| 摘要 |
An intuitive scrolling feedback mechanism is provided to enable novice and infrequent computer users to understand and to utilize the scrolling functionality offered by a computing device. Scrolling feedback is provided by displaying a portion of a set of information in a display area. In addition, a control region is displayed, comprising one or more activable controls. These controls, when activated by a user via a user interface, cause a different portion of the set of information to be displayed in the display area. In addition, a status region is displayed, comprising a plurality of location indicators. A subset of the location indicators is displayed in a first manner (e.g. a darker color), while the remainder of the location indicators is displayed in a second and different manner (e.g. a lighter color). The subset of the indicators is determined based upon the portion of the set of information that is currently being displayed in the display region. In effect, the location indicators provide the user with an indication as to where the currently displayed portion is relative to the entire set of information. As the user scrolls forward in the set of information, more location indicators are "filled in" with the darker color. As the user scrolls backward, location indicators are "unfilled". At any time, the user can get a sense of how far into the set of information he has scrolled by simply viewing the status region. This "filling" and "unfilling" of the location indicators gives the user a very intuitive feel of the scrolling process.
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