Towards A Visual Programming Tool to Create Deep Learning Models

Deep Learning (DL) developers come from different backgrounds, e.g., medicine, genomics, finance, and computer science. To create a DL model, they must learn and use high-level programming languages (e.g., Python), thus needing to handle related setups and solve programming errors. This paper presents DeepBlocks, a visual programming tool that allows DL developers to design, train, and evaluate models without relying on specific programming languages. DeepBlocks works by building on the typical model structure: a sequence of learnable functions whose arrangement defines the specific characteristics of the model. We derived DeepBlocks' design goals from a 5-participants formative interview, and we validated the first implementation of the tool through a typical use case. Results are promising and show that developers could visually design complex DL architectures.

Evaluation of Sketch-Based and Semantic-Based Modalities for Mockup Generation

Design mockups are essential instruments for visualizing and testing design ideas. However, the process of generating mockups can be time-consuming and challenging for designers. In this article, we present and evaluate two different modalities for generating mockup ideas to support designers in their work: (1) a sketch-based approach to generate mockups based on hand-drawn sketches, and (2) a semantic-based approach to generate interfaces based on a set of predefined design elements. To evaluate the effectiveness of these two approaches, we conducted a series of experiments with 13 participants in which we asked them to generate mockups using each modality. Our results show that sketch-based generation was more intuitive and expressive, while semantic-based generative AI obtained better results in terms of quality and fidelity. Both methods can be valuable tools for UI designers looking to increase their creativity and efficiency.