Spatula: Exploring On-Demand In-Situ Interfaces and Interaction for Attribute Control
2026-07-11 • Human-Computer Interaction
Human-Computer InteractionArtificial IntelligenceGraphics
AI summaryⓘ
The authors developed Spatula, a system that helps users easily control and adjust parts of motion graphics while they create them. It automatically creates custom controls based on the animation's context, making it simpler to explore and fine-tune different settings. In a study with 12 users, the system was found to be intuitive and flexible for detailed adjustments. The authors also showed that Spatula's design works for other creative areas like web design and 3D modeling.
attribute controlmotion graphicsuser interface (UI)parameter adjustmentinteractive designanimation contextgenerative contentuser study3D modelingweb design
Authors
Boyu Li, Linjie Qiu, Lin-Ping Yuan, Duotun Wang, Yue Jiang, Zeyu Wang, Hongbo Fu
Abstract
Controlling attributes is a critical step toward achieving the final creative outcome, yet current approaches fall short in supporting users in the iterative refinement of generative content. We propose Spatula, a proof-of-concept system that generates on-demand, in-situ attribute control interfaces and interactions for creating motion graphics. Building on a technical probe that automatically analyzes animation context and generates corresponding attributes and UI, we frame attribute control as an explorable landscape and explore the attribute control space along four key dimensions: Discoverability, Resolution, Scope, and Expandability. Findings from a user study (N=12) show that our system provides intuitive and convenient interactions while supporting diverse needs for fine-grained parameter control. Furthermore, our applications demonstrate that the plug-and-play design generalizes to other domains, such as web design and 3D modeling.