News

Wed, 09/02/2026

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.

Tue, 09/01/2026

In a recent keynote for the International Conference on Computational Social Science, HCDE Professor Kate Starbird looks back at nearly 15 years of research into how rumors and disinformation take shape and spread online, and how her team’s understanding of these dynamics has evolved.

Tue, 08/25/2026

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.

Thu, 08/06/2026

Assistant Professor Emily Tseng joined the HCDE faculty in Spring 2026, bringing expertise in digital safety and the human impacts of emerging technologies. Learn about the path that brought her to UW, the research questions she's exploring, and what she's looking forward to as she joins the HCDE community.

Mon, 07/27/2026

HCDE Assistant Professor Emily Tseng's research group is one of 18 university labs worldwide selected to participate in Microsoft's new External Red Team Alliance (EXTRA), a global initiative supporting independent AI safety research. The recognition will support her lab's work to better understand how AI systems can be designed, evaluated, and governed responsibly.

Thu, 07/23/2026

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.

Mon, 07/20/2026

HCDE master's student Selah Key presented her independent research project, Ordinary Days, at the United Nations' AI for Good Global Summit, where it received a Best Use Case award. Key developed a context-aware, multimodal AI system that helps people recognize physiological signs of chronic stress and receive personalized, evidence-based support.

Thu, 06/25/2026 | UW News

As generative AI makes it easier than ever to create science content, how do we ensure researchers remain at the center of communicating their own work? Researchers in Professor Gary Hsieh's lab developed PaperTok, an AI-assisted tool that helps researchers transform papers into short-form videos while keeping human expertise in the loop. View a video interview with the research team and a demonstration of PaperTok in action.

Tue, 06/23/2026

HCDE undergraduate student Selena Liu has woven together interests in design, global health, research, entrepreneurship, and the arts during her time at UW. Read how she has turned a wide range of interests into a uniquely interdisciplinary educational experience in this UW International Student Spotlight.

Mon, 06/15/2026

View photos, videos, award recipients, and highlights from the 2026 Human Centered Design & Engineering Graduation & Awards Ceremony, held June 12 at the University of Washington.