Foresee: Making Procedural Futures Tangible through Generative Previews

Abstract

Procedural guidance can show users how to act without explaining what an action enables later. We present Foresee, an interface combining next-step guidance with consequence previews, method comparisons, and cross-step access. A hybrid pipeline combines structured rendering, image editing, and video generation. A literature-informed framework and six-participant formative study shaped its design. A 24-participant study compared AR guidance, AR with generated video, and Foresee across digital painting, gameplay, and cocktail making. Exploratory painting comparisons showed higher correct completion without a recorded error than AR and higher post-task quiz accuracy than generated-video guidance under task-wise correction. Interviews revealed that users could overlook valued explanations, match visible outcomes without understanding later possibilities, or wait for concrete demonstrations when symbolic cues were unclear. These findings inform generative previews that explain what actions enable or constrain while supporting ongoing execution.