Research by Design Question
This is a selected reading list for decisions discussed in the guide. The collection includes experiments, interviews, frameworks, reviews and prototype reports. They answer different questions: a demonstration can suggest an interaction worth trying, while an experiment can estimate its effect under the conditions studied. Neither automatically establishes what will work in your application.
The practical recommendations in the guide are adaptations unless the callout says that the work was tested directly. Follow the linked discussion for methods, findings and limits. This index is not an exhaustive bibliography of the research collection.
Understanding and Evaluating Work​
| Paper | Evidence and useful question | Guide discussion |
|---|---|---|
| GTA: Groupware task analysis—modeling complexity, van der Veer et al., 1996 | Framework. How do people, responsibilities and artefacts fit together? | Understanding the Work |
| A cognitive dimensions questionnaire optimised for users, Blackwell & Green, 2000 | Method pilot. How can users describe the difficulties they encounter? Not a validated Harmonics scoring scale. | Testing with Users |
| Heuristic evaluation: comparing ways of finding and reporting usability problems, Hvannberg et al., 2007 | Experiment on a student portal. What changes when evaluators use different heuristics and reporting methods? Its effectiveness figures are study-specific. | Evaluation analytics |
| UX Curve, Kujala et al., 2011 | Retrospective method study with mobile-phone owners. What turning points do people remember in their experience? | Experience over time |
| Design tools in practice, Stolterman & Pierce, 2012 | Interviews with interaction designers. How do familiarity, identity and control influence tool choice? Does not establish causes of churn. | Tool identity and loyalty |
Learning, Control and Automation​
| Paper | Evidence and useful question | Guide discussion |
|---|---|---|
| Dips and ceilings, Scarr et al., 2011 | Models and experiments concerning transitions to more efficient methods. What is the cost of changing an established interaction? | Expertise curve, performance dips |
| Do It For Me vs. Do It With Me, Khurana et al., 2025 | Comparison of two assistant approaches in Sheets and Figma. What should be delegated, and where should guidance leave the user in control? Immediate learning perceptions do not establish retention. | AI in Design Software |
| The state of the art in end-user software engineering, Ko et al., 2011 | Research review. What testing and debugging support do people need when programming is a means to another goal? | Testing and Debugging User-Created Systems |
| Automatically generating personalized user interfaces with SUPPLE, Gajos et al., 2010 | System and user studies. How can controls accommodate different interaction abilities? Does not validate automatic DCC workspace rearrangement. | Accessibility |
Workspaces, Graphs and Visual Presentation​
| Paper | Evidence and useful question | Guide discussion |
|---|---|---|
| Usability principles and best practices for complex 3D tools, Lee et al., 2010 | Expert review and synthesis. Which principles help examine CAD workspaces, and where do they conflict? | Workspace |
| Toward characterizing the productivity benefits of very large displays, Czerwinski et al., 2003 | Preliminary office-task experiment. How does display area interact with window management? Not a modern DCC monitor benchmark. | Interruptions and displays |
| Graph drawing aesthetics in user-sketched graph layouts, Purchase et al., 2010 | Small-graph drawing study. Which layout choices do people make while constructing a graph? | Designing Node Graphs |
| The effectiveness of transient user interface components, Patterson & Costain, 2015 | Two studies in different settings. How do visible controls and immersion interact with familiarity? | Progressive Disclosure |
| What is beautiful is usable, Tractinsky et al., 2000 | ATM-like experiment. How are aesthetic and usability perceptions related? Ratings are distinct from task performance. | Visual appeal and performance |
| Tweeq, Hashimoto & Kato, 2025 | Production-grounded widgets and informal evaluation. How can compact controls offer precise and collective adjustments? | Direct Manipulation, Workspace |
Collaboration and Transfer​
| Paper | Evidence and useful question | Guide discussion |
|---|---|---|
| Mechanisms for collaboration, Yuill & Rogers, 2012 | Framework and case analysis. How should awareness, control and background information be supported or constrained? | Collaboration and Handoff |
Application switching is discussed with its study callout in Task Landscapes. Use Working Across Applications to examine editability, dependencies, transfer losses and reimport in your own pipeline.
Standards and Practical Verification​
Use WCAG 2.2 for relevant web accessibility requirements, alongside the applicable native platform guidance and testing with disabled users. See Accessibility in Creative Tools for links to the specific contrast, target-size and dragging guidance.
For a design decision, record the relevant finding, the conditions under which it was obtained, your proposed adaptation and a task that could show whether the adaptation helps.