Texterial: A Text-as-Material Interaction Paradigm for LLM-Mediated Writing

Researchers introduce Texterial, a new interaction paradigm that reimagines text as a malleable material that can be sculpted like clay or cultivated like plants in AI-assisted writing tools. The study presents two technical probes demonstrating gestural text refinement and serendipitous idea growth, expanding the design space for LLM-mediated writing interfaces.

• →Texterial treats text as a physical material that can be sculpted, grown, and transformed rather than just edited linearly.
• →Current AI writing tools have rigid interfaces that don't fully utilize the rich text manipulation capabilities of generative models.
• →Users naturally understand and work with text-as-material metaphors according to formative research.
• →Two technical probes demonstrate gestural text sculpting and time-based idea cultivation approaches.
• →The framework bridges gaps in envisioning, execution, and evaluation for AI-assisted writing workflows.