Research

Research Areas

In the University of Washington's Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering (HCDE), research is deeply interdisciplinary, impact-driven, and rooted in people’s lived experiences. HCDE faculty and students investigate the ways technology shapes – and is shaped by – human needs, behaviors, and communities.

Awareness, Learning, and Behavior

Explores how design influences awareness, learning, and behavior in everyday life—across health, education, sustainability, and more—while centering ethics, equity, and individual agency.

Social Interactions and Online Communities

Studies how people connect, communicate, and collaborate in digital spaces—designing technologies that foster community, support social interaction, and promote safety and trust online.

Coordination, Collaboration, and Infrastructure

Examines how people organize, connect, and adapt within complex sociotechnical systems—focusing on infrastructures that support resilient communities, institutions, and technologies.

Just and Sustainable Futures

Advances research and design for equity, justice, and sustainability—working with communities historically excluded from technology and service design to imagine more inclusive and resilient futures.

Novel Systems and Technologies

Designs and builds new technologies, tools, and systems—combining technical innovation with human-centered methods like co-design, prototyping, and empirical study to address real-world needs.

AI and Data Science

Develops human-centered approaches to AI and data science—designing tools and techniques for exploring data and machine learning, while addressing critical concerns like privacy, ethics, and misinformation.