The Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering uses a range of communications channels to reach students, faculty, staff, instructors, alumni, prospective students, partners, and broader public audiences.
The HCDE Communications Manager, Leah Pistorius (lepisto@uw.edu), manages the department's website, news and storytelling, newsletters, social media, brand and visual communications, and communications planning. The Communications Manager also works with the College of Engineering, UW News, and other university communications partners to identify opportunities to share HCDE stories with broader audiences.
HCDE communications channels
| Channel | Often useful for |
|---|---|
| HCDE website | Department programs, substantive information, news, ongoing resources |
| Events calendar | Events (public and internal), information sessions, deadlines, and opportunities relevant to HCDE audiences |
| Email listservs | Timely information relevant to a defined HCDE audience (e.g. students by program, all students, faculty, instructors, etc) |
| Newsletter | Selected news, highlights, events, and updates for broader internal and external audiences |
| Social media | News, people and project highlights, research, events, and other public-facing content |
HCDE website
The HCDE website is the primary home for substantive and ongoing department information, including academic programs, research and department news, events, resources, and other content that people may need to find or reference over time.
News and stories may include research and impact stories, awards and accomplishments, student and alumni stories, profiles, class and research group highlights, media coverage, and other news from the HCDE community.
Share a story idea with HCDEEvents calendar
The HCDE calendar includes department-sponsored events and other events, deadlines, and opportunities relevant to HCDE audiences. Calendar listings can also serve as the primary webpage for an event and provide a link that can be shared through other channels.
Depending on the event and audience, opportunities may also exist for cross-promotion through the College of Engineering or University of Washington calendars.
Request an event listingEmail and listservs
HCDE email lists are used for timely information relevant to specific department audiences, including students, faculty, staff, and instructors. Appropriate content may include department announcements, academic information, HCDE events, selected student opportunities, scholarships and fellowships, career opportunities, and other information with clear relevance to the intended audience.
HCDE email lists are moderated by members of HCDE's staff including the Administrator, Assistant to the Chair, Student Services team, and the HCDE communications manager. Because email volume affects the usefulness of these channels, not every event, opportunity, or announcement will be distributed by email. HCDE listservs do not distribute political endorsements or invitations to take political action.
View HCDE listservsSocial media
HCDE uses social media to share department news and stories with public audiences, including research, student and alumni highlights, awards, projects, events, opportunities, media coverage, and glimpses of everyday activity around the department.
Not every announcement or event will receive a standalone social media post. Visual content, broader audience relevance, timing, and the overall department content calendar are considered when selecting content.
Instructors, students, labs, and research groups are encouraged to tag HCDE when sharing department-related work. Tagging HCDE helps Communications find content that may be appropriate to amplify through department channels.
Share a social post idea
Newsletters
HCDE sends a quarterly newsletter to share selected news, research, events, and department updates for broader audiences. Because newsletters are curated and published on a quarterly schedule, they are generally better suited to highlights and updates than time-sensitive announcements.
Subscribe to HCDE's newsletterSharing stories beyond HCDE
Some HCDE stories may be a good fit for audiences beyond the department. HCDE Communications works with the College of Engineering Marketing & Communications team, UW News, and other UW communications partners to identify stories with broader interest.
You don't need to determine which outlet is the right fit. Share the idea with HCDE Communications, and we can help determine where it might fit and coordinate with other UW communicators when appropriate.
UW Engineering
The College of Engineering develops feature stories for broader Engineering audiences and distributes content through its website, social media, alumni communications, and other channels. The College looks for stories with broad interest, research or societal impact, compelling student experiences, interdisciplinary connections, timeliness, and strong visual possibilities.
UW News
UW News may be appropriate for research findings and expertise with broad university, public, or media relevance. If it is your first time contacting UW News, contact the HCDE communications manager Leah Pistorius (lepisto@uw.edu) and she will connect you.
Have research or another story idea? Share something with HCDE.
Contact
Have a question for HCDE Communications? Email Leah Pistorius at lepisto@uw.edu.