Apple was awarded a patent today from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for a “variable device graphical user interface” that adjusts in response to motion.
The iOS interface, first filed for patent in 2007, uses built-in phone sensors to detect the motion of a user, differentiating between walking and running as well as screen angle, modifying the GUI to eliminate swiping errors while the user is on the go.
The dynamic UI changes might include enlarging UI elements and touch points to make them easier to hit. The patent also describes a “fisheye” effect mapping out display elements by focusing on important ones and minimizing others. The device would also have the capacity to learn and store the user’s motion and touch characteristics to predictively remap the GUI.
The iPhone’s existing accelerometer and gyroscope would measure and interpret device movement, such as a bobbing motion for walking or an oscillating motion for running.
For more details on Apple’s predictive GUI patent for iOS, the full patent document is available here.
