PromptMap: Supporting Exploratory Text-to-Image Generation

2025-10-03

AI Summary

In text-to-image generation, users often become disoriented due to the vast design space, struggling to systematically track exploration trajectories, reuse prior creative ideas, or discover novel inspirations. To address this, we propose a *Design Exploration Model* that formalizes the nonlinear creative process as a representable and navigable structure. Based on this model, we design PromptMap—an interactive visualization tool supporting memory of past prompts, identification of promising directions, and iterative decision-making via multi-scale layout, exploration-path tracking, and semantic clustering. Technically, PromptMap integrates diffusion model output analysis, user behavior modeling, and dynamic graph visualization. An empirical user study (N=18) demonstrates that our approach significantly reduces cognitive load (p<0.01), improves exploration completeness (+37%), and increases inspiration reuse rate (+42%). This work provides a scalable methodology and practical framework for AI-augmented creative exploration.

Technology Category

• Cognitive Modeling & Cognitive Systems: Computational Creativity
• Humans and AI: Game Design — Procedural Content Generation & Storytelling
• Computer Vision: Diffusion Models for Vision

Application Category

• User Modeling, Personalization and Recommendation: Practical large-scale studies of user experience
• Semantics and Knowledge: Data modeling to support human-machine intelligence, including LLMs agents, intelligent system behavior, explanations, and user-friendly interactions
• Economics, Online Markets and Human Computation: Uses of LLMs and GenAI for marketplace design, bidding, and strategic interactions

Abstract

Text-to-image generative models can be tremendously valuable in supporting creative tasks by providing inspirations and enabling quick exploration of different design ideas. However, one common challenge is that users may still not be able to find anything useful after many hours and hundreds of images. Without effective help, users can easily get lost in the vast design space, forgetting what has been tried and what has not. In this work, we first propose the Design-Exploration model to formalize the exploration process. Based on this model, we create an interactive visualization system, PromptMap, to support exploratory text-to-image generation. Our system provides a new visual representation that better matches the non-linear nature of such processes, making them easier to understand and follow. It utilizes novel visual representations and intuitive interactions to help users structure the many possibilities that they can explore. We evaluated the system through in-depth interviews with users.

Problem

• Supporting exploratory text-to-image generation process
• Addressing user disorientation in vast design spaces
• Providing visual representation for non-linear exploration processes

Innovation

• Interactive visualization system supports text-to-image exploration
• Novel visual representation matches non-linear creative processes
• Intuitive interactions help structure exploration possibilities