Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering
2026 HCDE Research Showcase
Tuesday, April 28, 2026 · 4:30–6 p.m. · UW Club
Schedule
| 4 p.m. | Pre-reception for presenters and invited guests |
| 4:30 p.m. | Open to the public, mingle and connect |
| 5:15 p.m. | Welcome and introductions |
| 5:20 p.m. | Lighting talks |
| 5:30 p.m. | Mingle and explore research posters |
Lightening Talks
Order subject to change
Lightning Talk 1
Collectively Addressing Water Challenges Facing Washington State
Katya Cherukumilli, Assistant Professor
Lightning Talk 2
Stitching the Cosmos
Daniela Rosner, Professor
Lightning Talk 3
Collaborative Design
Charlotte Lee, Professor
Lightning Talk 4
Human-Centered Entrepreneurship
Beth Kolko, Professor
Lightning Talk 5
HCD to Improve Mental Health Interventions
Sean A. Munson, Professor
Posters & Demos
Poster 1
Policy Wonk: Making Policy into a Public Object
Demo only (no poster)
Kyra Arnett · Erica Adams · Ruiyi Gao · Tulasi Elangovan · Wyatt Olson · David Ribes
AFFILIATIONS
- Kyra Arnett, PhD Student, HCDE, UW
- Erica Adams, Research Scientist, NSF SECURE Center, UW
- Ruiyi Gao, Master’s Student, HCDE, UW
- Tulasi Elangovan, Master’s Student, HCDE, UW
- Wyatt Olson, Research Scientist, NSF SECURE Center, UW
- David Ribes, Professor, HCDE, UW
Poster 2
Technical Responses to Critique: The Case of Skin Tone
Sayan Bhattacharjee · David Ribes
AFFILIATIONS
- Sayan Bhattacharjee, PhD Candidate, HCDE, UW
- David Ribes, Professor, HCDE, UW
poster 3
Tracing critiques of Offshore Wind energy development in coastal Washington
Sayan Bhattacharjee · Shana Lee Hirsch
AFFILIATIONS
- Sayan Bhattacharjee, PhD Candidate, HCDE, UW
- Shana Lee Hirsch, Assistant Research Professor, HCDE, UW
Poster 4
Everyday Tactics of Resistance: Between Data Observation and Obfuscation in Smart Home Camera Surveillance
Neilly Tan · Audrey Desjardins · Sean Munson
AFFILIATIONS
- Neilly H. Tan, PhD Candidate, HCDE, UW
- Audrey Desjardins, Associate Professor, UW School of Art + Art History + Design
- Sean A. Munson, Professor, HCDE, UW
Poster 5
Towards Expressive Visual Content by Blind Creators Through AI Support
Lotus Zhang · Zhuohao Zhang · Gina Clepper · Franklin Mingzhe Li · Patrick Carrington · Jacob Wobbrock · Leah Findlater
AFFILIATIONS
- Lotus Zhang, PhD Candidate, HCDE, UW
- Zhuohao (Jerry) Zhang, PhD Candidate, HCDE, UW
- Gina Clepper, PhD Student, HCDE, UW
- Franklin Mingzhe Li, PhD Candidate, School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University
- Patrick Carrington, Associate Professor, School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University
- Jacob O. Wobbrock, Professor, Information School, UW
- Leah Findlater, Professor, HCDE, UW
Poster 6
Unseen City Canvases: Exploring Blind and Low Vision People’s Perspectives on Urban and Public Art Accessibility
Lucy Jiang · Seunghyun Lee · Jon Froehlich · Leah Findlater
AFFILIATIONS
- Lucy Jiang, PhD Student, HCDE, UW
- Amy Seunghyun Lee, Master’s student, HCDE, UW
- Jon E. Froehlich, Professor, Allen School of Computer Science and Engineering (CSE), UW
- Leah Findlater, Professor, HCDE, UW
Poster 7
Participant Pools as Research Infrastructure: Designing Value-Aligned Systems to Support Representative HCI Research Recruitment
Lucy Jiang · Teanna Barrett · Julie Kientz
AFFILIATIONS
- Lucy Jiang, PhD Student, HCDE, UW
- Teanna Barrett, PhD Student, CSE, UW
- Julie A. Kientz, Professor, HCDE, UW
Poster 8
Governing Epistemic Infrastructure Under Attack
Zarine Kharazian · Benjamin Mako Hill
AFFILIATIONS
- Zarine Kharazian, PhD Candidate, HCDE, UW
- Benjamin Mako Hill, Associate Professor, Communication, UW
Poster 9
Stories, Podcasts, and Sensemaking in High-Demand Religious Deconstruction
