Preliminary findings indicate that the paper-based input strategy is superior from an efficiency standpoint to the standard programming-based approaches for specifying the spatial properties of a complex system simulation. When compared to a multiple-mouse drag-and-drop interface, while the paper-based interface is less efficient, it seems to encourage more deliberate approach to problem-solving and better overall solutions to complex human-environmental tradeoff problems.
Shelley, T., Lyons, L., Minor, E., & Zellner, M. “Evaluating the Embodiment Benefits of a Paper-Based TUI for Educational Simulations,” Extended Abstracts of the 2011 Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI EA 2011), Vancouver, CA, 2011, 1375-1380.
Shelley, T., Lyons, L., Shi, J., Minor, E., & Zellner, M. (2010). Paper to parameters: designing tangible simulation input. Proceedings of the 12th ACM International Conference Adjunct Papers on Ubiquitous Computing, Copenhagen, Denmark. Available online at http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1864472&CFID=3548452&CFTOKEN=40453656