Human Centered Design & Engineering (HCDE)

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Human Centered Design & Engineering (HCDE) Human Centered Design & Engineering at the University of Washington in Seattle. We advance systems a

The Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering (HCDE) is an interdisciplinary engineering department at the University of Washington in Seattle, an internationally-ranked, R1 research institution. Students and faculty in HCDE focus on understanding human needs and interests as they design and build solutions to the problems our world is facing. The department has a core interest in research-based approaches to design that place people at the center of activity. HCDE offers four academic programs: Bachelor of Science, Master of Science, Doctor of Philosophy, and a Graduate Certificate in User-Centered Design. HCDE students and faculty collaborate across other University units and with industry partners through the HCDE Corporate Affiliates Program.

Join us this Thursday for the next talk in HCDE’s autumn Research Speaker Series, featuring Professor Mark Haselkorn.How...
10/13/2026

Join us this Thursday for the next talk in HCDE’s autumn Research Speaker Series, featuring Professor Mark Haselkorn.

How can organizations better share information and work together when their systems, data, and practices aren’t designed to connect?

In “Co-creating Digital Coordination Centers,” Haselkorn will explore the complexities of designing and implementing systems that support collaboration across organizations—and what changing technologies and organizational tensions mean for this work going forward.

Thursday, October 15
4:30–5:20 p.m.
134 Sieg Building, UW campus

2026 Research Speaker Series Mark Haselkorn Professor, Human Centered Design & Engineering

To kick off the new school year, we’ve opened our first-ever HCDE pop-up swag shop!Now through October 14, you can order...
10/06/2026

To kick off the new school year, we’ve opened our first-ever HCDE pop-up swag shop!

Now through October 14, you can order official HCDE apparel and gear, including hoodies, crewneck sweatshirts, T-shirts, hats, travel mugs, and tote bags.

Shop HCDE gear by Oct. 14:

Welcome to the Fall 2026 UW Human Centered Design/Engineering Pop Up shop! The shop closes on Wednesday, October 14. All orders will ship approx. 5-6 weeks after the store closes. More details in the FAQ.

HCDE’s autumn Research Speaker Series kicks off next Thursday, October 1, with Professor Kate Starbird and a new area of...
09/25/2026

HCDE’s autumn Research Speaker Series kicks off next Thursday, October 1, with Professor Kate Starbird and a new area of her research: the online conversation surrounding women’s professional basketball.

Before her academic career, Starbird played professional basketball. Now, she’s bringing that experience together with her research on social media for a new talk, “Outrage Bait and Culture Wars: Visual Analysis of Social Media Posts Featuring WNBA Players.”

Starbird will share early insights from ongoing research examining how WNBA players are represented through images on Facebook and Instagram, and how those representations connect to broader dynamics of politics, race, sport, and gender.

📅 Thursday, Oct. 1, 4:30–5:20 p.m.
đź“Ť Sieg Building, room 134

2026 Research Speaker Series Kate Starbird Professor, Human Centered Design & Engineering

We love seeing HCDE alumna Zahra Hassan (BS ’26) featured in the latest issue of UW Magazine as one of three graduates f...
09/15/2026

We love seeing HCDE alumna Zahra Hassan (BS ’26) featured in the latest issue of UW Magazine as one of three graduates from this year’s Husky 100.

Hassan shares how she found her way to Human Centered Design & Engineering, and how scholarships, research opportunities, and mentors helped shape her experience. In HCDE, she pursued research on self-censorship in academic institutions and became a mentor herself, working to help others feel welcome in tech.

“Having someone who truly believes in you is so special,” Hassan says. “You hear it enough times and it rubs off eventually. It’s changed my life.”

Read more about Hassan's journey in UW Magazine:

Get to know three outstanding graduates—and the passions that drive them—from this year's Husky 100.

This summer brought a hands-on fieldwork opportunity for four HCDE students: a week in Alaska alongside engineers studyi...
09/14/2026

This summer brought a hands-on fieldwork opportunity for four HCDE students: a week in Alaska alongside engineers studying marine energy. 🌊

At a remote field station, the students headed out on the water and helped researchers count fish to better understand the environmental interactions of a river turbine.

The trip grew out of a three-quarter HCDE Directed Research Group exploring how human-centered methods can help marine energy researchers better understand and engage the communities their technologies may affect. Along the way, the group also developed a community engagement toolkit to help researchers put those methods into practice.

Read more about the project and the students’ experience in Alaska:

HCDE students explored how human-centered methods can help marine energy researchers better understand and engage the communities their technologies may affect. Through a three-quarter Directed Research Group, students developed a community engagement toolkit and took their research into the field i...

