Leah Pistorius
October 5, 2026
This academic year, the University of Washington's Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering is introducing a new annual theme: Public.
The theme is designed to draw connections across the department’s research, teaching, events, partnerships, and student work, and explore how human-centered design and engineering can contribute to technologies and systems that benefit the public.
Across HCDE, researchers and students are already exploring questions that touch on public life. That includes designing technologies for broad public use, collaborating with government agencies and community organizations, improving accessibility and equitable access to technology, addressing misinformation and public health challenges, and connecting research with policy and public discourse.
The Public theme provides a way to make those connections more visible while creating opportunities for new ones. Throughout the year, the theme may inspire a guest speaker, a community conversation, a directed research group, a course assignment, or other ideas from across HCDE.
Connections to Public can take many forms. Work might involve civic technologies or public data, transportation and infrastructure, healthcare, climate and sustainability, education, accessibility, digital equity, public information, or other system that people encounter in their everyday lives.
Look for Public across HCDE
Throughout the 2026–2027 academic year, look for the Public theme icon on the HCDE website to identify events, stories, projects, and opportunities connected to this year’s theme.
Members of the HCDE community are also invited to help shape what we highlight. If you know of research, teaching, student work, partnerships, events, people, or other activities that connect with the theme, let us know in this form.