# Freeform Templates: Combining Freeform Curation with Structured Templates

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2305.00937 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2305.00937/

## Key facts

- Cited by 1 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 1 May 2023.

## Built on by (most cited first, 1 of 1)

- [Intelligent Canvas: Enabling Design-Like Exploratory Visual Data Analysis with Generative AI through Rapid Prototyping, Iteration and Curation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2402.08812/) (2024)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Online whiteboards are becoming a popular way to facilitate collaborative design work, providing a free-form environment to curate ideas. However, as templates are increasingly being used to scaffold contributions from non-experts designers, it is crucial to understand their impact on the creative process. In this paper, we present the results from a study with 114 students in a large introductory design course. Our results confirm prior findings that templates benefit students by providing a starting point, a shared process, and the ability to access their own work from previous steps. While prior research has criticized templates for being too rigid, we discovered that using templates within a free-form environment resulted in visual patterns of free-form curation where concepts were spatially organized, clustered, color-coded, and connected using arrows and lines. We introduce the concept of "Free-form Templates" to illustrate how templates and free-form curation can be synergistic.