Beyond Input-Output: Rethinking Creativity through Design-by-Analogy in Human-AI Collaboration

Fuente: arXiv
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Autores principales: Li, Xuechen, Zhang, Shuai, Cao, Nan, Chen, Qing
Formato: Preprint
Publicado: 2026
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author Li, Xuechen
Zhang, Shuai
Cao, Nan
Chen, Qing
author_facet Li, Xuechen
Zhang, Shuai
Cao, Nan
Chen, Qing
contents While the proliferation of foundation models has significantly boosted individual productivity, it also introduces a potential challenge: the homogenization of creative content. In response, we revisit Design-by-Analogy (DbA), a cognitively grounded approach that fosters novel solutions by mapping inspiration across domains. However, prevailing perspectives often restrict DbA to early ideation or specific data modalities, while reducing AI-driven design to simplified input-output pipelines. Such conceptual limitations inadvertently foster widespread design fixation. To address this, we expand the understanding of DbA by embedding it into the entire creative process, thereby demonstrating its capacity to mitigate such fixation. Through a systematic review of 85 studies, we identify six forms of representation and classify techniques across seven stages of the creative process. We further discuss three major application domains: creative industries, intelligent manufacturing, and education and services, demonstrating DbA's practical relevance. Building on this synthesis, we frame DbA as a mediating technology for human-AI collaboration and outline the potential opportunities and inherent risks for advancing creativity support in HCI and design research.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2602_09423
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Beyond Input-Output: Rethinking Creativity through Design-by-Analogy in Human-AI Collaboration
Li, Xuechen
Zhang, Shuai
Cao, Nan
Chen, Qing
Human-Computer Interaction
Artificial Intelligence
H.5.m
While the proliferation of foundation models has significantly boosted individual productivity, it also introduces a potential challenge: the homogenization of creative content. In response, we revisit Design-by-Analogy (DbA), a cognitively grounded approach that fosters novel solutions by mapping inspiration across domains. However, prevailing perspectives often restrict DbA to early ideation or specific data modalities, while reducing AI-driven design to simplified input-output pipelines. Such conceptual limitations inadvertently foster widespread design fixation. To address this, we expand the understanding of DbA by embedding it into the entire creative process, thereby demonstrating its capacity to mitigate such fixation. Through a systematic review of 85 studies, we identify six forms of representation and classify techniques across seven stages of the creative process. We further discuss three major application domains: creative industries, intelligent manufacturing, and education and services, demonstrating DbA's practical relevance. Building on this synthesis, we frame DbA as a mediating technology for human-AI collaboration and outline the potential opportunities and inherent risks for advancing creativity support in HCI and design research.
title Beyond Input-Output: Rethinking Creativity through Design-by-Analogy in Human-AI Collaboration
topic Human-Computer Interaction
Artificial Intelligence
H.5.m
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.09423