Systems and methods for remote control device based interaction with a graphical user interface

A method comprising:

• providing, by a user interface system and in a graphical user interface (“GUI”) view for display on a display screen, a high level menu that includes a plurality of high-level menu options;
• receiving, by the user interface system, user input provided by way of a directional pad (“D-pad”) of a remote control device to position a selector to select a first high-level menu option included in the plurality of high-level menu options;
• assigning, by the user interface system, an active status to the first high-level menu option in response to the selector being positioned to select the first high-level menu option;
• activating, by the user interface system in response to the assigning of the active status to the first high-level menu option, a first sub-menu associated with the first high-level menu option such that the first sub-menu becomes navigable by way of the D-pad of the remote control device, the first sub-menu comprising a plurality of sub-menu options;
• receiving, by the user interface system, additional user input provided by way of the D-pad to move the selector from the first high-level menu option having the active status into the first sub-menu;
• positioning, by the user interface system in response to the receiving of the additional user input, the selector to indicate a first sub-menu option included in the plurality of sub-menu options;
• providing, by the user interface system in response to the positioning of the selector to indicate the first sub-menu option, an additional set of sub-menu options that are hierarchical sub-menu options of the first sub-menu option, the additional set of sub-menu options arranged in a plurality of rows of sub-menu options, each row in the plurality of rows of sub-menu options comprising:
• a cover art image representative of at least one media program available by way of a media service, and
• a visual representation of information regarding previous playback of the at least one media program by the user;
• receiving, by the user interface system while the selector is positioned in the first sub-menu, user input provided by way of a button of the remote control device, the button being separate from the D-pad of the remote control device and designated as input to toggle the active status from the first high-level menu option having the active status to a second high-level menu option included in the plurality of high-level menu options;
• assigning, by the user interface system, the active status to the second high-level menu option in response to the receiving of the user input provided by way of the button designated as input to toggle the active status;
• and
• activating, by the user interface system in response to the assigning of the active status to the second high-level menu option, a second sub-menu that is associated with the second high-level menu option such that the second sub-menu becomes navigable by way of the D-pad of the remote control device, the activating comprising moving the selector from the first sub-menu to a position within the second sub-menu, the position within the second sub-menu determined based on a previous selector position within the second sub-menu when the second high-level menu option was previously assigned the active status.

A system comprising:

• at least one physical computing device that:
• provides a graphical user interface (“GUI”) view for display on a display screen, the GUI view including:
• a high-level menu of a plurality of high-level menu options respectively associated with a plurality of sub-menus,
• a first high-level menu option included in the plurality of high-level menu options assigned to have an active status,
• a first sub-menu included in the plurality of sub-menus and corresponding to the first high-level menu option, the first sub-menu comprising a plurality of sub-menu options,
• a selector positioned within the first sub-menu and configured to be moved within the first sub-menu by a user providing input by way of a directional pad (“D-pad”) of a remote control device when the first high-level menu option has the active status, the selector positioned to indicate a first sub-menu option included in the plurality of sub-menu options, and
• an additional set of sub-menu options that are hierarchical sub-menu options of the first sub-menu option, the additional set of sub-menu options arranged in a plurality of rows of sub-menu options, each row in the plurality of rows of sub-menu options comprising:
• a cover art image representative of at least one media program available by way of a media service, and
• a visual representation of information regarding previous playback of the at least one media program by the user;
• receives, while the first high-level menu option has the active status, user input provided by way of a button of the remote control device, the button being separate from the D-pad of the remote control device and designated as input to toggle the active status between the high-level menu options;
• toggles, in response to the receiving of the user input provided by way of the button designated as input to toggle the active status between the high-level menu options, the active status from the first high-level menu option to a second high-level menu option included in the plurality of high-level menu options;
• and
• updates, in response to the toggling of the active status, the GUI view by moving the selector from the first sub-menu to a position within a second sub-menu included in the plurality of sub-menus and corresponding to the second high-level menu option in the GUI view, the position within the second sub-menu determined based on a previous selector position within the second sub-menu when the second high-level menu option was previously assigned the active status, the selector configured to be moved within the second sub-menu by the user providing input by way of the D-pad of the remote control device when the second high-level menu option has the active status.