Jaden Cowley · Kate Starbird
AFFILIATIONS
- Jaden Cowley, PhD Student, HCDE, UW and Center for an Informed Public (CIP)
- Kate Starbird, Professor, HCDE, UW and Center for an Informed Public (CIP)
Poster 10
When Students Build The Grade Tools Their University Refused To: FOIA Requests, Transparency, and Maintenance Struggles
Mina Zavary · Sayamindu Dasgupta
AFFILIATIONS
- Mina Zavary, PhD Student, HCDE, UW
- Sayamindu Dasgupta, Assistant Professor, HCDE, UW
Poster 11
Vibe Coding Collective Autoethnography
Mina Zavary · Murtaza Ali · Sayamindu Dasgupta · Christian Chung · Maya Gillaspy · Veronique Gunawan · Kiefer Law · Madison McLean
AFFILIATIONS
- Mina Zavary, PhD Student, HCDE, UW
- Murtaza Ali, PhD Candidate, HCDE, UW
- Sayamindu Dasgupta, Assistant Professor, HCDE, UW
- Christian Chung, Undergraduate Student, HCDE, UW
- Maya Gillaspy, Undergraduate Student, HCDE, UW
- Veronique Gunawan, Undergraduate Student, HCDE, UW
- Kiefer Law, Undergraduate Student, HCDE, UW
- Madison McLean, Undergraduate Student, HCDE, UW
Poster 12
Understanding the Learning-to-Code Experiences of End-User Programmers
Murtaza Ali · Sayamindu Dasgupta
AFFILIATIONS
- Murtaza Ali, PhD Candidate, HCDE, UW
- Sayamindu Dasgupta, Assistant Professor, HCDE, UW
Poster 13
The Craft of Reading with Machines: Designing Interpretive Interfaces for AI
Gabrielle Benabdallah
AFFILIATIONS
- Gabrielle Benabdallah, Postdoctoral Scholar, HCDE, UW
Poster 14
Positivity Bias in LLM Value Surveys
Ruoxi Shang · Gary Hsieh
AFFILIATIONS
- Ruoxi Shang, PhD Candidate, HCDE, UW
- Gary Hsieh, Professor, HCDE, UW
Posters 15 & 16
CourseSLM: Privacy-Preserving Small Language Models for Computing Courses
Demo + poster
Brianna Smith · Vicente Arroyos · Kalea Yamada · Faisal Nurdin · Shukra Jaliya · Evolone Layne · Teanna Barrett · Aisha Cora · Laila Walker · Azhar Kimanje · R. Benjamin Shapiro · Vikram Iyer · Kyle Johnson
AFFILIATIONS
- Brianna Smith, Undergraduate Student, HCDE, UW
- Vicente Arroyos, PhD Student, CSE, UW
- Kalea Yamada, Undergraduate Student, Information School, UW
- Faisal Nurdin, Undergraduate Student, Information School, UW
- Shukra Jaliya, Undergraduate Student, CSE, UW
- Evolone Layne, PhD Student, CSE, UW
- Teanna Barrett, PhD Student, CSE, UW
- Aisha Cora, Undergraduate Student, UW Electrical & Computer Engineering (ECE)
- Laila Walker, PhD Student, CSE, UW
- Azhar Kimanje, Lead Interoperability Engineer, Exonicus
- R. Benjamin Shapiro, Associate Professor, CSE, UW
- Vikram Iyer, Assistant Professor, CSE, UW
- Kyle Johnson, PhD Candidate, CSE, UW
Poster 17
Designing Against Harm: Translating AI Failures into Design Guidelines
Pitch Sinlapanuntakul · Auli Badoni · Avleen Kaur · Chang Li · Hsiang-Yi Lung · Otto Roesler · Te-Hsin Angela Shen · Tirata Vittayaareekul · Mark Zachry
AFFILIATIONS
- Pitch Sinlapanuntakul, PhD Candidate, HCDE, UW
- Auli Badoni, Master’s Student, HCDE, UW
- Avleen Kaur, Master’s Student, HCDE, UW
- Chang Li, Master’s Student, Technology Innovation, UW
- Hsiang-Yi Lung, Master’s Student, HCDE, UW
- Otto Roesler, Student, Lakeside School, Seattle
- Te-Hsin Angela Shen, Master’s Student, UW MHCI+D
- Tirata Vittayaareekul, Undergraduate Student, HCDE, UW and School of Art + Art History + Design, UW
- Mark Zachry, Professor, HCDE, UW
Poster 18
Developing an AI Concept Envisioning Toolkit to Support Reflective Juxtaposition of Values and Harms
Pitch Sinlapanuntakul · Soyun Moon · Yuri Kawada · Alex Yeha Chung · Mark Zachry
AFFILIATIONS
- Pitch Sinlapanuntakul, PhD Candidate, HCDE, UW
- Soyun Moon, Master’s Student, HCDE, UW
- Yuri Kawada, Master’s Student, HCDE, UW
- Alex Yeha Chung, Master’s Student, HCDE, UW
- Mark Zachry, Professor, HCDE, UW
Poster 19