Please join us in welcoming Samantha Speer to the HCDE faculty! đź‘‹Dr. Speer joins us as an assistant teaching professor, ...
09/10/2026

Please join us in welcoming Samantha Speer to the HCDE faculty! đź‘‹

Dr. Speer joins us as an assistant teaching professor, where her teaching and research bring together robotics, human-centered design, and interdisciplinary, collaborative learning.

This year, she’ll teach both undergraduate and graduate HCDE courses, with interests in creating new opportunities for students to explore human-centered robotics and getting involved with HCDE’s K–12 outreach efforts.

HCDE welcomes Assistant Teaching Professor Samantha Speer, whose teaching and research explore robotics, collaborative learning, and human-centered design.

Seattle-area HCDE alumni: Join us Sept. 30 for an afternoon of community service and connection at the NE Seattle Tool L...
09/08/2026

Seattle-area HCDE alumni: Join us Sept. 30 for an afternoon of community service and connection at the NE Seattle Tool Library!

We’ll help organize and beautify the space, enjoy drinks and appetizers, and give back to a community partner that has mentored many HCDE capstone and usability study teams.

📅 Wednesday, Sept. 30, 4–6 p.m.
đź“Ť NE Seattle Tool Library

Learn more and join us:

Events organized by or affiliated with the University of Washington's Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering.

What happens when kids play with toys that can talk, remember conversations, and personalize their responses?A new UW st...
09/02/2026

What happens when kids play with toys that can talk, remember conversations, and personalize their responses?

A new UW study explored how children ages 6–11 interacted with AI-powered toys. The kids were curious and sometimes delighted by what the toys could do, but they also got frustrated when the toys didn’t understand them or respond as expected.

HCDE researchers Aayushi Dangol, Meghna Gupta, and Julie Kientz contributed to the study as part of a multidisciplinary UW research team. The study offers an early look at how generative AI may be changing children’s relationships with toys.

Read more and watch the video from UW News:

University of Washington researchers gathered eight kids on campus to explore how they played with AI toys. The kids initially were curious, asking introductory

Does your nonprofit have a challenge that could benefit from a human-centered design perspective?UW Human Centered Desig...
08/31/2026

Does your nonprofit have a challenge that could benefit from a human-centered design perspective?

UW Human Centered Design & Engineering students are looking for nonprofit organizations to partner with on real-world projects in 2027.

Your challenge might involve:
• Understanding how people use your website, app, or digital tool
• Improving accessibility or the experience of a physical or digital space
• Rethinking outreach or engagement with the communities you serve
• Exploring a problem you know exists, even if you’re not yet sure what the solution should be

Through usability studies and capstone projects, HCDE students work with partner organizations to conduct research, identify opportunities, develop ideas, and test potential solutions.

There is no sponsorship fee for nonprofit partners. We ask partners to contribute their time and expertise to help students understand the organization, its communities, and the challenge they’re working to address.

Interested in partnering with HCDE students in 2027? Learn more about opportunities for community partners:

The Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering offers a range of opportunities for sponsoring student projects, including capstone projects, usability studies, directed research groups, and design jams. Project sponsors can gain fresh perspectives, actionable insights, and discover solutions....

Over the past year, HCDE students partnered with Rainier Valley Food Bank in Seattle’s Rainier Beach neighborhood to exp...
08/26/2026

Over the past year, HCDE students partnered with Rainier Valley Food Bank in Seattle’s Rainier Beach neighborhood to explore how the organization could strengthen the experience of its clients and its connections with the surrounding community.

Through three Directed Research Groups and a bachelor’s capstone project, students spent time at the food bank and in the surrounding neighborhood, learning from clients, staff and community members. Their work led to redesigned shopping signage and client information materials, along with a community outreach campaign. Several recommendations are already being put into practice by RVFB.

For HCDE Emeritus Professor Andrew Davidson, who led the Directed Research Groups, the partnership is a good example of how HCDE skills can contribute well beyond traditional technology projects.

“When people hear HCDE, they often think about apps or products. But every organization has services and systems that shape how people interact with it. Our role is to help students understand those experiences before deciding how they might improve them.”

The partnership gave students the chance to apply what they’re learning to a real community setting, while giving RVFB dedicated time and research to better understand how people experience its services.

Read more about the partnership and view some of the students’ work:

A year-long partnership with Rainier Valley Food Bank gave HCDE students the opportunity to apply their skills in a community setting, helping the organization improve the client experience, strengthen outreach, and better understand the people it serves.

Address

Sieg Building Room 428, Box 352315
Seattle, WA
98195

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 12pm
1pm - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 12pm
1pm - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 12pm
1pm - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 12pm
1pm - 6pm
Friday 9am - 12pm
1pm - 5pm

Telephone

(206)5432567

Website

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