Human Centered Design & Engineering

Exploring marine energy 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 in Alaska.

Video: How kids play with AI toys

UW researchers, including HCDE PhD students Aayushi Dangol and Meghna Gupta, studied how children interact with AI-powered toys, finding reactions that ranged from curiosity and delight to frustration and antagonism. The research offers an early look at how generative AI may be changing children’s relationships with toys.

HCDE + Rainier Valley Food Bank

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.

Mobility Washington 2050 visualizations

HCDE researchers helped create Mobility Washington 2050, a new interactive platform from UW's Mobility Innovation Center that makes complex transportation and infrastructure data easier to understand. Using human-centered design methods, the team transformed decades of planning data into an interactive resource that anyone can use to better understand Washington's transportation future.