Surveying Campus Users and Building Infrastructure to Identify and Address Drinking Water Challenges
Jialin Li · Katya Cherukumilli
AFFILIATIONS
- Jialin Li, PhD Student, HCDE, UW
- Katya Cherukumilli, Assistant Professor, HCDE, UW
Poster 20
SAVEstate: A Method for Documenting In-Situ Virtual Experiences
Demo only (no poster)
Nisha Devasia · Michele Newman · Safinah Ali · Julie A. Kientz · Jin Ha Lee
AFFILIATIONS
- Nisha Devasia, PhD Candidate, HCDE, UW
- Michele Newman, PhD Candidate, Information School, UW
- Safinah Ali, Assistant Professor, Department of Administration Leadership and Technology, New York University (NYU) Steinhardt
- Julie A. Kientz, Professor, HCDE, UW
- Jin Ha Lee, Professor, Information School, UW
Poster 21
AURA: Designing a Generative AI Tool to Promote Communication Among Caregivers and Providers
Aayushi Dangol · Julie Kientz
AFFILIATIONS
- Aayushi Dangol, PhD Candidate, HCDE, UW
- Julie A. Kientz, Professor, HCDE, UW
Poster 22
Interactive Play for AI Literacy: How Children Recognize and Challenge Generative AI's Limits
Aayushi Dangol · Jason Yip · Julie Kientz
AFFILIATIONS
- Aayushi Dangol, PhD Candidate, HCDE, UW
- Jason Yip, Associate Professor, Information School, UW
- Julie A. Kientz, Professor, HCDE, UW
Poster 23
PaperTok: Exploring the Use of Generative AI for Creating Short-form Videos for Research Communication
Meziah Ruby Cristobal · Hyeonjeong Byeon · Tze-Yu Chen · Ruoxi Shang · Donghoon Shin · Ruican Zhong · Tony Zhou · Gary Hsieh
AFFILIATIONS
- Meziah Ruby Cristobal, PhD Student, HCDE, UW
- Hyeonjeong Byeon, PhD Student, HCDE, UW
- Tze-Yu Chen, Master’s Student, HCDE, UW
- Ruoxi Shang, PhD Candidate, HCDE, UW
- Donghoon Shin, PhD Student, HCDE, UW
- Ruican Zhong, PhD Student, HCDE, UW
- Tony Zhou, Undergraduate Student, CSE, UW
- Gary Hsieh, Professor, HCDE, UW
Poster 24
Behind The Paper: A Workflow for Supporting Personal Research Reflection
Tony Zhou · Tao Long · Gary Hsieh · Dingzeyu Li
AFFILIATIONS
- Tony Zhou, Undergraduate Student, CSE, UW
- Tao Long, PhD Student, Department of Computer Science, Columbia University
- Gary Hsieh, Professor, HCDE, UW
- Dingzeyu Li, Senior Research Scientist, Adobe Research
Poster 25
Fabricating Interactive and Computational Wearables and Textiles
Yuecheng Peng · Yue Xu
AFFILIATIONS
- Yuecheng Peng, PhD Student, HCDE, UW
- Yue Xu, Master Student, HCDE, UW
Poster 26
"What Would I Want to Make? Probably Everything": Practices and Speculations of Blind and Low Vision Tactile Graphics Creators
Gina Clepper · Emma McDonnell · Leah Findlater · Nadya Peek
AFFILIATIONS
- Gina Clepper, PhD Student, HCDE, UW
- Emma J. McDonnell, Postdoctoral Fellow, TU Wien, Vienna, Austria
- Leah Findlater, Professor, HCDE, UW
- Nadya Peek, Associate Professor, HCDE, UW
Poster 27
Exploring AI Companions Together: A Structured Family Co-Investigation of Character.AI
Meghna Gupta · Mitsuka Kiyohara · Ranjitha Rangaswamy · Franziska Roesner · Julie Kientz
AFFILIATIONS
- Meghna Gupta, PhD Student, HCDE, UW
- Mitsuka Kiyohara, Undergraduate Student, University of Toronto
- Ranjitha Naruganahalli Rangaswamy, Master’s Student, HCDE, UW
- Franziska Roesner, Professor, CSE, UW
- Julie A. Kientz, Professor, HCDE, UW
Poster 28
Toys that listen, talk, and play: Understanding Children's Sensemaking and Interactions with AI Toys
Aayushi Dangol · Meghna Gupta · Daeun Yoo · Robert Wolfe · Jason Yip · Franziska Roesner · Julie Kientz
AFFILIATIONS
- Aayushi Dangol, PhD Candidate, HCDE, UW
- Meghna Gupta, PhD Student, HCDE, UW
- Daeun Yoo, PhD Student, Information School, UW
- Robert Wolfe, Assistant Professor, School of Communication and Information (SC&I), Rutgers University
- Jason Yip, Associate Professor, Information School, UW
- Franziska Roesner, Professor, CSE, UW
