Hidden Technical Debt in Generative (GenUI) and Malleable User Interfaces

TL;DR

This paper discusses the challenges and barriers in adopting generative user interfaces, emphasizing the need for new evaluation methods to measure their impact and facilitate practical use.

Contribution

It highlights technical debt issues in GenUI systems and proposes evaluation strategies to improve their adoption and effectiveness.

Findings

Identifies barriers like data format inflexibility and outdated security protocols.

Proposes new evaluation strategies for malleable software.

Emphasizes the importance of measuring user impact and usage patterns.

Abstract

Malleable software can profoundly change how users interact with digital content, enabling non-experts to create their own customized tools. However, the practical adoption of GenUI systems faces several barriers, which I unpack in this paper, including a lack of adaptable data formats, "old" security protocols, and gaps in users' cognitive and creative skills for building their own interfaces. I advocate new evaluation strategies and scientific methods to measure the impact of malleable software in user studies, document usage patterns, and ensure their practical adoption.