Targeted control of fast prototyping through domain-specific interface

TL;DR

This paper introduces a domain-specific interface architecture that enhances the control of prototype models via natural language, bridging communication gaps between designers and modeling languages to improve precision and usability.

Contribution

It proposes a novel interface architecture and an automated domain specification algorithm to facilitate targeted control of prototypes through language, grounded in design principles.

Findings

The interface improves control accuracy in prototype modeling.

Human studies show increased usability and intuitiveness.

Machine evaluations confirm the system's effectiveness across domains.

Abstract

Industrial designers have long sought a natural and intuitive way to achieve the targeted control of prototype models -- using simple natural language instructions to configure and adjust the models seamlessly according to their intentions, without relying on complex modeling commands. While Large Language Models have shown promise in this area, their potential for controlling prototype models through language remains partially underutilized. This limitation stems from gaps between designers' languages and modeling languages, including mismatch in abstraction levels, fluctuation in semantic precision, and divergence in lexical scopes. To bridge these gaps, we propose an interface architecture that serves as a medium between the two languages. Grounded in design principles derived from a systematic investigation of fast prototyping practices, we devise the interface's operational mechanism and develop an algorithm for its automated domain specification. Both machine-based evaluations and human studies on fast prototyping across various product design domains demonstrate the interface's potential to function as an auxiliary module for Large Language Models, enabling precise and effective targeted control of prototype models.