Arranging Display of GUI Elements - A TRIZ Based Analysis

One of the biggest drawbacks of the graphical user interface is that it consumes the active display area associated with the device. Whether the display screen is a part of a television, computer, or any other consumer device, the graphical user interface appears on the active area of the display screen. As a result the GUI masks a part of the display screen and the amount of information that can be viewed on the screen is reduced. Ideally the GUI should offer all its features without blocking any part of the display screen. The features should be readily available and the user should not face any difficulty in searching them. Operating the GUI should require minimum amount of pointer movements. This article analyses nine inventions from the US patent database from a TRIZ perspective. The analysis tries to draw the Ideal Final Result and illustrates how each of these inventions solves the contradictions in order to achieve specific aspects of the Ideal Final Result.