- Julie A. Kientz, Professor, HCDE, UW
Poster 29
Consent under Constraints: Negotiating Photography and Media Sharing in Institutionalized Childcare
Meghna Gupta · George Zhang · Sophie Stephenson · Franziska Roesner · Julie Kientz
AFFILIATIONS
- Meghna Gupta, PhD Student, HCDE, UW
- George Zhang, Master’s Student, HCDE, UW
- Sophie Stephenson, PhD Candidate, School of Computer, Data & Information Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Franziska Roesner, Professor, CSE, UW
- Julie A. Kientz, Professor, HCDE, UW
Poster 30
Understanding the Effects of Conversational Agent Personality on the Credibility of LLM-Based Conversational Search
Hyeonjeong Byeon · Uran Oh · Gary Hsieh
AFFILIATIONS
- Hyeonjeong Byeon, PhD Student, HCDE, UW
- Uran Oh, Professor, Department of Computer Science & Engineering, Ewha Womans University
- Gary Hsieh, Professor, HCDE, UW
Poster 31
Exploring Influencer Creation and Shaping on Modern Social Media Platforms
Joseph Schafer · Kate Starbird
AFFILIATIONS
- Joseph S. Schafer, PhD Candidate, HCDE, UW and Center for an Informed Public (CIP)
- Kate Starbird, Professor, HCDE, UW and Center for an Informed Public (CIP)
Poster 32
Adversaries Turned Enemies: Partisan Media and Support for Repression on Fox News YouTube
Mert Can Bayar · Scott Radnitz · Soham De · Alex Efstratiou
AFFILIATIONS
- Mert Can Bayar, Postdoctoral Scholar, UW Center for an Informed Public (CIP)
- Scott Radnitz, Professor, Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies, UW and Center for an Informed Public (CIP)
- Soham De, PhD Student, Information School, UW and Center for an Informed Public (CIP)
- Alex Efstratiou, Postdoctoral Scholar, Information School, UW and Center for an Informed Public (CIP)
Poster 33
Spider Jesus: Christian Visual AI Slop, Meaning Making, and Scams on Facebook
Nina Lutz · Joseph Schafer · Julie Vera · Sourojit Ghosh · Kate Starbird
AFFILIATIONS
- Nina Lutz, PhD Student, HCDE, UW
- Joseph S. Schafer, PhD Candidate, HCDE, UW
- Julie Vera, PhD Candidate, HCDE, UW
- Sourojit Ghosh, PhD Candidate (ABD), HCDE, UW
- Kate Starbird, Professor, HCDE, UW
Poster 34
Negotiating Autonomy, Control, and Privacy in Smart Home Technology-Mediated Care Relationships with Older Adults
Shengzhi Wang · Neilly Tan · Sean Munson
AFFILIATIONS
- Shengzhi Wang, PhD Candidate, HCDE, UW
- Neilly H. Tan, PhD Candidate, HCDE, UW
- Sean A. Munson, Professor, HCDE, UW
Poster 35
Development of a Novel Method for Usability Testing of Health Interventions and Implementation Strategies Tricia Aung · Alejandra Lopez ·
Kathryn Bruzios · Fiona Vande Valde · Ryan Allred · Katie Osterhage · Elizabeth Connors · Denise Walker · Patrick Raue · Ian Bennett · Alex Dopp · Aaron Lyon · Sean Munson
AFFILIATIONS
- Tricia Aung, PhD Candidate, HCDE, UW; Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
- Alejandra Lopez, UX Designer, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, UW
- Kathryn E. Bruzios, Postdoctoral Scholar, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, UW
- Fiona Vande Valde, Postdoctoral Fellow, Ghent University
- Ryan Allred, Research Coordinator, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, UW
- Katie P. Osterhage, Research Scientist, Department of Family Medicine, UW
- Elizabeth Connors, Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry and The Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine
- Denise Walker, Associate Professor, Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation, Arizona State University
- Patrick J. Raue, Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, UW
- Ian M. Bennett, Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Family Medicine, UW
- Alex R. Dopp, Senior Behavioral and Social Scientist, RAND
