A tool for process, a process for design tools: Surfacing design narratives via version-controlled creation
Chen, Andrew
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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/129542
Description
Title
A tool for process, a process for design tools: Surfacing design narratives via version-controlled creation
Author(s)
Chen, Andrew
Issue Date
2025-04-21
Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)
Sterman, Sarah
Department of Study
Siebel School Comp & Data Sci
Discipline
Computer Science
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
M.S.
Degree Level
Thesis
Keyword(s)
design tools
version control
documentation
design process
Abstract
Creative design work is often nonlinear, exploratory, and difficult to document. While version control systems have transformed software development, they fall short in supporting the ambiguity, visual complexity, and rationale-rich workflows that characterize creative practice. This thesis introduces the concept of process-aware version control for design systems and presents the iterative process of building such tools that embody this approach. Grounded in studies of documentation practices in physical computing education and interviews with creative professionals, we identify key tensions between making and documenting, exploration and explanation, as well as automation and authorship.
Through a research-through-design methodology, we developed two systems: SnapLog, a lightweight snapshot-based annotation tool, and SnapExplain, a fully integrated vector-based design environment with embedded version control, whose findings informed the design of SnapExplain, which incorporates structured versioning, AI-assisted annotations, and interactive branching to make the design process more visible, reflective, and communicable. An evaluation study with seven professional designers shows how SnapExplain scaffolds both personal reflection and communicative storytelling, enabling users to track process midpoints, construct design narratives, and balance creative flow with communicative clarity. These findings call for a rethinking of design system—not just as containers for outcomes, but as active participants in capturing, shaping, and communicating the evolution of creative ideas.
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