As an emergent process, creativity relies on explorations via sampling and prototyping for problem construction. These activities compile knowledge, provide a context enveloping the solution, and answer questions. With Generative AI, practitioners can go beyond sampling existing media towards instantly generating and remixing new ones. We refer to this convergence as 'Protosampling'. Using existing literature we ground a definition for protosampling and operationalize it through Atelier, a canvas-like system that leverages a variety of generative image and video models for visual creation. Atelier: (1) blends the spaces for thinking and creation, where both references and generated assets co-exist in one space, (2) provides various encapsulated technical workflows that focus on the activity at hand, and (3) enables navigating emergence through interactive visualizations, smart search, and collections. Protosampling as a lens reframes creative work to emphasize the process itself and how seemingly disjointed thoughts can tightly interweave into a final solution.
We present Belidor, a text notation that describes the structure underlying user interfaces (UIs). Belidor’s relational model emphasizes how structures, such as the temporal order of text messages, cut across an interactive system’s conceptual model, user-facing presentation, and interactive behavior. We demonstrate Belidor’s expressive power with a gallery of examples spanning GUIs (eg. messaging, video editors), screen readers, and hardware devices. Belidor serves as an effective representation for structural analogies between user interfaces (eg. between calendars and video-editors). In contrast, prior work relied on visual UI representations and therefore prioritized visual style transfer. In three case studies, we show how Belidor can reveal analogies, help transfer ideas between user interfaces, and describe design patterns as analogies We discuss the implications of representing the structure of interactive systems for designers and developers, and envision how Belidor might support ``structural design moves'' for interface designers.
AI-powered companion chatbots (AICCs) such as Replika are increasingly popular, offering empathetic interactions, yet their psychosocial impacts remain unclear. We examined how engaging with AICCs shaped wellbeing and how users perceived these experiences. First, we conducted a large-scale quasi-experimental study of longitudinal Reddit data, applying stratified propensity score matching and Difference-in-Differences regression. Findings revealed mixed effects—greater grief expression and interpersonal focus, alongside increases in language about loneliness, depression, and suicidal ideation. Second, we complemented these results with 18 semi-structured interviews, which we thematically analyzed and contextualized using Knapp’s relationship development model. We identified trajectories of initiation, escalation, and bonding, wherein AICCs provided emotional validation and social rehearsal but also carried risks of over-reliance and withdrawal. Triangulating across methods, we offer design implications for AI companions that scaffold healthy boundaries, support mindful engagement, support disclosure without dependency, and surface relationship stages—maximizing psychosocial benefits while mitigating risks.
In the creative practice of text-to-image (TTI) generation, images are synthesized from textual prompts. By design, TTI models always yield an output, even if the prompt contains unknown terms. In this case, the model may generate default images: images that closely resemble each other across many unrelated prompts. Studying default images is valuable for designing better solutions for prompt engineering and TTI generation. We present the first investigation into default images on Midjourney. We describe an initial study in which we manually created input prompts triggering default images, and several ablation studies. Building on these, we conduct a computational analysis of over 750,000 images, revealing consistent default images across unrelated prompts. We also conduct an online user study investigating how default images may affect user satisfaction. Our work lays the foundation for understanding default images in TTI generation, highlighting their practical relevance as well as challenges and future research directions.
AI co-writing systems challenge long held ideals about agency and ownership in the creative process, thereby hindering widespread adoption. To address this, we investigate conceptions of agency and ownership in AI creative co-writing. Drawing on insights from a review of commercial systems, we developed three co-writing systems with similar functionality but differing interface metaphors: agentic, tool-like, and magical. Through interviews with creative writers (n=18), we explored the role of these metaphors in participants’ sense of control and authorship. Our analysis resulted in a taxonomy of agency and ownership subtypes and underscored how metaphorical framings afforded participants different conceptions of agency and ownership. We conclude with recommendations for the design of AI co-writing systems, emphasizing the role of metaphors in participants’ creative practice
Fact verification is a critical yet underexplored component of non-litigation legal practice. While existing research has examined automation in legal workflow and human-AI collaboration in high-stakes domains, little is known about how GenAI can support fact verification, a task that demands prudent judgment and strict accountability. To address this, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 18 lawyers to understand their current verification practices, attitudes toward GenAI adoption, and expectations for future systems. We found that while lawyers use GenAI for low-risk tasks like drafting and language optimization, concerns over accuracy, confidentiality, and liability are currently limiting its adoption for fact verification. These concerns translate into core design requirements for AI systems that are trustworthy and accountable. Based on these, we contribute design insights for human-AI collaboration in legal fact verification, emphasizing the development of auditable systems that balance efficiency with professional judgment and uphold ethical and legal accountability in high-stakes practice.
Interior design often struggles to capture the subtleties of client experiences, leaving gaps between what clients feel and what designers can act upon. We present AIDED, a designer–AI co-design workflow that integrates multimodal client data into generative AI (GAI) design processes. In a within-subjects study with twelve professional designers, we compared four modalities: baseline briefs, gaze heatmaps, questionnaires visualizations, and AI-predicted overlays. Results show that questionnaire data were trusted, creativity-enhancing, and satisfying; gaze heatmaps increased cognitive load; and AI-predicted overlays improved GAI communication but required natural language mediation to earn trust. Interviews confirmed that an authenticity–interpretability trade-off is central to balancing client voices with professional control. Our contributions are: (1) a system that incorporates experiential client signals into GAI design workflows, (2) empirical evidence of how different modalities affect design outcomes, and (3) implications for future AI tools that support human–data interaction in creative practice.