Human Centered Design & Engineering

How to engage with HCDE this year

From mentoring and guest speaking to sponsoring student projects, HCDE alumni and industry partners have many ways to stay connected while making a lasting impact this year.

Real Clients, Real Impact

Each winter, HCDE master’s and certificate students take a deep dive into usability testing and user-centered research in HCDE 517: Usability Studies. These highlights from Professor Sean Munson’s Winter 2025 course showcase five projects where students delivered meaningful insights to industry partners across diverse products and domains.

Kientz joins WA Academy of Sciences

HCDE Professor and Chair Julie Kientz has been elected to the Washington State Academy of Sciences (WSAS), recognized for her award-winning leadership in human-computer interaction and her impactful work advancing health and education technologies. As a WSAS member, she will bring HCDE expertise to support evidence-based policy across Washington state.

Senior Camryn Soo explores HCDE roots

Camryn Soo (HCDE BS '25) spent two years researching the department’s history, tracing its roots in post-war efforts to bring more humanities into engineering education. Through archival research, interviews, and coursework, she uncovered how decades of curricular innovation and cross-disciplinary programs shaped HCDE into what it is today. For Soo, that effort to “rethink engineering” remains a powerful throughline in the department’s identity.