- Aaron R. Lyon, Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, UW
- Sean A. Munson, Professor, HCDE, UW
Poster 36
Ordinary Days: Multimodal AI and Biometric Triangulation via an N-of-1 Framework for Personalized Mental Health Intervention
Selah Key
AFFILIATIONS
- Selah Key, Master’s Student, HCDE, UW
Poster 37
Goal-Directed Self-Tracking for Understanding and Managing Complex Health Conditions
Sean Munson · James Fogarty · Julie Kientz · Shaan Chopra · Yasaman Sefidgar · Tae Jones · Carla Castillo · Katherine Juarez
AFFILIATIONS
- Sean A. Munson, Professor, HCDE, UW
- James Fogarty, Professor, CSE, UW
- Julie A. Kientz, Professor, HCDE, UW
- Shaan Chopra, PhD Candidate, CSE, UW
- Yasaman Sefidgar, Postdoctoral Scholar, CSE, UW
- Tae Jones, PhD Candidate, CSE, UW
- Carla Castillo, PhD Student, HCDE, UW
- Katherine Juarez, PhD Candidate, CSE, UW
Poster 38
HCI Contributions in Mental Health: A Modular Framework to Guide Psychosocial Intervention Design
Petr Slovak · Sean Munson
AFFILIATIONS
- Petr Slovak, Reader (Associate Professor), Department of Informatics, King's College London
- Sean A. Munson, Professor, HCDE, UW
Poster 39
From Instrumental to Existential: Understanding Designers’ Experiences of Ambiguity
Tyler Fox · Michael Beach · René Capella · Cody Trinkaus
AFFILIATIONS
- Tyler Fox, Teaching Professor, HCDE, UW
- Michael Beach, Postdoctoral Scholar, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Bucknell University
- René Capella, PhD Student, HCDE, UW
- Cody Trinkaus, Undergraduate student, HCDE, UW
HCDE Research Areas
In the University of Washington's Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering, 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.
HCDE Research Labs & Centers
Research Labs
- Human Centered Data Science Lab (HCDS)
Directed by Dr. Cecilia Aragon - Safe Water Equity & Longevity Lab (SWELL)
Directed by Dr. Katya Cherukumilli - Learning, Epistemology, & Design Lab
Directed by Dr. Sayamindu Dasgupta - Inclusive Design Lab
Directed by Dr. Leah Findlater - Inquilab
Directed by Dr. Sucheta Ghoshal - EcoFutures Design Lab
Directed by Dr. Shana Hirsch - Prosocial Computing Lab
Directed by Dr. Gary Hsieh - Computing for Healthy Living & Learning (CHiLL) Lab
Directed by Dr. Julie Kientz - Tactile and Tactical (TAT) Design Laboratory
Directed by Dr. Beth Kolko & Dr. Daniela Rosner - Computer Supported Collaboration (CSC) Laboratory
Directed by Dr. Charlotte Lee - Social Computational Systems Lab (SoCS)
Directed by Dr. David McDonald - Intentional Traces Collective
Directed by Dr. Sean Munson - Machine Agency
Directed by Dr. Nadya Peek - The Data Ecologies Lab (DeLAB)
Directed by Dr. David Ribes - Emerging Capacities of Mass Participation Lab
Directed by Dr. Kate Starbird - Laboratory for Human-Centered Engineering Education
Directed by Dr. Jennifer Turns - Communicative Practices in Virtual Workspaces Lab
Directed by Dr. Mark Zachry
Research Centers
- Center for Collaborative Systems for Security, Safety, and Resilience (CoSSaR)
HCDE leadership: Dr. Mark Haselkorn - Center for Engineering Learning & Teaching (CELT)
HCDE leadership: Dr. Cindy Atman & Dr. Jennifer Turns
Affiliated Research Centers
- Safeguarding the Entire Community in the U.S. Research Ecosystem (SECURE) Center
HCDE leadership: Dr. Beth Kolko (interim) - Center for Research and Education on Accessible Technology and Experiences (CREATE)
HCDE leadership: Dr. Leah Findlater - ALACRITY Center
HCDE leadership: Dr. Sean Munson - Center for an Informed Public
HCDE leadership: Dr. Kate Starbird - Pacific Marine Energy Center
HCDE leadership: Dr. Shana Lee Hirsch
Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering · University of Washington