Abstract

This publication describes a user equipment (UE), such as a smartphone, that offers a user a bimodal user interface (UI) having an input mode and an output mode. The user may use various techniques to instruct the UE whether the UI needs to be in input mode or in output mode. As described herein, input mode refers to a user experience in which the user instructs the UE what to do, such as perform a computation, write an email, make a call, draw a figure, take notes, and other user-initiated activities. The UI in input mode silences and hides some or all calls, texts, and notifications from an operating system (OS) and various application software, unless the user specifically requests them, such as by tapping on a specific UI element. In addition, the UI in input mode creates shortcuts to certain OS and application software elements. On the other hand, as described herein, output mode refers to a user experience in which the UE instructs or notifies the user on what to do or what happened and fundamentally involves the user receiving information from other users, the operating system (OS), or various application software. The UI in output mode may offer the user the option to read email, read news, read posts from various social networking sites, browse the internet, read a list of bank transactions, receive calls, messages, and notifications, and other activities that involves the user receiving and consuming information. The bimodal UI in input mode or in output mode can help the user regain control of their user experience with the UE and can help the user better-manage their amount of time in front of the UE’s screen display.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

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