.state('app.contactsTest', {
  abstract: true,        <<--- If set to true then I get redirected away from the state to the default. If unset then named views don't load
  url: '/contactstest',
  templateUrl: 'tpl/app.contactsTest.html',
  controller: 'ContactTestCtrl',
  controllerAs: 'vm',
  resolve: {
    groups: function () { return {} },
    contacts: function () { return {} },
    contact: function () { return {} }
  }
})
.state('app.contactsTest.subViews', {
  views: {
    'groups': {
      templateUrl: 'tpl/app.contacts.groups.html'
      controller: 'ContactGroupCtrl',
      controllerAs: 'groupCtrl',
      resolve: {
        groups: [ 'ContactGroupSvc', function (ContactGroupSvc) {
          ContactGroupSvc.list().success(function (res) {
            return res;
          });
        }]
      }
    },
    'contacts': {
      templateUrl: 'app.contacts.list.html'
      resolve: {
        contacts: [ 'ContactSvc', function (ContactSvc) {
          ContactSvc.list().success(function (res) {
            return res;
          });
        }]
      }
    },
    'view': {
      url: '/{id}',
      templateUrl: 'app.contacts.view.html'
      resolve: {
        contact: [ 'ContactSvc', '$stateParams', function (ContactSvc, $stateParams) {
          ContactSvc.get($stateParams.id).success(function (res) {
            res.selected = true;
            return res;
          });
        }]
      }
    },
    'edit': {
      url: '/edit/{id}',
      templateUrl: 'app.contacts.edit.html'
      resolve: {
        contact: [ 'ContactSvc', '$stateParams', function (ContactSvc, $stateParams) {
          ContactSvc.get($stateParams.id).success(function (res) {
            res.selected = true;
            res.editing = true;
            return res;
          });
        }]
      }
    }
  }
}


tpl/app.contactsTest.html

<!-- hbox layout -->
<div class="hbox hbox-auto-xs hbox-auto-sm bg-light ">

  <!-- column -->
  <div class="col w-sm b-r" ui-view="groups"></div>
  <!-- /column -->

  <!-- column -->
  <div class="col w lter b-r" ui-view="contacts"></div>
  <!-- /column -->

  <!-- column -->
  <div class="col bg-white-only" ui-view="view"></div>
  <!-- /column -->

  <!-- column -->
  <div class="col bg-white-only" ui-view="edit"></div>
  <!-- /column -->
</div>
<!-- /hbox layout -->