DRAFT-Bench: Evaluating Frontier Agents Across the Professional Design Lifecycle
Organizations: University of Maryland, College Park · curify-AI
Abstract
Can frontier general-purpose agents understand client intent, explore creative directions, execute revisions, and prepare production deliverables? We introduce DRAFT-Bench (Design Reliability Across Feedback and Tasks), a lifecycle-oriented evaluation of requirement elicitation, creative exploration, constrained editing, iterative revision, and production handoff. Its Requirement-to-Artifact framework links evolving requirements, protected properties, artifact versions, and delivery obligations. We compare native Codex/Astra and Claude Code across 35 design briefs under 43 conditions, alongside a separate 40-scenario RFQ track. Astra completes 43/43 design conditions and Claude 35/43. All scored core runs receive full structural credit, yet on the 28 core conditions scored for both systems, semantic checks flag violations in 11 for Astra and 5 for Claude; these are model judgments, not expert-confirmed failure rates. RFQ coverage is high, but success ordering changes across cohorts. SKU expansion, revision dependencies, and White ink files expose ambiguity among unmet obligations, missing inputs, and evaluator interpretations. These findings separate execution, requirement compliance, and professional acceptance. Unpaired tracks and different tools preclude claims of RFQ-to-delivery success, factory acceptance, or a pure model ranking.
Figures & tables
| Scope | Lineages | Units | Records |
|---|---|---|---|
| Design-related archive | 232 | 261 | 293 |
| RFQ, two cohorts | 40 | 40 | 40 |
| Combined | 272 | 301 | 333 |
| Lifecycle stage | Existing evaluation | Supported conclusion and boundary |
|---|---|---|
| Requirement discovery | 40 RFQ scenarios in two cohorts | Both systems achieve high field coverage; success ordering changes across cohorts. Downstream benefit is untested. |
| Creative exploration | Direction, reference-understanding, planning, and preference tasks | Relevant capabilities are tested separately; their scores do not establish creative quality or real-client acceptance. |
| Design and revision | 35-brief / 43-condition Brief Bank; constrained edits and ordered feedback | Completion coexists with incomplete modifications and unresolved constraint or version dependencies. |
| Production handoff | Packaging sets, production PDFs, and file-structure checks | Output-set and file differences are observable; factory acceptance and manufacturability are untested. |
| Cohort | Astra | Claude | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Original (amended) | 20 | 17/20 | 18/20 |
| Additional (paired) | 19 | 19/19 | 16/19 |
| Combined (paired) | 39 | 36/39 | 34/39 |
| Combined (strict) | 36 | 33/36 | 32/36 |
| Measure | Astra | Claude |
|---|---|---|
| Completed / attempted core | 32/32 | 28/32 |
| Full structural credit / scored | 32/32 | 28/28 |
| Any semantic flag / scored | 13/32 | 5/28 |
| Any flag / shared core | 11/28 | 5/28 |
Appendix figures & tables12 assets
Supplementary material from the paper’s appendix.
Appendix
| System | C@6 | C@8 | S@8 | Leak | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Codex / Sol | 20 | 63.0 | 80.8 | 11/20 | 3/115 |
| Codex / Astra | 20 | 75.5 | 97.9 | 17/20 | 2/137 |
| Claude Code / Opus (amended) | 20 | 81.2 | 98.6 | 18/20 | 0/136 |
| Claude / original | 17 | 81.2 | 99.2 | 16/17 | 0/116 |
| Cohort / system | C@6 | C@8 | S@8 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Original / Astra | 20 | 75.5 | 97.9 | 17/20 |
| Original / Claude | 20 | 81.2 | 98.6 | 18/20 |
| Additional / Astra | 19 | 85.0 | 100.0 | 19/19 |
| Additional / Claude | 19 | 78.9 | 97.7 | 16/19 |
| Combined / Astra | 39 | 80.1 | 98.9 | 36/39 |
| Combined / Claude | 39 | 80.1 | 98.2 | 34/39 |
| Case | Sol | Astra | Claude | S/A/C |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 001 | 71.4 | 100.0 | 100.0 | N/Y/Y |
| 002 | 85.7 | 100.0 | 100.0 | Y/Y/Y |
| 003 | 71.4 | 100.0 | 100.0 | N/Y/Y |
| 004 ∗ | 57.1 | 100.0 | 100.0 | N/Y/Y |
| 005 | 85.7 | 100.0 | 100.0 | N/Y/Y |
| 006 | 85.7 | 85.7 | 100.0 | Y/N/Y |
| Protocol | Output | Astra C/S | Claude C/S | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brief Bank v0.3 | Artifacts | 43 | 43/43 | 35/35 |
| 21q visual execution | Artifacts | 21 | 20/21 | 2/4 |
| Routing | Route | 118 | 118/118 | 118/118 |
| 99designs preference | Ranking | 61 | 61/61 | 60/60 |
| Workflow planning | Plan | 11 | 11/11 | 11/11 |
| Zcool reference planning | Plan | 7 | 6/6 | 7/7 |
| Case | Sol original | Astra original | Sol R1 | Astra R1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AR-005 | 16.0 | 68.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 |
| L4-CAM-001 (R) | 52.0–82.0 | 70.0–100.0 | 68.5–98.5 | 55.0–100.0 |
| L4-BID-001 (Z) | 64.0–94.0 | 40.0–70.0 | 60.0–100.0 | 60.0–100.0 |
| L4-ECO-001 (R) | 52.0–82.0 | 70.0–100.0 | 70.0–100.0 | 70.0–100.0 |
| TIQ-029 | 52.6 | 99.3 | 98.7 | 99.3 |
| TIQ-100 | 71.9 | 58.4 | 74.1 | 98.9 |
| Family | Astra | Claude |
|---|---|---|
| Brand identity | 0/6 | 1/6 |
| Existing-brand campaign | 0/5 | 1/5 |
| Packaging/SKU family | 0/3 | 0/3 |
| E-commerce | 0/5 | 0/5 |
| Multi-format adaptation | 0/4 | 2/4 |
| Client-feedback revision | 0/5 | 1/5 |
| Core condition | Astra | Claude |
|---|---|---|
| L4-BID-001 (Z) | Flag | Flag |
| L4-BID-001 (R) | Flag | Timeout |
| L4-BID-001 (P) | Flag | No flag |
| L4-CAM-001 (Z) | Flag | No flag |
| L4-CAM-001 (P) | No flag | Flag |
| L4-PSF-001 (R) | Flag | No flag |
| Task | Context | Astra quality | Claude quality | Claude execution |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| L3-BID-002 | R | [0.900, 1.000] | [0.900, 1.000] | Complete |
| L3-CAM-002 | R | [0.900, 1.000] | Unscored | Timeout |
| L3-CFR-002 | R | [0.500, 0.600] | [0.600, 0.700] | Complete |
| L3-CFRY-001 | R | [0.900, 1.000] | [0.900, 1.000] | Complete |
| L3-ECO-002 | R | [0.900, 1.000] | [0.900, 1.000] | Complete |
| L3-MFA-001 | R | [0.900, 1.000] | Unscored | Timeout |
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