes a navigation bar, which includes one or more navigation controls and a title or header identifying a set of functionality associated with the different set of one or more controls. The second user interface display screen further includes an information-display region adapted to display data associated with the set of functionality.

Description

CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application is a continuation-in-part of the following application, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12 / 792,571, entitled SEARCH-SORT TOGGLE, filed on Jun. 2, 2010, which is hereby incorporated by reference, as if it is set forth in full in this specification.BACKGROUND[0002]The present application relates to software development and more specifically to systems, methods, and patterns for facilitating designing software applications for use in mobile computing environments.[0003]Software design methods for developing applications for mobile computing applications are faced with several challenges due in part to limited screen space for displaying user interfaces and limited computing resources, including memory, processor speeds, and network bandwidth limitations.[0004]Limited screen space is a particularly limiting requirement for mobile software applications. Furthermore, mobile computing applications often run on mobile communica...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0013]Certain embodiments disclosed herein may facilitate rapid design of mobile computing applications that work well on various mobile platforms, including iPhone®, BlackBerry®, Symbian™, Android™, and Windows Mobile® devices. Mobile design patterns (also called templates) disclosed herein adhere to various principles for facilitating usability and efficiency in mobile computing applications. Some of the design principles may include, but are not limited to: elimination of non-essential tasks, use of a flattened navigation model, usability in short spurts, efficient incorporation of business intelligence, access to simple searching and sorting, efficient access to collaboration mechanisms, minimization of screen real estate required to display relevant information and controls for accessing functionality, and suitability for browser or native implementation, such that applications may be browser-accessible or may run as native applications on a mobile device.

[0014]Certain embodiments disclosed herein may provide a comprehensive set of interworkable design patterns or templates and accompanying development software, which provide a framework for development of mobile computing applications. The framework facilitates conceptualization of solutions and designs, and is particularly useful for development of enterprise mobile applications and accompanying functionality. Various key areas of mobile software development are addressed, including page layout; example actions (e.g., search; navigation); personalization, and so on. Use of design patterns disclosed herein may facilitate increasing developer productivity and quality and may be particularly useful for developers using middleware to build mobile applications for enterprise applications, where the applications may run in a mobile browser or as native client-side applications.

Problems solved by technology

Software design methods for developing applications for mobile computing applications are faced with several challenges due in part to limited screen space for displaying user interfaces and limited computing resources, including memory, processor speeds, and network bandwidth limitations.

Limited screen space is a particularly limiting requirement for mobile software applications.

Furthermore, mobile computing applications often run on mobile communications devices, such as cellular telephones, which often subject the user to multiple frequent distractions, including distractions from calls, text messages, changes in physical environment, and so on.

Mobile enterprise computing applications are particularly demanding, as mobile enterprise application users often must maintain connectivity with multiple computing resources and applications available via a corporate network.

Design methodologies and accompanying solutions that are generally applicable to desktop computing environments are often incompatible with mobile computing environments.

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