UI Remix: Supporting UI Design Through Interactive Example Retrieval and Remixing

TL;DR

UI Remix is an interactive system that leverages multimodal retrieval-augmented generation to assist end users in designing mobile UIs through iterative example search, adaptation, and source transparency cues, improving trust and design outcomes.

Contribution

The paper introduces UI Remix, a novel interactive system that combines multimodal retrieval-augmented generation with transparency cues to support end-user UI design through an example-driven workflow.

Findings

UI Remix significantly improved users' ability to meet design goals.

Participants felt more confident due to transparency cues.

The system facilitated effective iteration and exploration.

Abstract

Designing user interfaces (UIs) is a critical step when launching products, building portfolios, or personalizing projects, yet end users without design expertise often struggle to articulate their intent and to trust design choices. Existing example-based tools either promote broad exploration, which can cause overwhelm and design drift, or require adapting a single example, risking design fixation. We present UI Remix, an interactive system that supports mobile UI design through an example-driven design workflow. Powered by a multimodal retrieval-augmented generation (MMRAG) model, UI Remix enables iterative search, selection, and adaptation of examples at both the global (whole interface) and local (component) level. To foster trust, it presents source transparency cues such as ratings, download counts, and developer information. In an empirical study with 24 end users, UI Remix significantly improved participants' ability to achieve their design goals, facilitated effective iteration, and encouraged exploration of alternative designs. Participants also reported that source transparency cues enhanced their confidence in adapting examples. Our findings suggest new directions for AI-assisted, example-driven systems that empower end users to design with greater control, trust, and openness to exploration.